I have almost always come back from a holiday feeling a little tired. It did not matter if it was a packed trip or a slow one. If I crammed in too many activities, I came home exhausted. If I chilled, I still came home feeling like I needed another holiday to get over the holiday. Also read | Jamnagar’s Vantara Niwas: Ultra-luxurious wellness retreat where Indian heritage meets mindfulness, relaxation, nature
Then I spoke to people around me, and I realised I was not the only one. That is what led me to speak to experts at The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary, ELE|NA, Ayurbay Wellness Centre, and Sun Siyam Resorts. Turns out, travellers are not booking to escape life anymore. They are booking to fix their sleep, stress, energy. At The Leela Coorg, about half of wellness guests track sleep, heart rate variability, metabolic measures and daily energy expenditure, Rajesh shares. “It needs to be understood in context and balanced with how a person actually feels. That is why retreats are adding their own checks.
Sun Siyam has seen its average wellness-led stay jump from two nights in 2023-24 to four nights now, Sara shares. Ayurbay sees weekends for nearby guests, and five, seven and 14-day retreats for panchakarma, per Atul. Because of wearables, at Sun Siyam, Sara says guests ask sharper questions.
At Ayurbay, Atul says younger professionals often arrive with data in hand. “They often come with data in hand: ‘my sleep score is low’ or ‘my stress levels are always high,'” he says. “More guests now arrive with their own data, mostly sleep and recovery metrics from rings and watches, and a smaller group with glucose monitors and they ask sharper questions as a result,” she says. Heidi says data is useful, but it is not the whole story: “Data alone does not always translate into better health,” she says. At The Leela, Rajesh says, “Technology can complement, but never replace a more holistic understanding of wellbeing. “Both formats have an important place in the future of wellness travel,” Heidi says. “Longer retreats allow guests the time and consistency needed to explore deeper lifestyle changes, while shorter stays offer a valuable opportunity to step away from daily demands and restore a sense of balance,” she adds. “Continuity is where wellness travel still has the most to do,” Heidi says. “A stay can be genuinely transformative, but the real value lies in what guests carry home with them, and without some form of follow-up, even the most meaningful experience can fade once daily routines return,” she adds.
