Different Perspectives, One Goal: Thinking Longevity in Hospitality Strategically

© FIBO / Jannik Hammes

A decisive quality factor of the Longevity in Hospitality Summit at FIBO 2026 is its international advisory board. The four curators represent different perspectives of the industry – ranging from strategic market analysis and hospitality operations to investment logic and holistic spa and longevity concepts. For summit participants, this means one thing above all: orientation. 

Instead of trend promises or product presentations, an interdisciplinary team of experts shapes the content structure of the summit. Their experience from consulting, development and operational practice ensures that discussions consistently focus on economic viability, practical feasibility and strategic relevance.

Judith Cartwright, Black Coral Consulting
Judith Cartwright of Black Coral Consulting consistently translates longevity into a clear business logic: from “wellness as an add-on” to profitability, positioning and asset value. With a focus on ROI, monetisation, portfolio strategy and operating models, she demonstrates how longevity offerings can become real value drivers in the hospitality context.

Andrew Gibson, Andrew Gibson Advisory
Andrew Gibson approaches longevity from a critical strategic perspective and provides guidance when it comes to prioritisation and risk assessment. The central question is which longevity offerings actually work for which hotel concepts – and where hotels risk overextending themselves by following trend promises.

Franz Linser, Linser Hospitality GmbH
Franz Linser grounds the topic of longevity firmly within the hospitality context: away from pure fascination with technology and toward holistic concepts combining lifestyle, environment, services and expert access. Hotels must be able to implement longevity as an integrated system – without losing the core of hospitality itself.

Yves Preissler, Yves Preissler Consulting
Yves Preissler consistently views longevity through the lens of real hotel operations. What matters most is that new concepts remain operationally feasible – in terms of space, budgets, vendor structures, staff training and the guest journey. His perspective focuses on how longevity strategies can be implemented without losing the “soul of hospitality”.

Together they do not form a trend panel, but an interdisciplinary team of expertise. Or, as Yves Preissler puts it: “Not just ‘Wellness & Longevity’ as a trend topic, but real hospitality decision-makers who need solutions that can withstand budget cycles, staffing realities and brand standards.” This is the true quality guarantee of the Longevity in Hospitality Summit.

The international hospitality industry is under pressure. Rising operating costs, staff shortages, increasing competitive pressure, more demanding guests and an ever shorter lifespan of trends require strategic clarity.

At the same time, guest expectations are changing. Sleep quality, regeneration, performance and mental stability are no longer niche topics – in the premium segment they have become expectations.

This is exactly where the Longevity in Hospitality Summit at FIBO 2026 comes in: not as a wellness showcase, not as a product exhibition, but as a structured executive working platform. Summit curator Yves Preissler puts it succinctly: “Most conferences treat wellness as a ‘nice-to-have’. This summit understands longevity as an operational and commercial discipline.”

This shift in perspective moves longevity away from being an add-on and toward becoming part of the core business logic. Accordingly, the session “Welcome & Setting the Stage: Longevity as Hospitality’s Next Great Era” opens the summit with a strategic classification of the role longevity will play in the future of the hospitality industry (further information).

According to Yves Preissler, a central motivation for attending the Longevity in Hospitality Summit at FIBO is the opportunity to elevate operational decision-making to an entirely new level. The other three curators share this view.

The background: many hospitality teams are currently investing in wellness, driven by market noise, vendor promises or design aesthetics. But which investments are operationally viable? Which can withstand budget cycles and staffing realities? And which will still function in three to five years?

The summit creates a space in which precisely these questions can be discussed honestly and practically – among developers, operators, investors and strategists. Andrew Gibson emphasises this approach: “Participants gain a differentiated understanding that there are many ways to expand a business model in a meaningful and economically sustainable way to include wellness and longevity programmes.”

This is not about one-size-fits-all solutions, but about applicable models, the curators emphasise. One example exploring the connection between health, performance and competitive advantage for hotels is the session “The Longevity Advantage: Why the Future of Hospitality Depends on Human Performance” with Anna Bjurstam, Wellness Pioneer, Six Senses (further information). 

According to Judith Cartwright, the central message of the business event is clear: “If longevity is to be taken seriously as a business driver, we also need to measure it accordingly – not as a feel-good concept and not as ‘Spa Revenue 2.0’.”

• Instead of vague promises of success, she proposes a precise “Longevity Scorecard”:
• Extend length of stay – five, seven or ten nights instead of three.
• Increase total revenue per guest – not by repackaging, but by creating real added value.
• Strengthen pricing power (ADR) – differentiation that supports price strength.
• Measure repeat rate and programme loyalty – moving from individual services to platforms.
• Strengthen revenue diversification – building resilience beyond room revenue.

This is not wellness rhetoric but asset-management thinking. And when it comes to ROI, Judith Cartwright remains realistic: “Those who proceed step by step can see the first significant effects within 12 to 18 months. Those who invest heavily in CapEx should realistically expect three to five years.”

Such clarity builds trust. And it makes clear that longevity is a strategic instrument – not a marketing claim.

This economic perspective of longevity as a growing business model is also explored in the session “The Longevity Economy: Where Hospitality, Health & Investment Converge” with Lindsay Madden-Nadeau, Senior Director Wellness Strategy at Red Sea Global (further information). 

A central tension within hospitality is the question: how much medicine can a hotel accommodate? Judith Cartwright frames the answer through a three-level model:

• Low-threshold offers such as sleep optimisation, stress regulation and personalised fitness.
• Structured programmes with diagnostics, technology and scientific grounding.
• Optional medical partnerships, clearly positioned but not dominant.

Her guiding principle: “Guests should feel invited, not diagnosed.” Monetisation is not generated by equipment but by programmes with clear objectives such as “Sleep Reset”, “Performance Boost” or “Executive Recovery”.

This is how perceived value – and therefore willingness to pay – emerges.

A practical perspective on successful implementation is offered by the session “Success Stories – From Concept to Commercial Reality” with Lilian Roten, Founder and Managing Director of Design Journey / Swissôtel (further information).

Yves Preissler adds an operational dimension to this perspective. Before investments are made, five questions must be answered:

• Is longevity a revenue driver, a positioning pillar or a loyalty strategy?
• Can the hotel deliver it on a daily basis – organisationally and with the available staff?
• Is the guest journey fully thought through – from arrival to follow-up?
• Are the modalities scalable or merely spectacular?
• Are protocols, maintenance, training standards and KPIs clearly defined?

His warning is clear: “Equipment is easy to buy. Quality in implementation is demanding.”

This illustrates the practical orientation of the summit. It is not about vision boards, but about operational reliability, emphasises the curator.

The session “The ROI of Recovery. Heat, Cold, and Science at Scale” with Susanna Søeberg, Founder & Creator of the Søeberg Institute, addresses exactly this kind of practical integration of concepts into hotel offerings (further information).

Another central topic for investors and asset managers is misinvestment. In this context, Yves Preissler warns against technologies that may look impressive but are not operationally scalable or require highly specialised personnel.

Instead, he recommends robust alternatives:

• Simple, low-maintenance sleep and regeneration infrastructure
• Multifunctional performance areas
• Systems and protocols instead of pure hardware
• Low-threshold diagnostics without a clinical atmosphere

His vision: “Longevity that works under real staffing conditions – and still feels like hospitality.” That is strategic sustainability.

Longevity risks becoming an inflated buzzword. Judith Cartwright puts it clearly: “Longevity becomes a trend when it is simply added on. It becomes a brand when it shapes decisions.”

This means:

• Clear target group positioning
• A clearly defined problem to solve (sleep? stress? metabolism?)
• Consistent service logic
• Credible partnerships
• Physical implementation in space, F&B and atmosphere

Hotels that are willing to be specific – even at the risk of not appealing to everyone – build substance. And this substance is exactly what stands at the centre of the summit.

The Longevity in Hospitality Summit at FIBO 2026 is not an inspiration event in a vacuum.

It is a working platform for owners, CEOs, asset managers, developers and operators who do not see longevity as decoration, but as a lever for value creation, differentiation and resilience.

Anyone who wants to understand…

• how to extend length of stay,
• how to strengthen ADR,
• how to avoid CapEx mistakes,
• how programmes become scalable and brand-defining

…will find not only inspiration here – but reliable answers.

Longevity will only become a successful model in the hospitality business when vision, design, operations and economic viability are considered together. The Longevity in Hospitality Summit brings precisely these perspectives together. And that makes it more than just a programme element of FIBO 2026 – it is a strategic meeting point for the next generation of health-driven hotels.