longevity: a growth driver for hospitality. reflections from the milan longevity summit 2025
Over the past few years, one of my missions has been to explore innovation opportunities in hospitality, particularly those that align with shifting social trends. This journey naturally led me to the rapidly growing longevity movement. I began to see an opportunity for hospitality to play a larger role in people's lives. Not just offering places to stay, but creating environments and ecosystems that actively support health, long-term vitality, and purpose.
In late March 2025, I had the pleasure of contributing to the second edition of the prestigious Milan Longevity Summit (March 21–29, 2025) by initiating two hands-on longevity labs. While the longevity labs focused on sharing practical insights, the conference program highlighted the latest research developments and, among other renowned experts, featured two Nobel Prize laureates: Shin'ya Yamanaka and Venkatraman Ramakrishnan.
Further, together with industry experts, I explored how the longevity movement can evolve into a powerful growth driver for the hospitality sector.
Longevity sits at the powerful intersection of two global megatrends: increased health consciousness and demographic change in aging societies. In essence, longevity is not only about living longer, but also about living better. It’s about extending the healthspan, not just the lifespan.
As these shifts intensify, longevity is emerging as a critical domain for innovation, investment, and societal planning.
Through my longevity research, I became increasingly fascinated by the untapped potential of one of the world’s oldest medical systems: Ayurveda. With more than 3,000 years of tradition, Ayurveda offers a deeply holistic and preventative approach to health, focusing on balance, personalized routines, detoxification, and mental clarity through practices like yoga, and meditation.
Surprisingly, despite its relevance, Ayurveda has been largely absent from longevity expert conversations. That changed when I attended the first Milan Longevity Summit in 2024 and shared my thoughts with the brilliant founder, the late Viviana Kasam. I asked a simple question: Why is Ayurveda not part of the agenda? That conversation sparked a shared vision and a commitment to bring Ayurveda on the 2025 agenda.
With the support and expertise of Ayurvedic Point in Milan, a leading Italian Ayurveda training and medical center, I was able to initiate two Ayurveda workshops during this year’s summit. These interactive sessions focused on practical longevity strategies rooted in Ayurvedic principles, from daily routines to body cleansing techniques, offering participants simple and proven ways to boost their energy, resilience, and overall well-being.
Photo:
Viviana Kasam and Detlef Schmidt captured during a planning workshop at the Roche headquarters in Basel, Switzerland in September 2024.
I believe Ayurveda, as a comprehensive approach to promote nature-based longevity, holds enormous potential for the hospitality industry. Not just in medical spa environments, but as a foundation for a modern hospitality experience that empowers guests to live more vibrant, balanced, and healthy lives. Wellness-savy guests are no longer looking just for rest. They are looking for renewal and for experience that improve their quality of life. Ayurveda offers a rich, meaningful layer to elevate that experience. Therefore, it is a future-facing, nature-based approach that resonates with today’s conscious travelers and tomorrow’s longevity-driven world.
As consumer demand shifts toward purpose-driven travel and proactive health, the convergence of longevity and hospitality represents a powerful growth opportunity. For owners, investors and operators, this is more than a trend. It’s a chance to future-proof assets, differentiate guest experiences, and tap into a rapidly expanding global market.
👉 If you are a hospitality leader curious about integrating longevity-focused guest journeys or business model innovation rooted in purpose, I would love to explore how I can support your vision.
Let’s shape the future of hospitality!
Photo Credit
All photos are owned by Detlef Schmidt.
Locations: Basel, September 2024; Milan, March 2025.
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