Padel is taking the health and fitness world by storm, and its moving into luxury hotels fast.
Padel is the exhilarating racket sport mixing tennis and squash, and has rapidly become the “it-amenity” at luxury hotels globally, transforming the guest experience and marking a striking new chapter in high-end travel.
With more than 30 million players worldwide and the global sports tourism market projected to surpass $1.8 trillion by 2030, padel isn’t just a fleeting trend—it’s a full-blown movement.
This sport, renowned for its sociability and straightforward gameplay, is now a status symbol at top-tier resorts, offering guests an active, stylish way to socialise, keep fit, and connect with their destinations.
Many luxury hotels are leading the padel revolution with professionally designed courts and dedicated facilities. In Europe, the Mediterranean coastline is dotted with prestigious padel installations.
Anantara Villa Padierna Palace in Marbella, Spain boasts championship courts amidst its opulent grounds, while the Grand Hyatt La Manga Club Golf & Spa features a world-class Racquets Club with seven glass padel courts for guests of all levels.
At Bahia del Duque in Tenerife, the courts are set in lush tropical gardens, and Puente Romano Marbella is widely recognised for helping ignite padel’s fever among the jet-set crowd.
Further north, Switzerland has entered the fray. Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne provides exclusive padel experiences in a lakeside garden setting, and the town of Arosa is launching Switzerland’s first floating padel court on Obersee Lake, offering gameplay surrounded by Alpine peaks—a truly unforgettable backdrop.
Meanwhile, guests of Le Bristol Paris can play nearby at Sportfield, with iconic Eiffel Tower views, while London’s Lanesborough places players within easy walking distance to Hyde Park’s sought-after padel courts, blending elite sport with classic luxury.
Across the Atlantic, padel’s appeal is fueling upgrades at leading U.S. properties. Rancho Valencia in California has rolled out three designer courts, supported by top-tier coaching and a calendar of clinics and tournaments—guests can even reserve courts just like spa treatments.
The Houstonian Club in Texas, The Montauk Yacht Club in New York, and The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne in Miami are all gearing up to launch or expand their padel programs as demand grows.
Padel’s meteoric rise is especially vivid in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. In Dubai, the Address Dubai Mall stands minutes from professional padel centers such as Ballers Padel in Dubai Design District, offering skyline views and seamless access for international guests.
In Malaysia, The Sireya at Desaru Coast hosts custom padel courts as part of its recreational hub, soon to be managed by Mandarin Oriental, ensuring the sport’s luxury appeal is elevated further.
Thailand’s Samujana Resort on Koh Samui offers exclusive access to nearby Padel Samui club, rounding out luxury stays with sporting sophistication.
Asia’s most exotic settings now feature padel as a core amenity. Zannier Hotels Bãi San Hô, perched in the lush Vietnamese forest of Phu Yen province, offers a secluded court close to the ocean and coral reefs—perfect for combining sport with beach life.
The Bali Padel Academy takes things up a notch with seven international standard courts, plus whirlpools and saunas for post-match recovery, making padel part of a total wellness experience. Seychelles’ Hilton Labriz creates a tropical padel paradise surrounded by palm trees and soothing ocean sounds.
In the Americas, padel is no longer just a niche sport. At Banyan Tree Mayakoba in Mexico, padel courts have joined a host of other high-end amenities, and the Montauk Yacht Club in Long Island offers luxury guests stylish courts just steps from the waterfront—cementing padel’s status as a high-value differentiator.
Why is padel such a hit among luxury travelers and hotels? First, the sport is physically inclusive—easy to learn, fast-paced, and ideal for all ages.
Its doubles format makes for a highly social activity, attracting groups, families, and solo travelers looking for connection and fun. Padel’s court size is compact, fitting seamlessly into resorts not able to accommodate traditional tennis infrastructure, and it blends exercise with play in a chic, approachable way.
Hoteliers see padel not only as an amenity but as a focal point for social interaction, wellness, and experiential travel. The addition of padel courts rounds out sophisticated sporting programs—often alongside tennis, fitness, golf, and spa facilities—allowing resorts to engage guests beyond the pool and restaurant. Padel tournaments, coaching clinics, and open-play sessions create a buzzy, club-like energy, drawing both beginners and seasoned players.
Industry icons and celebrities have further fueled padel’s image as the sport to play. David Beckham has invested in major padel brands, launching courts in the UK, while tennis star Rafael Nadal has developed padel academies in Spain. Such endorsements reinforce padel’s reckoning as both a stylish and aspirational pursuit, perfectly aligned with luxury hospitality’s drive toward exclusivity and high-touch lifestyle experiences.
With padel now installed at luxury hotels and resorts across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, the ability to pick up a racket and play amongst beautiful settings has become a defining criteria for many travelers.
This new era of “sports-tripping”—where vacations are planned around premium sporting experiences—is set to continue, evolving padel into not just an amenity, but a must-have part of the modern luxury hotel playbook.
From Arosa’s floating courts and Bali’s padel academies to Marbella, Mayakoba, Paris, London, Desaru Coast, and beyond, padel has cemented itself at the pinnacle of luxury hospitality.
Expect the courts to get more glamorous, the tournaments more prestigious, and the demand for padel to keep climbing as luxury resorts respond to global guest cravings for fitness, fun, and connection in every journey.
