Too Niche, Too Overplayed: The Sweet Spot for In-Demand Hotel Programming

We are all for creating bespoke niche experiences, but we often hear from hosts that they are having trouble filling their activities. Could it be because they’re creating experiences that only resonate with ~5% of guests?

Lately, we’re seeing a lot of spiritual wellness activities fill a hotel’s programming calendar: morning yoga, sound bowl healing, reiki forest bathing, tarot card readings… but what percent of people do these activities actually appeal to? And why does everything have to be turned into a meditative moment? Are they truly on-brand experiences, or are they just programming filler?

Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum we have the typical mass-appeal moments like live music, bonfires, and wine & cheese hours. There’s a reason why these “experiences” can’t really be ticketed for profit: guests can find this sort of thing pretty much everywhere. They might lead to further food & beverage sales, but are they really creating high-value moments that guests will rave to their friends about?

Selling something that only resonates with 5% of guests is significantly harder than selling something that resonates with 30, 40, 50% of guests. So, if sound bowls are too niche and live music is too overplayed, what’s the sweet spot in-between? The perfect high-value activity will check these boxes:

✔ It breaks from the typical script

Even if one of these typical wellness activities or more ‘standard’ hospitality experiences is highly on-brand for your property, if you want to create something valuable you must put your own spin on it. If a guest can do this sort of thing at home (and many of them can) there’s less incentive for them to spend their precious vacation time doing this – especially when they could be out exploring a place they may never see again. Consider this a permission slip to change the structure and look & feel of each moment!

✔ It’s inclusive within reason

Sure, sometimes women (especially moms) need a moment to themselves without their partner or children. And men are far less likely to join a sound bathing experience. But when people are often traveling with their family in order to spend quality time together, these isolating experiences can become unappealing. Unless you’re designing a women-only retreat, the best activities are ones that many demographics are excited to partake in – spanning all ages, genders, interests, and skills.

✔ It celebrates the culture

Too often, experiences and activities (especially wellness-adjacent) lack sense of place or cultural heritage. You can do yoga pretty much anywhere in the world – the difference between yoga at home vs. yoga in Tuscany vs. yoga in Costa Rica vs. yoga in California is negligible. The scenery changes but the activity stays the same, and this ignoring of cultural nuance makes an experience a less desirable commodity. Isn’t there something within your own culture that is better suited?

✔ It fits your narrative

Does this experience fit coherently into the overarching journey you’ve designed for guests? Or is it more of a one-off, random moment that feels a bit out of place? Sometimes in an effort to entertain or appease guests, hosts forget the true purpose of their property. When a potential partner comes knocking on your door and says, “I have something your guests will enjoy”, consider if this is a square peg for a round hole. Instead, be proactive about shaping your story and take control of your narrative.

✔ It strikes interactive balance

It’s common for activities to fall in two bucks: (1) they’re overly consumptive, not connective and (2) there’s a strong teacher-student dynamic plays out, but who wants to feel like they’re back in a classroom? Experiences should have consistent moments of interaction that create a sense of immersion. If half of the experience feels like a tutorial or there’s a lot of passive watching/consuming without any sort of call to action, then it’s time to get creative and rethink the delivery!

✔ It’s intimate (size matters!)

At first this might seem like personal preference, but tourism studies back it: smaller groups report significantly higher perceived value and overall satisfaction compared to larger groups. Intimacy creates psychological safety and space for more meaningful engagement. A 15–20-person group is also less of a resource heavy lift for you and your team than a 50+ person event, so it’s a win-win! And with thoughtful attention to how each moment plays out, you can command higher rates for intimate experiences.

As you can see, hotel programming & experience development should be far more thoughtful than just slapping forest-bathing on the calendar. And when a property actually takes the time to create something remarkable, the payoff is big.

So make it a priority to go beyond traditional wellness programming, and carve out some time to reflect on more culturally immersive alternatives to the cheese & wine hour. Your guests will thank you (with their wallet)!