Hotels are no longer just hotels. In 2025, they’re mood boards come to life! Like art? There’s a hotel curated to look like a modern art gallery! Into fashion? Your lobby doubles as a runway! Want to hang out with people who obsess over the same weird niche passion? Perfect; hospitality has become a matchmaking mechanism for interests.
Now, it didn’t all start in Asia – Europe kicked off the wild rush. The room supply for lifestyle properties increased roughly twenty-five percent compared to the year before, and that out-paced the U.S. and Asia, at sixteen percent. It’s something investors love, and travelers want. And before you know it, “lifestyle” is on every booking app and lobby signage.
Wait… what is a “lifestyle hotel”?
Funny enough, the definition doesn’t come from influencers, it comes from JLL’s Global Hotel Investment Outlook 2025.
According to JLL:
*A boutique hotel=small, independent, family-owned, full of personality.
*A lifestyle hotel=run by large brands…but trying really hard to feel indie and cool.
So you might be sleeping at a Marriott and you don’t even know it. Except, the furniture looks like an art installation and there is a DJ in the lobby.
Asia Begins the Party
This is where the plot twist occurs. Where is the largest supply of lifestyle hotels in the Asia-Pacific region? China, by a long shot.
And then there is Southeast Asia, which has 3x more available rooms than Australia, New Zealand and South Asia combined.
When it comes to hoteliers and investors, they are eager because travelers do not just want a clean sheet and a bed; they want accommodation that speaks to their identity and travel purpose.
From music enthusiasts to freelancers to fitness enthusiasts, sneakerheads, gamers, and fashion designers, everyone has received a customized experience.
But It’s Not Just About The Experience
According to JLL, since the early 2000s, the share of lifestyle rooms within the construction of newly built hotels has doubled. In Asia-Pacific alone, it has quadrupled from 2014-2024, with an additional projected increase of 34% by 2027.
Comparatively, Australia and New Zealand are late adopters but have rapidly gained traction due to the increased demand for “experience-based” travel. People are now seeking to have an experience, not just stay at a property.
Why Travelers Are Obsessed
Get this:
- Being around other travelers with similar interests is comfortable and not awkward.
- When the scenery, decor, or ambiance matches your taste, it’s an easy conversation starter.
- To stay in a place that has character and personality is 1,000 times better than a cookie-cutter hotel room.
Hotels have figured it out. The hotels are selling identity, not accommodation.
And here’s the twist that should have been leading:
In a different report on traveler’s demands, we learned that travelers want more than a bed, a shower, and Wi-Fi. Travelers are looking for “an acknowledgment of their interests or hobbies—art, music, fashion, startup culture, etc.”/and a way to connect with other like-minded strangers.
So yes, the hotel of the future will be a shift to a mash-up of boutique design, big-brand budget, curated experiences, and spaces designed for humans, not just heads on pillows.
