What happens when four of the most respected voices in global wellness hospitality gather in Milan to dissect the future of spa, hotel, and guest experience design?
This episode brings together Matteo Brusaferri, Emlyn Brown, Lynn Curry, and Laszlo Puczko for a rare, insight-packed conversation recorded live at the Wellness Hospitality Conference. From evolving guest expectations to seismic shifts in design, investment, and operational strategy, this dialogue explores how wellness is redefining the fabric of hospitality worldwide.
Listeners will walk away with a sharper understanding of the forces shaping wellness travel, the rise of new business models, and what hotels must do now to stay relevant in a transformed market.
What You’ll Learn:
- Why Italy is suddenly emerging as a powerhouse in global wellness hospitality
- The shift from “spa as amenity” to “wellbeing as a hotel-wide operating system”
- How design teams are rethinking movement, recovery, and nutrition inside luxury hotels
- The critical mistakes developers make when building spas, and the fixes that prevent costly rework
- Why wellness tourism needs a mindset shift from trends and technology to cultural alignment and guest resonance
Episode Highlights:
- 00:00 – Why the Wellness Hospitality Conference was created and what it signals about Italy’s industry evolution
- 04:09 – How international benchmarking helped elevate Italian spa standards
- 09:45 – The rise of club-style wellbeing spaces and the decline of the “amenity spa”
- 17:28 – Designing hotels for recovery: circadian lighting, room tech, and the future of the guest room
- 22:56 – The unseen complexity of spa operations and why most designs fail without operator input
- 31:40 – Thermal areas: cost, mistakes, and what must happen early in development
- 37:50 – Laszlo’s “hamster wheel” analogy and how hotels can break free from trend-chasing
- 42:30 – How to craft micro-wellness experiences guests remember months later
Meet the Guests:
Matteo Brusaferri – Founder of the Wellness Hospitality Conference and General Manager of LEMI Group, leading innovation in Italian spa equipment and wellness design.
Emlyn Brown – Group Director of Wellbeing, Mandarin Oriental. A global leader in wellness hotel development and next-generation hospitality concepts.
Lynn Curry – Founder of Curry Spa Consulting and one of the most respected spa development experts in North America.
Laszlo Puczko – Wellness tourism strategist and advisor known worldwide for integrating cultural insight, guest psychology, and destination development.
Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned
- “Club, not spa” membership-driven urban wellness models
- Thermal bathing and pay-to-play hydrothermal concepts
- Guest memory mapping for long-term emotional retention
- Operational service-mapping for end-to-end spa experience
- Wellness OS as an integrated, property-wide design philosophy
Closing Insight:
“Wellness isn’t what you offer, it’s what the guest remembers months later.”
For leaders shaping the future of hospitality, this episode provides a roadmap for designing, operating, and investing in wellness experiences that matter.
Looking for expert advice in Spa Consulting, with live training and online learning?
Spa Consulting: wynnebusiness.com/spa-management-consulting
Live Training: wynnebusiness.com/live-education
Online Learning: wynnebusiness.com/spa-management-courses
Opening a spa or wellness business, receive our free How To Open a Day Spa ebook
Other Links:
Connect with the Wellness Hospitality Conference
Connect with Matteo Brusaferri
Connect with Emlyn Brown
Connect with Lynn Curry
Connect with Laszlo Puczko
Follow Lisa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisastarrwynnebusiness
Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/at/podcast/starrcast/id1565223226
Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/00tW92ruuwangYoLxR9WDd
Watch the StarrCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wynnebusiness
Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/wynnebusiness/?ref=bookmarks
Join us on Instagram: instagram.com/wynnebusiness
