It’s no longer passé to hit the snooze button. Do not disturb is modish. From blackout blinds and doze doctors to AI-powered beds, the message is clear: the world is severely sleep deprived. Sleep may be democratic in theory, but in practice it’s a luxury. Roughly 66 per cent of Australian adults report one or more sleep-related problems and almost half of the population are riddled with at least two, the AIHW found. It’s no wonder the pursuit of undisturbed shut-eye has become a global obsession. For every insomniac vexation, there is a memory-foam mattress waiting to bid you goodnight and a sleep-tracking ring to reset your circadian rhythms. But it’s not just the commercial market cashing in on our collective exhaustion. More than ever, travellers are prioritising rest and improved sleep quality, and hospitality spaces are leaning into the slumber surge. According to HTF’s 2024 Market Intelligence Report, the sleep tourism sector is worth more than US $690 billion (AU $1 trillion) and is forecasted to grow by another US $400 billion by 2028.

Not long ago, holidays were about ticking things off: pyramids, museums, tan lines. Now, the latest travel craze asks you to do absolutely nothing – and charges you handsomely for it. Sleep tourism is a growing trend in wellness travel focused on achieving optimal rest and sleep patterns. Think: week-long sleep retreats, tech-free rooms, circadian lighting, personalised sleep coaching and melatonin mocktails.

But what have hotels got to do with all this pillow talk? Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report tells us that that more than half of the world – and two thirds of Americans – sleep more soundly in hotel beds than at home. Moreover, 70 per cent of luxury travellers are choosing hotels that offer sleep-centric amenities. But sleep tourism goes far beyond short-term fixes such as blackout curtains and weighted blankets.

Across the globe, hotels and spas are reimagining rest as the pinnacle of indulgence. Let psychoacoustic soundscapes guide your mind through ideal sleep cycles at COMO Metropolitan Singapore, or perhaps consult the in-house sleep concierge at The Cadogan, A Belmond Hotel, London.

At Dior Spa Plaza Athénée in Paris, guests can now book ‘Le Rituel Étoilé’, a 90-minute treatment using light therapy to reset your internal clock. Over in California, Santa Monica Proper offers a Surya Lullaby Sound Bath performed bedside, while Mandarin Oriental Barcelona has launched a new ‘Rest & Recharge Sleep Experience’ combining aromatherapy, guided breathing and massage techniques.

Other hotels are riding the sleep tourism wave by way of collaborations with snooze specialists. Equinox Hotels has teamed up with renowned sleep scientist Dr Matthew Walker to transform guests’ nighttime experiences with cutting-edge sleep technology. Meanwhile, Hilton has partnered with Calm, a leading global app for mental wellbeing, to provide hotel guests with in-room meditation, sleep stories and soothing soundscapes.

Sleep tourism offers travellers the opportunity to restore and rejuvenate in a calm environment distanced from the distractions of everyday life. It also promotes education around sleep issues and techniques for overcoming them. 

Nowadays, lucrative screen times snatch us from slumber and binging emails follow us to our beds. Post-pandemic burnout and hyper-paced lifestyles have no doubt also played a role in fuelling the global yearning for rest.

Sleep is a mood-boosting, immunity-enhacing pillar of longevity that helps our brains and bodies to function properly. It is also when the body does its deepest housekeeping – flushing toxins, consolidating memories and clearing out metabolic waste. According to neuroscientists, sleep deprivation now rivals alcohol in terms of cognitive impairment.

If you thought sleep tourism stopped at pillow menus, dream on. At beachside resort Shanti Maurice, guests can be gently hushed into slumber with magnesium therapies, pranayama breath techniques and the soothing sound of the waves just metres away. The five or seven-night sleep retreats are designed to induce a deep state of relaxation with the aid of tailored yoga and meditation sessions.

Stress has nothing on this science-forward sanctuary of somnolence. Tucked on the peaceful shores of Northern Italy’s lake district, Lefay Resort & SPA Lago di Garda hosts one of the world’s best sleep retreats. Acupuncture sessions promote sleep through stimulating energy lines, Qigong workshops tune the mind into the body and the saltwater grotto pool provides a spectacular haven for relaxation.

Sleep tourism is all about curing poor snoozing habits, and Six Senses has just the fix. Available at many of the brand’s global properties, ‘Sleep with Six Senses’ begins with an in-depth sleep consultation and tracking analysis, before pampering guests with personalised spa and fitness treatments, plus sleep-inducing snacks (and nutritional advice on what foods to avoid). Did we mention the body temperature-regulating bed linens?

The Reef House Adults Retreat in the picturesque Palm Cove, Tropical North Queensland, offers three, six and eight-night sleep retreats geared towards helping you learn about and achieve better sleep. Expect an in-room Sleep Easy Support Guide and Sleep Portal, custom-made mattress and private sessions with sleep scientist Sabine Christelli.

Germany’s Lanserhof Sylt is a trailblazer in the sleep tourism movement. Extensive (but not intrusive) medical examinations and check-ups, from heart rate variability tests to metabolic assessments, are used to create a personalised wellness plan targeting sleep disorders. Guests can opt in for daily movement therapy and relaxation training, along with themed lectures, meditation sessions and cryotherapy.

At Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle, you’ll have all the tools to calm a busy mind. Overlooking the brilliant Indian Ocean, the Sri Lankan sleep retreat invites guests to unwind with sleep-inducing Ayurvedic treatments, mindful practices and contemplative local experiences over five blissful days.

Forget counting sheep, the solution to your bedtime woes lies in a lush beachside sanctuary along the Gulf of Thailand – Kamalaya Koh Samui. Succumb to an Indian head massage, let bioresonance therapy re-establish calm in the nervous system and learn to recreate the optimal mental and physical conditions for a deep, replenishing snooze. If this isn’t sleep tourism at it’s finest, what is?

Designed to address the root causes of disrupted sleep, the three-day ‘Sleep Well & Reset’ programme at Revivo Bali aims to combat health imbalances through expert-led sleep science and holistic therapies. There are even sleep butlers and bedside offerings of breathing devices, bath rituals and mandala colouring.

Also tucking into the sleep tourism movement is Soneva Soul. The flotation pod experience and medicinal herbal baths are sure to ease you into dreamland (the breathtaking Maldivian surrounds might have something to do with it, too). Based on the latest research into the circadian rhythm and autonomic nervous system, the seven or fourteen-day sleep retreats integrate ancient and modern wellness practices to equip guests with lasting tools for better rest.

Slip between the sheets at one of several ‘sleep suites’ at and let stress slink away. Everything from sleep-related literature and relaxing oil diffusers to AI “smart” beds that adjust mattress pressure points are at your disposal.

The ‘Art + Science of Sleep’ is an overnight experience by featuring rejuvenating AM and PM rituals, spa treatments and sleep IV-drips.

The has designed a ‘Happy Sleepers Programme’ to cradle guests into rest with the aid of a premium bedding collection, ‘slumber supper’ and sleep-enhancers.

Who can resist a ‘sacred nap’? The 60-minute session at sees guests suspended in an aerial silk hammock while being gently swayed to the sounds of nature.

At on Spain’s Alicante coast, onsite sleep experts study guests’ sleep patterns using advanced technologies such as Night Polygraphic Diagnosis.  

At COMO Metropolitan Singapore, sleep tourism devotees can opt to bed down in a COMO Suite that uses neuroscience-backed SleepHub technology to guide them through optimal sleep cycles.