HEALTHCARE HOTELS
How can healthcare hotels help the NHS?
Alex Warren, an associate director at The Manser Practice architects, discusses the history and benefits of healthcare hotels, the challenges they face, and how they could slot into – and support – the current NHS model of care.
The concept of healthcare hotels originated long before the advent of modern medicine. Back then, travellers seeking medical treatment would receive basic nursing care and accommodation at temples, monasteries, and other healing centres. In the nineteenth century, sanatoriums and health resorts, such as spa towns, became popular destinations for health and healing. These resorts combined medical supervision with nutritious food, fresh air, and a variety of leisure activities to promote general wellbeing. As modern medicine advanced, hospitals became more specialised, technical, and scientific. Staff were under increasing pressure to treat and discharge patients as quickly as possible to free up bed spaces. While medical outcomes improved immeasurably, concepts such as nutrition, fresh air, and patient wellbeing – which were once considered key to the recovery process – were forgotten. In my experience, hospital design seems to be returning to these early ideas of healing. While patients still expect sterile environments, clinically trained teams, and evidence-based medicine (well, most do), they also expect hospitals to go above and beyond their basic model of care by incorporating some of these early healing concepts, many of which have since transferred across to the hospitality sector.
What is a healthcare hotel? As the name suggests, healthcare hotels combine the medical support, staff, and clinical services of a hospital with the comfort and convenience of a hotel. They are intended to accommodate patients who require minimal medical supervision, thereby freeing up bed spaces in the main hospital for those who are more critically ill. They are not intended as an alternative to hospitals, but rather to complement them. Patients requiring intensive care, major surgery, emergency treatment, or highly specialised care must remain in fully equipped hospitals. Similarly, guests wanting to stay in a traditional hotel should use Booking. com!
Due to the reduced medical demand, the focus of the design shifts from clinical care to the patient experience. Negative hospital stereotypes such as noise, limited privacy, and clinical environments are replaced with welcoming and peaceful spaces designed to reduce anxiety and improve emotional wellbeing. This, in turn, helps with sleep and appetite and supports faster patient recovery. The growing popularity of these hospitals reflects a shift towards patient-centred care, where comfort, dignity, and emotional wellbeing are considered essential components of recovery.
Healthcare hotel bedrooms typically feature comfortable beds, private bathrooms, entertainment systems, Wi-Fi, and non-clinical interior design. They should all have views of and access to gardens or green spaces, as well as a good amount of natural light, to improve patient mood, reduce stress, and support healthy sleep cycles. Another important design feature is providing enough space for family members, whose presence and emotional support can have a positive effect on recovery. Healthcare hotels might even become places that patients and visitors look forward to visiting! However, they must not deviate too far from traditional
hospital design. Unlike some rehabilitation centres or wellness retreats, healthcare hotels must be located close to, or adjoining, the main hospital. This maintains clinical efficiency and ensures emergency care is always nearby.
Who are they for? While the level of medical care varies from patient to patient, healthcare hotels are designed to accommodate those who require limited supervision or monitoring. This may include patients recovering from surgery, trauma, a stroke, neurological disorders, sports injuries, or chronic illnesses. Treatment plans are tailored to each patient’s medical condition, preferences, and recovery goals. These may include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy, and exercise therapy, with
October 2026 Health Estate Journal 131
Waiting area, Wembley.
Lounge area, Surrey.
All photos courtesy The Manser Practice
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