How padel became the new luxury travel status symbol
There was a time when the hotel tennis court lived somewhere behind the gym.
You might notice it on the resort map. You might even book it once. But it was rarely the thing appearing first in the hotel’s photographs.
Padel is changing that.
Some of the world’s most recognisable luxury hotels are now putting courts in remarkably beautiful places: surrounded by Indonesian jungle, on private Maldivian islands and against the mountains of St. Moritz.
And increasingly, the court itself is becoming part of the sell.
That is what makes this more interesting than another story about the rise of padel. We already know the sport has exploded.
The International Padel Federation’s 2025 World Padel Report puts the number of players at more than 35 million worldwide, up by more than five million in a year. There are now around 77,300 courts across 150 countries, while the number of courts grew by 15.2% in 2025 alone. Britain is among the European markets FIP identifies as still growing rapidly.
The more interesting question is what happens once all those players go on holiday.
The court has become part of the picture
Look at NIHI Sumba.
Its vivid blue padel court sits among the tropical greenery of the Indonesian island, immediately making the setting part of the game.
NIHI describes it as the first and only padel court in Sumba. It is complimentary for guests and open from morning until evening, with weekly social games and private lessons available through coaching partner Liga Tenis.
This is not a court that happens to exist at a hotel. It looks like somewhere you would want to play specifically because of where it is.
And that distinction matters.
Luxury hotels have always competed on things that photograph well. The infinity pool became an obvious example: somewhere to swim, yes, but also an architectural feature that could communicate a resort’s entire proposition in one image.
Padel courts are beginning to perform a surprisingly similar role.
They signal activity, sociability and a certain kind of lifestyle — while still producing the sort of imagery luxury hotels want associated with their brand.
Padel is becoming a social space too
At Delano Dubai, the idea goes even further.
La Cantine Sports Club has six outdoor padel courts set among landscaped social areas on Bluewaters Island. But the concept also includes a wellness-focused café inspired by Mediterranean dining and spaces deliberately designed to encourage people to stay before and after playing.
That says quite a lot about why hotels like padel.
A gym is normally something guests use individually.
Padel creates an occasion. Four people play. Others watch. Somebody stays for lunch. A morning activity turns into half a day.
For hotels trying to create more reasons for guests to spend time within the resort, it makes commercial as well as cultural sense.
It fits the way luxury travel is changing
There is also a broader shift at play.
Luxury travel used to be strongly associated with doing very little extremely well.
That still has its place, but the modern luxury resort increasingly needs to offer something more active: hiking, wellness programmes, cycling, watersports, tennis and now padel.
At Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, the resort has added a dedicated padel court alongside three tennis courts at its Tennis and Padel Club. Guests can simply reserve a court or book private coaching.
Its location on the Athenian Riviera makes the appeal fairly obvious.
A game can become one part of the day rather than the purpose of it: padel in the morning, the beach afterwards and lunch overlooking the water.
That may be padel’s biggest advantage as a holiday sport.
It is sociable enough for a group, accessible enough for relative beginners and competitive enough for people who actually care about winning.
The Alps might be clearest sign yet
Then there is Badrutt’s Palace.
The St. Moritz hotel now has what it describes as the highest padel court in Europe, open year-round and surrounded by the Engadin’s mountain landscape. Equipment rental, partner arrangement and coaching are all available.
The hotel’s own 2025 coverage described the new court alongside its infinity pool as part of the latest evolution of its leisure offering.
And perhaps nowhere makes our argument more neatly.
Padel is no longer confined to Spanish resorts or beach clubs.
A grand Swiss hotel synonymous with skiing, old-school glamour and Alpine luxury now considers a padel court noteworthy enough to promote as part of the Badrutt’s Palace experience.
That is a status shift.
Even the Maldives isn’t exempt
At One&Only Reethi Rah, padel sits within Club One alongside the resort’s wider sports programme.
The island has floodlit tennis and padel courts, resident professionals and hitting partners who can arrange personalised games. One&Only even includes tennis or padel lessons within some of its family holiday packages.
There is something faintly absurd about flying to a private island in the Maldives and immediately seeking out a racket.
But it also perfectly explains the sport’s appeal.
Padel does not necessarily feel like the thing you are supposed to do on holiday.
For its converts, it is the thing they want to do.
And of course, the Mediterranean gets it
At Ikos Porto Petro in Mallorca, new outdoor padel courts now form part of the complimentary activity programme alongside three tennis courts, paddleboarding, canoeing and fitness.
It is an especially natural fit for the Ikos model.
Play a match. Have lunch. Swim. Order something cold. Repeat tomorrow.
No logistics and, thanks to the all-inclusive format, very little friction.
That might ultimately be why padel works so well within the luxury resort world.
It gives people something to organise the day around without making the holiday feel organised.
So, is the padel court the new infinity pool?
We are not suggesting hotels start filling in their swimming pools.
But there is a similarity.
The infinity pool became much more than an amenity. It became visual shorthand for the hotel itself: the image that appeared on Instagram, in travel features and perhaps ultimately made you want to stay there.
The best resort padel courts are beginning to occupy some of the same territory.
They are placed somewhere beautiful. They photograph brilliantly. They say something about the people who stay there and increasingly, they give travellers who already play at home another reason to choose one hotel over another.
That last part is important.
With more than 35 million players globally, padel has a sizeable audience of travellers who do not necessarily want to stop playing just because they are away.
Hotels are responding by turning the humble resort court into something altogether more aspirational.
The question may no longer be whether your hotel has padel.
It might be what the view is like from the court.
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