Varför alla hotell nu vill ha bastu (och vad det betyder för gästerna)

In 2015, a sauna in a hotel was a pleasant bonus — something you might find in a four-star Nordic property or a German spa hotel. Today it is becoming a baseline expectation. From converted city centre townhouses to mountain lodges to beach resorts, hotels across Europe are adding saunas at a rate that shows no signs of slowing.

The transformation is not accidental. It is driven by hard data on guest satisfaction, booking conversion, and revenue per available room — and by a generational shift in what travellers actually want from a hotel stay.

The Revenue Case Is Compelling

Hospitality consultants who have analysed sauna installation data across European hotels consistently report the same finding: properties with quality sauna facilities achieve higher average daily rates, better occupancy, and stronger direct booking rates than comparable properties without them.

The mechanism is simple. In an era of review-driven booking decisions, a genuinely good sauna generates disproportionately positive guest reviews. Phrases like "the sauna made the whole trip" appear regularly in the feedback of properties that have invested in the experience.

Sauna also generates direct revenue. An hour of sauna access priced at €20–€40, offered to both hotel guests and day visitors, adds measurable income. In properties where the sauna operation is sophisticated enough to offer Aufguss ceremonies, bookings, and guided sessions, the wellness facility becomes a genuine profit centre.

What Guests Are Actually Asking For

The shift began with guest feedback data. When hotel groups analysed what guests were requesting that properties could not provide, sauna consistently appeared in the top five. As booking platforms began allowing searches and filters for wellness facilities, properties with saunas saw improved search visibility and click-through rates.

Booking.com reported in 2024 that sauna was the third-most-searched wellness facility after pool and gym — and was growing faster than either. Among travellers aged 25–45, it ranked first.

The Nordic Model Spreads

The hotels leading this trend are often those that looked to Scandinavia for inspiration. Nordic hospitality has long understood that the sauna experience drives loyalty and word-of-mouth recommendation in ways that no amount of thread count or pillow menu selection can match.

What Scandinavian hoteliers knew intuitively, data now confirms: the sauna experience is disproportionately memorable. Guests who had an exceptional sauna experience at a hotel are more likely to return, more likely to recommend the property, and more likely to spend on ancillary services during their stay.

Types of Hotel Sauna

Not all hotel saunas are equal. The range runs from:

The token sauna — a small electric sauna in the basement, often overheated, poorly maintained, and clearly not a priority for the property. These exist to tick a box and add little value for guests or the hotel.