Go to content
Today In Play
Luxury Resorts Are Embracing Play — and It’s Redefining the Guest Experience
The world’s most exclusive hotels are no longer content with designing for adults alone. From the Saudi coast to the shores of the Indian Ocean, premium resorts are weaving high-value play spaces into their master-plans — and the pay-off is more bookings, longer stays, and deeper brand loyalty. Below are five forces driving the shift, and practical insights on how Timberplay helps make it happen.
1. Multigenerational luxury is the fastest-growing travel segment
Family travel is no longer a niche:
- 85 % of parents worldwide say they will travel with their children this year (Blueprint RF)
- Family bookings at five-star properties have risen 34 % since 2023, with average stays stretching to 6.5 nights — a lucrative increase in room-night revenue (Lèlior)
- 80 % of luxury leisure spend now comes from guests under 60, many travelling with both children and grandparents (McKinsey and Company)
Resorts that provide engaging, age-inclusive play immediately appeal to this cash-rich, time-poor audience. When the playground is a destination in its own right, families will appear adding to F&B and retail economy.
2. Play delivers a measurable return on investment
Longer stays generate obvious room revenue, but the ripple effect is wider. Parents who know the kids are happily occupied order a second sundowner, book that off-peak spa slot, or upgrade to a pool villa for ease of access to the play zone. Repeat business follows: family loyalty is emotive, and a child’s “best holiday ever” is a powerful sales tool.
3. Vision 2030 is rewriting resort design in the Middle East
Saudi Arabia alone aims to double its family-entertainment-centre market to USD 4.3 billion by 2030, fuelled by a youthful demographic and a trillion-dollar tourism push. Government encouragement of public entertainment, plus relaxed social norms, means luxury developers now view play as essential brand infrastructure rather than an afterthought.
Timberplay’s work at the St. Regis Red Sea and Silver Sands Resort shows how natural Robinia timber structures can sit comfortably alongside ultra-modern architecture, giving operators a point of difference in a crowded pipeline of new launches.
4. Sustainable design matters to guests — and your brand
More than ever, guests are looking for meaningful holidays, where luxury also feels responsible. Natural timber playgrounds built from sustainably sourced Robinia or mountain larch don’t just look beautiful, they’re better for the planet too. These materials age well in tough climates, avoid the bright plastic look that can feel out of place in high-end resorts, and help support a resort’s overall environmental commitments. Elements like water play and sand zones also tie into wider landscaping goals, adding depth to the story your brand is telling about nature, care, and quality.
5. Built to last with premium materials that protect your guest experience
In the luxury market, every detail reflects on your brand. Nothing undermines a premium setting faster than tired, faded play equipment, which is why discerning resorts choose handcrafted timber structures from Richter Spielgeräte. Made from robust hardwoods such as Robinia and mountain larch, they are engineered to perform for decades in harsh coastal and desert environments.
Beautifully designed, exceptionally durable play spaces uphold the quality your guests expect, minimise maintenance disruption, and ensure your resort continues to impress year after year.
How Timberplay turns vision into value
- Consultative concept design — working with architects and landscape teams to ensure play feels integral, not imposed.
- Climate-specific engineering — advising on timber species, fixings and shading solutions that thrive in extreme heat and saline air.
- Inclusive play expertise — incorporating challenges for toddlers through to teens, so the whole family is catered for.
- End-to-end delivery — from German manufacture to site supervision and post-handover staff training.
Luxury, today, is defined less by marble lobbies and more by how a place makes every generation feel. Thoughtfully crafted play spaces create the shared moments that families post, remember and rebook for. For resort developers looking to stand out in the Middle East — and worldwide — investing in high-value play is no longer optional; it’s central to the modern guest experience.
Ready to elevate your next project? Timberplay would be delighted to collaborate. Contact us via our online form (www.timberplay.com/contact-us) or via email (info@timberplay.com).