Ace the stay: Hospitality firms roll out padel courts to net more bookings, serve up pickleball and more

Parulekar said that because grandparents, teens and first-timers can all rally together, the court becomes the social heartbeat of the home. "Guests stay longer, post more, invite friends, and inevitably book a rematch. In a world where travellers crave experiences over square footage, a pickleball court is one of the smartest, highest-RoI (Return on Investment) upgrades we have made."

Some hotels are opening their sports facilities to the public, pointed out Jatin Paranjape, Co-founder, KheloMore, a sports venue booking platform.

Several leading hotels have already invested in dedicated sports infrastructure and properties. Taj Fort Aguada in Goa and Taj Lands End in Mumbai have developed facilities for popular sports such as pickleball and padel, Paranjape said. "Sahara Star also offers similar amenities. Beyond these, a growing number of standalone resorts in destinations like Goa and Alibaug have started incorporating sports courts into their premises.'

He said that people are loving the fact that their favourite hotel brands have these facilities for them to book and play. "Some of them have also added cricket nets. Bookings are going full in the holiday and vacation season. Even hotel booking portals/apps have updated with padel, pickleball listings as an available amenity. Hotels in urban cities such as Sahara Star, Taj Lands End, and The Lodhi, New Delhi, are getting high occupancies even on weekdays as business travellers are booking these slots during their stay."

Playcation goals

Urban Indians are increasingly integrating sports into their daily and weekly routines, said Paranjape, adding that for many, activities like pickleball, padel, and tennis have become a lifestyle habit. "When they travel for leisure or business, they want to maintain this continuity. Hotels are responding by treating sports amenities as essential infrastructure, much like a gym or spa."

While this is a new category on KheloMore, more hotels are developing sports facilities and identifying opportunities. "We have 10-15 hotels listed on the platform. By next year, we will see lot more hotels opening such facilities," Paranjape said.

In addition, many hotels see this as a chance to attract both residents and non-resident guests by opening these facilities for public bookings, Paranjape noted. "For instance, anyone can book the pickleball courts at Taj Goa via the KheloMore app. This approach not only drives additional footfalls but positions the property as progressive and responsive to contemporary guest preferences."

The trend of opening sports facilities to the public is mostly in the luxury segment currently, said Abhinav Shankar, co-founders of GoRally. "They are doing so for mainly two reasons ---a value proposition for their guests and to monetise real estate that's otherwise unused. Also, hotels often get sports partners to co-invest in such facilities, reducing the cost of building."

According to Paranjape, more than an added revenue opportunity, sports facilities keep the hotel up-to- date with respect to latest demands from the visitors. "Hotels can make this as an additional differentiation point," he said.

Integrating sports facilities within our hotel premises has proven to be a strong business differentiator, said Saurabh Gahoi, Senior Vice president of Ramee group of hotels.

"It enhances guest satisfaction by offering wellness-focused amenities that go beyond the standard gym or spa. These facilities drive incremental revenue by attracting sports enthusiasts, fitness-focused guests, and even small tournaments or training camps that prefer hotels equipped to support their activities. Such sports facilities strengthen our positioning as a hospitality brand that actively promotes wellness and active lifestyles, leading to higher guest loyalty, positive word-of-mouth, and increased occupancy rates and average daily rates," Gahoi added.

By making sports facilities more accessible and visible, hotels not only serve existing players but also encourage more people to try out sports, especially during vacations, said Paranjape. "Over time, such initiatives are likely to significantly expand the community of recreational athletes in India."

Smash hit

Shankar pointed out that hotels opening their sports facilities to the public is in line with multiple partnership models like those with schools, tech parks and even residential societies.

Paranjape also sees this as a big opportunity. "India has around 180,000 private schools and thousands of these international schools have infrastructure. They are coming to us to put their facilities on their platform to use their assets after school hours. About 40-50 percent of our venues will be from schools."

He also added that the growth of pickleball is driving sports infrastructure in the country. Pickleball is already the fourth highest booked sports on KheloMore after badminton, box cricket and football.

"There are about 15,000-20,000 private sports venues in India across sports, which are football, box cricket and badminton courts, primarily. Now we are seeing pickleball courts coming up because pickleball has caught the fancy of Indians and it is growing extremely fast in India. It will be like the second badminton of India. There would be badminton courts in probably 200-300 cities of India. So, that's the scale to which pickleball will also grow eventually," he said.