For years, luxury hospitality has been defined by elevated guest experiences: sweeping infinity pools, curated spa rituals, private butlers and world-class dining rooms. But as the experiential travel movement evolves, these once-essential markers of luxury are no longer enough to satisfy guests seeking a memorable experience during their stay. 62% of travelers say they plan to travel for stargazing, making it the number one trend in the Booking.com travel predictions for 2025. Increasingly, travellers want moments that feel authentic to their holiday destination and are impossible to replicate at home. In this landscape, stargazing is emerging as a highly sought-after premium amenity.
Last year, the luxury hotel Chez Bruno in the south of France rented a smart telescope for guests to use and in order to optimise their pool area and garden, monetising a time of the day when clients usually prefer to stay in their rooms. The telescope gradually became a fixture at Chez Bruno, providing a powerful differentiator in Provence in what is already a competitive luxury destination.
Hotels from Fiji to Yosemite are discovering that a view of the cosmos has become an asset as valuable as an oceanfront terrace or a rooftop lounge. Guests get to live a memorable experience while hotels access a new source of revenue. The cost of leasing the telescope can be passed on to customers through the sale of stargazing experiences or as an added amenity to help raise the nightly room rate. What first began as an experiment has quickly evolved into a broader hospitality trend, one that sits at the intersection of technology, wellness and the growing desire for encounters with the natural world.
The rise of ‘noctourism’
Part of the appeal lies in the development of ‘noctourism’ (nocturnal tourism), a trend on the rise in recent years, with people looking to experience the night in all its glory. The social media potential of such tourism cannot be overlooked: guests today want to share stories and activities closer to nature, and stargazing delivers exactly that. Be it a romantic dinner under the stars in the Bahamas, a sunrise picnic in Fiji or a Friday-night gathering with cocktails and telescopes beside a lakeside terrace in California, there are plenty of opportunities for hotels to be creative. Even glamping sites, whose appeal already hinges on immersion in nature, are finding that celestial observation adds another experience to their holiday packages.
Once a telescope is on-site, hotels have plenty of avenues they can consider to turn it into additional revenue. Some may position a telescope in their premium or superior rooms, allowing them to justify a higher nightly rate for “astronomy-equipped” luxury suites; others may develop standalone activities such as guided observation nights, couples’ stargazing dinners or business-group events where a celestial viewing becomes a memorable social highlight. For instance, in Fiji, sunrise astronomy has become a signature experience, with hotel guests invited to gather on the beach for a late-night picnic.
The revenue opportunities extend beyond guest experiences, with hotels also having the potential to earn a commission through guest purchases. For example, if they decide to purchase their own telescope, the hotel could receive a percentage of the sale.
Modern stargazing
The success of stargazing as an amenity is tied closely to the accessibility of the technology. Traditional telescopes require training, setup time and often expert knowledge, none of which are feasible for busy hotel teams. Smart telescopes, in contrast, are designed to be intuitive. Staff can set them up in a minute, and guests interact through a simple app that guides them to celestial objects, captures images and helps them share what they’ve discovered.
Interestingly enough, the highest uptake in the U.S. has been nature resorts, including hotels in national parks, dark-sky resorts and eco-lodges where dark skies are plentiful, and stargazing blends naturally with their existing programming. Several Mediterranean hotels now integrate telescopes into poolside barbecues, rooftop lounges and summer evening events. Even city-center hotels are beginning to recognise the potential of a well-placed rooftop telescope, proving that a stargazing experience doesn’t require being in the middle of a forest or in the mountains.
Ultimately, stargazing appeals because it creates a sense of wonder. Guests can take home photos of what they observed, perhaps an image of the Moon or the rings of Saturn. Hotels, meanwhile, get social-media content showcasing their uniqueness and a new revenue stream.
Astrotourism in the hotel sector remains a novelty, but it may soon become as commonplace as morning yoga or guided nature walks. In an industry where differentiation is increasingly difficult, looking up to the night sky may prove to be hospitality’s next competitive edge.
Story contributed by Laurent Marfisi, CEO of Unistellar.
