This Q&A is part of Observer’s Expert Insights series, where industry leaders, innovators and strategists distill years of experience into direct, practical takeaways and deliver clarity on the issues shaping their industries. Across the world’s luxury capitals, from Miami to Marrakech, a new kind of court has become a cultural touchpoint. Padel, once a niche racquet sport, is redefining how today’s travelers and tastemakers experience leisure and community. At the center of this transformation are Chris Moore and Nicholas Solarewicz, co-founders of Privé Padel, a company introducing the sport to luxury resorts and private destinations through a model that blends design, culture and connection. For Moore and Solarewicz, padel offers a lens on how modern luxury works. The game’s meteoric rise, they argue, mirrors a broader shift from exclusivity to experiential community. Where luxury once prized privacy and detachment, it now thrives on shared energy, emotional engagement and a sense of place.
From courtside lounges to curated social sessions, Privé’s approach reframes hospitality as a participatory ecosystem, one where wellness, movement and design converge. Padel’s visual elegance and inherent sociability make it an ideal fit for hotels and resorts seeking to capture the next generation of global travelers. Sport-driven hospitality is reshaping the economics of luxury, where connection has become the new currency of status, and spaces are designed with a focus on belonging.
Padel has quickly evolved from a niche pastime into a broader lifestyle movement. What do you think its rise reveals about how today’s consumers define luxury and belonging?
Nicholas Solarewicz: Padel’s rise reveals that modern luxury is no longer about the nicheness of access, but the nicheness of feeling. The sense of being part of a dynamic, health-oriented, socially fluent world that others admire but can’t easily replicate.
In many ways, padel seems to represent a shift from exclusivity toward experiential community. How are you seeing this reflected across the wider luxury hospitality landscape?
NS: Padel reflects a broader shift in luxury hospitality from exclusivity to experiential community. Across the industry, status is now defined less by privacy and more by participation, shared experiences, wellness and authentic connection. Hotels and resorts are evolving into social hubs where sport, culture and lifestyle come together, emphasizing belonging, emotional engagement and local immersion over traditional notions of luxury. Modern luxury is becoming less about separation and more about shared experience as sophistication.
The hospitality sector has long relied on exclusivity to convey value. How does a model like Privé—one rooted in access, connection and shared experience—redefine that idea for a new generation of travelers and members?
Chris Moore: The modern traveler values connection. Whether it’s an F1 trip, a golf weekend or a music festival, people are seeking community and shared experiences. Padel is now becoming part of that cultural rhythm—it’s inherently social. With Privé, we’re introducing padel into this world of modern travel, creating opportunities for people to not only explore new destinations but to connect through sport and meaningful access.
What are some of the economic dynamics behind sport-driven hospitality? Why are some properties increasingly investing in active, social experiences, rather than passive amenities like spas or lounges?
CM: There’s been a real shift in what people want out of luxury. We’re no longer chasing comfort for comfort’s sake: people want to feel good, and that comes through movement, experience and social connection. Gone are the days of sitting poolside with cocktails all day; today’s traveler wants to experience something. Whether that’s tours and excursions at incredible destinations, or an activity like pilates or padel, people are investing in experiences that make them feel good. You especially see it in places like the Hamptons, where exclusive wellness activations have completely taken over. Hospitality groups are taking note—the new luxury is wellness, movement and connection, and padel captures all three.
How do you quantify or measure the long-term returns of sport-based amenities for hotel owners or private clubs? What metrics matter most?
CM: Court revenue will always be there. If you have padel on your property, guests are going to play. Some destinations may require more effort to populate the courts, but utilization follows naturally once padel is introduced. The bigger story is what padel does for a property beyond court play. It attracts new guests, increases room bookings and drives incremental spend across food and beverage, retail and more.
A courtside bar, for example, can become its own revenue stream. Beyond that, padel creates an entirely new venue for brand activations and events, from corporate retreats to product launches. Everyone wants to be part of this moment in padel, and they will pay to activate in a meaningful way. So you are not just adding a sport; you are creating an engine for ongoing visibility and incremental revenue across the entire resort.
Padel courts are visually striking and spatially demanding. How does design factor into Privé’s business model, and what does great design signal in the language of modern luxury?
CM: Privé really prides itself on curating padel spaces. It’s never just about the courts themselves; it’s about everything around them. How the space looks from above, how it feels as you walk in, how people gather before and after a match. Around the world, you see so many courts crammed into warehouses or packed tightly on concrete pads. We take the opposite approach. There’s an aesthetic standard that has to be met when you’re creating a meaningful padel experience, especially at luxury destinations. We design for connection, with large courtside lounges, shaded cabanas and open walkways that invite people to linger. Privé is as much about the social energy off the court as it is about play on the court, and the spaces we create are built to reflect that.
Privé emphasizes culture and community as much as sport. How do those softer elements—cultural programming, social events, partnerships—translate into tangible business value?
CM: We see culture and community as the most important elements of what we do. Programming is a must, especially in destinations where padel is new. We look to “free plays,” intro clinics and children’s camps; anything that gets people on the court and experiencing the game. We always say, give it 15 minutes and you’ll be hooked. Social events build on that energy. Our “Social Sessions” are open gatherings where people can come to hang out and play casually. Even if you show up just to socialize, you’ll likely find yourself on the court by the end of the night.
Partnerships take this even further. Padel naturally bridges worlds—fashion, wellness, hospitality and lifestyle—which makes it an incredible platform for brand collaborations. We’ve seen everything from skincare activations and luxury pop-ups to tequila tastings courtside. These partnerships not only create memorable experiences for guests but also drive significant brand value, press and incremental revenue for our resort partners.
Padel has been framed as both a sport and a lifestyle. How do you balance maintaining the sport’s authenticity with crafting a luxury experience that feels elevated and aspirational?
NS: Authenticity fuels credibility; design delivers desire. The best padel experiences balance both.
The hospitality industry has seen a surge in experiential amenities, from pickleball courts to wellness sanctuaries. What distinguishes padel, and how do you see it fitting into the next phase of hospitality innovation?
CM: Padel is, without a doubt, the perfect complement to luxury hotels and resorts. The culture, the aesthetic and the lifestyle that surround it align seamlessly with the world of luxury travel. Pickleball doesn’t compare. Padel brings with it a visual elegance and social energy that fit effortlessly into a five-star environment. From my standpoint, padel should exist at every top resort in the world. It represents the next phase of hospitality innovation. Within two years, if you’re a resort, a country club or a luxury development without padel courts, you’ll be behind.
As padel expands globally, how do you navigate regional differences in taste, space and cultural expectations of what luxury means?
NS: Luxury means different things in different cultures, so we keep a consistent brand DNA but adapt its expression locally, whether that’s through design, service or social atmosphere. True luxury isn’t one aesthetic; it’s the ability to feel authentic and exceptional wherever you are. When I travel, I do so because I want to be somewhere that I currently am not, but I also want the assurance of a certain standard that luxury brands are expected to blend together with the differences of that destination.
Beyond guests, what opportunities do you see for developers and investors in this emerging category of sport-centered hospitality?
NS: Developers and investors can capitalize on padel’s rapid rise by creating sport and lifestyle destinations that combine courts with hospitality, dining and wellness experiences, turning social play into a complete leisure ecosystem. With low land costs, strong engagement and global appeal, padel offers scalable opportunities from urban clubs to resort settings, driving recurring revenue and enhancing real estate value.
Many brands are talking about community as currency. How do you see that idea manifest in how luxury properties are designed, programmed and marketed today?
CM: A great question. We believe that one of the most important parts of a padel offering is how you curate the space. It has to be designed to facilitate connection. There’s something special about stepping off the court and immediately socializing courtside. Padel is also an incredible sport to watch, and I’ve personally had some amazing experiences just sitting courtside, meeting people and enjoying the energy. You want the environment to feel inviting—a place where people don’t just come to play, but to spend time and connect.
Programming is just as important. Just because you build it doesn’t mean they’ll come. You have to curate experiences that draw people in—free plays, clinics or social sessions that keep the community active and growing. When the space and programming are right, the marketing campaigns really write themselves. It’s about creating something people want to be part of.
Padel has an inherently social energy. How do you see that influencing the future of member clubs and boutique hotels, which are increasingly competing to offer experiences with “soul”?
NS: Padel is not just a sport; it’s a social accelerant not dissimilar to what tennis and golf have been for decades. For member clubs and boutique hotels, harnessing this energy can transform their spaces into destinations where people form connections, memories and loyalty. Exactly the kind of “soul” today’s discerning guests and members are seeking.
Looking ahead, how do you see luxury hospitality evolving over the next decade? Do you expect that it will center around physical design, or the invisible architecture of community and connection?
NS: Over the next decade, luxury hospitality will increasingly prioritize the invisible architecture of connection, culture and experience, while design becomes a seamless, storytelling backdrop. The ultimate luxury will be staying somewhere unforgettable, in a way that lets you truly live and belong in that place.
