How Can an Existing Hotel Add Spa, Wellness and Biohacking Services?

Serhiy Vakhnenko’s Approach to Longevity Concepts, Investment Costs and Payback

What does an existing hotel need to introduce health-focused services? How much does repositioning as a longevity hotel cost, and when can the investment pay back? Serhiy Vakhnenko, entrepreneur and CEO of Dominart Real Estate GmbH, assesses these questions through the individual property: demand, building suitability, access to qualified staff and incremental cash flow.

His team has worked with hotel projects, modernisation and investor participation for more than 20 years. Today, Vakhnenko combines his experience in confidential off-market transactions through Dominart Real Estate GmbH with investment projects of his own alongside partners.

Over the past three years, he has also been developing concepts connecting longevity, WellTech and medical hospitality. Under the project name New Era Longevity, this work brings together hotel real estate, health-focused programmes, equipment and medical partnerships.

Can an Existing Hotel Become a Longevity Hotel?

Yes, provided the building, location and operating model can support a service with demonstrable demand at a commercially viable cost. However, a full conversion is not always necessary.

Vakhnenko’s approach starts by defining what the new offering is intended to achieve:

• increase ancillary earnings from existing guests;
• attract a new audience;
• make more productive use of underused space;
• develop longer, structured residential programmes.

The answer determines the scope of the project.

Development level	What changes?	Main cost drivers
Adding to the existing offering	Selected services, a recovery area or a new programme	Existing room suitability, staff and selected equipment
Repositioning the wellness operation	Spa menu, use of space, equipment, nutrition and guest support	Building services, refurbishment, training and operations
Comprehensive longevity or medical hospitality concept	Positioning, residential programmes and medical partnerships	Building, permissions, specialist staff, technology and launch funding

Purchasing equipment alone does not create a longevity hotel. The essential requirement is a coordinated service model, from the initial enquiry through to programme completion.

Where Does Serhiy Vakhnenko Begin the Assessment?

With the Future Guest and Willingness to Pay

An existing hotel usually has a known audience. After repositioning, the investment model often assumes a different guest: someone who stays longer and purchases a more expensive personalised programme.

For Vakhnenko, the strength of that transition needs examination.

Who will book? Why would that person choose this location? What length of stay is realistic? Which channels will reach the audience, and what will acquisition cost?

Higher spending and longer stays need to be supported by a specific proposition. Discussions with prospective guests and partners, price testing and limited pilots can help examine those assumptions before substantial capital is committed.

With the Suitability of the Building

An existing spa can provide an advantage if its infrastructure supports the proposed operation.

Assessment covers layouts, electrical capacity, ventilation, water systems, acoustic separation, accessibility, equipment servicing and guest circulation.

In some properties, manageable adaptations enable new services. In others, the required changes are extensive enough to warrant a reassessment of the original investment case.

With Access to the Required Team

For medical hospitality, location selection also involves assessing whether a dependable team can be recruited and retained.

Which professionals are required? Can they be attracted to this location? Could a partner clinic deliver some services? How will cover and continuity of guest support be organised?

AI can assist coordination, information management and personalised service. Clinical decisions, professional accountability and personal care still require appropriately qualified people.

A hotel can have available rooms and still lack capacity for another programme participant because its medical team is fully committed.

How Are Spa, Wellness and Biohacking Devices Selected?

Vakhnenko’s team uses a modular approach: the programme determines equipment, space, workflows and staffing requirements.

Each proposed solution is assessed against:

• intended use and scientific evidence for the specific application;
• requirements for premises and users;
• session duration and realistic service capacity;
• maintenance, consumables and potential downtime;
• total cost over its useful life;
• integration into a clear proposition that guests can understand and book.

“Biohacking” is an umbrella term, not evidence of effectiveness. Research on a technology does not automatically establish the benefit of every device or an entire hotel programme.

Medical components are planned with the responsible professional partners. Requirements depend on the country and the specific service.

How Much Does It Cost to Convert a Hotel into a Longevity Hotel?

A standard cost per room or square metre is insufficient for a reliable assessment. Two hotels of similar size can require substantially different investment.

The central question is how much of the existing building and infrastructure can be retained for the proposed operating model.

A complete budget includes:

1. Building assessment, concept development, design and required permissions.
2. Construction and building services.
3. Equipment, installation and commissioning.
4. Staff preparation and partnership development.
5. Booking, coordination and data systems.
6. Marketing and launch.
7. Cash flow lost during partial or full closure.
8. Working capital and contingency.

An equipment supplier’s quotation covers only part of that budget.

An initial investment estimate is therefore refined after the property assessment and receipt of specific proposals for construction, equipment and staffing.

Does the Hotel Have to Purchase All the Equipment?

No. Depending on the project, options may include purchase, leasing, rental or services delivered by partners.

Purchase increases the initial capital requirement. Leasing spreads payments but creates commitments regardless of actual demand. A partnership may reduce the hotel’s direct investment requirement, while requiring clear agreements on revenue, costs, quality and responsibility.

The comparison should cover the full economics over a defined period, including service, downtime, replacement and exit terms.

When Does a Hotel Repositioning Pay Back?

The relevant measure is the incremental cash flow after costs generated by the project compared with a scenario without the change.

Alongside additional revenue, the calculation should account for:

• medical and other partner services;
• staffing and coordination;
• consumables and maintenance;
• marketing and distribution;
• energy and day-to-day operations;
• maintenance capital expenditure and equipment replacement.

If a programme includes services from an external clinic, their full price does not automatically become hotel revenue. Only the income contractually attributable to the hotel should be recognised in its model.

Displacement of existing business also matters. A week-long programme may strengthen quiet weekdays while occupying rooms and specialist capacity on already profitable weekends.

A Simplified Payback Example

Assume the total initial funding requirement is €500,000, including preparation and the necessary launch reserve.

The following annual incremental cash flows, after operating costs and maintenance capital expenditure, would produce:

Scenario	Annual incremental cash flow	Simple payback period
Conservative	€60,000	Approximately 8.3 years
Base assumption	€100,000	5 years
Higher demand	€140,000	Approximately 3.6 years

This is a mathematical illustration, not a market cost estimate, a return forecast or the result of a Vakhnenko project.

It assumes constant cash flow from the first year. Taxes, debt financing, the time value of money and any exit proceeds are excluded. A ramp-up period would extend actual payback. Investment decisions require a complete cash-flow model.

When Is Conventional Refurbishment the Better Option?

Vakhnenko does not regard longevity as a necessary direction for every wellness hotel.

Where new demand remains uncertain, medical recruitment is difficult or the building requires disproportionate expenditure, a focused improvement of the existing product may be more appropriate.

That could include better rooms and sleeping conditions, a revised spa menu, an adapted food offering and more efficient workflows. One new programme can then be tested on a limited scale.

This sequence can preserve the operating business while developing stronger evidence for the next investment decision.

Working with Serhiy Vakhnenko and His Partners

The team considers both investment projects with partners and opportunities to develop suitable hotels jointly with their owners.

The first stage assesses the property, demand and extent of the required changes. The concept, partner structure, budget and potential participation of each party follow from that assessment.

Geographic interests include Germany, other European markets and Thailand. Building, hotel and medical service requirements are examined separately for each jurisdiction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Wellness and Biohacking Services Be Added Without Closing the Hotel?

Phased implementation in selected areas may be possible. It depends on the work involved, building services, safety and the effect on guests.

What Does a Longevity Conversion Cost?

Costs depend on building condition, service scope, staffing and the depth of conversion. A fixed figure without a property assessment and operating concept would be unreliable.

Is an In-House Clinic Necessary?

Not automatically. Non-medical programmes can be combined with external medical partners. The permitted operating arrangements and professional authorisations must be assessed for each service.

Does Longevity Guarantee Higher Profitability?

No. Results depend on demand, pricing, costs, the team and investment. A higher package price does not automatically produce higher profit.

What Is the Difference Between Break-Even and Payback?

Operating break-even indicates whether ongoing costs are covered. Payback measures when cash flow has recovered the initial investment.

What Information Is Needed for an Initial Assessment?

Location, room count, plans and floor areas, a description of the existing spa, financial performance, known technical issues and the owner’s objectives.

Discuss the Repositioning of Your Hotel

Serhiy Vakhnenko and his team consider hotel properties where modernisation and a new concept can create commercially justified development potential.

Contact Dominart Real Estate GmbH

Serhiy Vakhnenko’s Professional Background and Projects on LinkedIn