Who Should Own the Medical Equipment in a Hotel?

Serhiy Vakhnenko’s approach to equipment ownership, leasing and partnerships in medical and longevity hotels.

Medical equipment in a hotel can be owned by the property owner, hotel operator, medical partner or equipment leasing provider. The appropriate structure depends on demand, operating capacity, the expected period of use and who bears the costs of maintenance, downtime and replacement.

Equipment ownership, responsibility for its operation and entitlement to treatment revenue are separate matters. They should be addressed together before capital is committed.

Serhiy Vakhnenko, founder and managing director of Dominart Real Estate GmbH, applies this distinction when assessing existing hotels and developing longevity projects with partners. His approach connects equipment decisions with the suitability of the building and the operating model the property can realistically support.

Start with the Programme and the Building

A large spa, swimming pool, restaurant or conference area can appear to provide a substantial head start for a medical hotel conversion.

Its actual contribution depends on how much of that infrastructure can be reused, what adaptation will cost and whether it supports services guests will purchase.

For Vakhnenko, the assessment focuses on the building’s usefulness to the future business.

Existing infrastructure	Questions to resolve
Large spa	How much space will the new programmes use, and what does the remaining area cost to maintain?
Pool and wet areas	What refurbishment is required, and how do these facilities contribute to the guest proposition?
Treatment rooms	Are they suitable for the intended services, equipment, privacy and technical requirements?
Restaurant	Can it deliver the proposed nutrition programme consistently and at an appropriate cost?
Conference space	What would conversion cost, and what existing contribution would be lost?

Converting a conference room into a diagnostic area, for example, should be compared with retaining its current use. The investment case needs to include adaptation costs, incremental cash flow and the contribution displaced.

Existing space has value to the new concept when it reduces future expenditure or supports sustainable earnings.

Four Parties with Different Investment Priorities

The Property Owner

The owner considers the building’s long-term usability, future operator requirements and potential sale.

Funding electrical capacity, ventilation, accessibility and room preparation may support several future uses. A highly specialised device may only be useful within a particular programme.

The owner’s question is: what remains valuable to the property if the operator or concept changes?

The Hotel Operator

The operator manages the guest experience, sales, scheduling and hotel performance.

Equipment commitments should align with the duration of the operating agreement and the period over which the investment is expected to generate a return.

The operator’s question is: can the business support the commitment throughout its contractual term?

The Medical Partner

The medical partner assesses clinical suitability, staffing, service delivery and the conditions of use.

Where that partner designs and delivers the medical programme, ownership of specialised equipment may be appropriate. The hotel must nevertheless understand how dependent its overall offer becomes on that relationship.

The hotel’s question is: can booked programmes still be delivered if the partnership ends?

The Equipment Provider

A provider may offer purchase, rental, leasing, maintenance or payment linked to usage. These are distinct commitments.

Financing does not automatically include servicing. A maintenance agreement does not necessarily include replacement equipment or compensation for interrupted operations.

The shared question is: which obligations are explicitly covered by the contract?

When Should a Hotel Buy, Rent, Lease or Use a Partner’s Equipment?

Vakhnenko’s approach allows different categories of equipment within the same property to follow different funding models.

Model	When to consider it	Key issues to examine
Purchase	Demand is sufficiently established and equipment is expected to remain useful over a longer period	Total ownership cost, repairs, upgrades and residual value
Rental	Testing demand or retaining flexibility is a priority	Minimum term, termination rights, servicing and return costs
Leasing	The equipment requirement is established and payments need to be spread over time	Total payments, insurance, maintenance and end-of-term conditions
Medical partner ownership	The partner provides specialist services and staff	Programme continuity, revenue allocation and partner exit
Pay-per-use or revenue sharing	The parties agree to link payments to activity	Minimum guarantees, calculation basis, reporting and equipment availability

Rental supports flexibility only when the contract allows it. A long mandatory term and expensive exit can undermine that benefit.

Revenue sharing also requires careful assessment. A minimum guaranteed payment may leave the hotel exposed to weak demand even when part of the fee is described as variable.

The comparison should cover total cash commitments over a consistent period, including a downside scenario.

Who Pays When the Equipment Is Unavailable?

Equipment downtime can affect an entire stay programme.

An interrupted service may require rescheduling, an alternative treatment location, additional staff coordination or a partial refund.

Before launch, the parties should agree on:

Service response and restoration times.
Local access to engineers and spare parts.
Replacement equipment arrangements.
Payments during periods of unavailability.
Responsibilities towards guests with existing bookings.
Allocation of agreed, documented additional costs.

Response time and time to restore service are different commitments.

Operational availability also depends on staff and consumables. A functioning device cannot generate revenue when the qualified professional required to use it is unavailable. Technical maintenance contracts generally address a different category of risk.

Does Ownership Determine Operational Responsibility?

Ownership alone does not establish the complete responsibility structure.

The project must identify who owns the device, who operates it and who provides the medical service.

In Germany, the Medical Devices Operator Ordinance, or MPBetreibV, establishes obligations concerning the operation and maintenance of medical devices. The relevant responsibilities require a separate assessment from the commercial allocation of ownership and payments.

For international projects, the structure must be reviewed for the relevant jurisdiction, device and intended service. Descriptions such as “longevity” or “biohacking” do not, by themselves, determine a device’s regulatory status.

What Happens If the Medical Partner Leaves?

Exit arrangements belong in the initial investment discussion.

If a partner supplies both equipment and medical staff, the hotel may lose the ability to deliver a core part of its offer when that relationship ends.

The agreement should address:

Notice periods and completion of prepaid programmes.
Options to purchase or replace equipment.
Removal costs and reinstatement of premises.
Necessary documentation and lawful data access or transfer.
Software licences and integrations.
Outstanding obligations to guests.

The cost of ending a partnership is part of the investment case.

How Vakhnenko Assesses Equipment for a Medical Hotel

His framework centres on five questions:

Which guest need does the service address? Its role in the programme and the evidence supporting its intended application should be clear.
Can the existing premises accommodate it? Adaptation costs and alternative uses of the space must be considered.
Who will deliver the service? Staffing capacity should be established before long-term commitments.
Does the economics work at realistic utilisation? Include personnel, consumables, maintenance, sales costs and replacement.
Who bears the consequences when assumptions change? Consider weak demand, breakdowns and partner withdrawal.

A mixed structure may follow: the owner funds building adaptation, the operator purchases selected wellness equipment, the medical partner supplies specialist devices and some services begin with rented equipment.

Its effectiveness depends on clear responsibilities and compatible contractual terms.

Frequently Asked Questions

Must the hotel owner purchase all the equipment?

No. Different equipment categories can justify different ownership structures. The decision depends on the service, expected usage and operating arrangements.

Who should pay for maintenance?

The commercial allocation should be agreed in the contract. Applicable operational obligations must also be assessed separately.

Can an existing spa accommodate medical services?

Possibly, subject to the intended services, room suitability, building systems and applicable requirements. The presence of a spa does not establish readiness for medical operations.

Is using a medical partner’s equipment cheaper?

It may reduce the hotel’s initial capital requirement. The comparison must also include revenue sharing, minimum payments, dependency and exit costs.

What information is needed for an initial assessment?

Floor plans, building systems, current use of spa and other facilities, the proposed programme, staffing arrangements and supplier proposals with service terms.

Partnerships with Owners, Medical Operators and Equipment Providers

Serhiy Vakhnenko and his partners assess medical hospitality and longevity projects as connected property, investment and operating decisions.

Potential cooperation begins with a clear allocation of responsibilities: who funds the infrastructure, supplies qualified staff, maintains equipment and carries utilisation risk.

A strong equipment proposal demonstrates how it supports reliable programme delivery and the hotel’s economics throughout the relationship.

Dominart Real Estate · Serhiy Vakhnenko on LinkedIn