A new industry report from Pleinement Givré, a French wellness retreat operator founded by certified Wim Hof Method instructor Alexandre Tonnelier, is drawing attention to the expanding role of breathwork, cold therapy, and contrast therapy in both corporate wellness and longevity-focused travel. For hospitality operators scouting the next high-margin programming category, the timing is worth noting.
Pleinement Givré runs retreats across Brittany, the Loire Valley, and the French Alps, combining ice bathing, breathwork sessions, and contrast therapy protocols aimed at stress management and long-term health outcomes. The company targets both individual guests and corporate executive groups — a dual audience that many boutique hotels and resort properties are actively competing to attract.
The report underscores a broader shift in wellness hospitality programming: guests, and particularly business travelers, are increasingly seeking measurable, physiologically grounded experiences rather than passive spa treatments. Cold plunge infrastructure, breathwork studios, and guided contrast therapy circuits are moving from novelty amenities to expected offerings at premium properties.
For food and beverage directors at wellness-oriented properties, the cold therapy trend carries its own menu implications. Anti-inflammatory nutrition, warming post-immersion beverages, and recovery-focused menus are natural complements to contrast therapy programming — creating an integrated guest experience that drives ancillary revenue beyond the session fee itself. Operators tracking beverage industry trends in functional and wellness drinks will recognize the alignment between cold therapy recovery protocols and the surging demand for adaptogens, electrolyte beverages, and warming functional tonics.
The French retreat model — accessible regional locations combined with a structured, science-adjacent methodology — also offers a replicable template for North American operators looking to differentiate in a crowded wellness market. As Food & Beverage Magazine has covered, the integration of longevity science into hospitality programming is accelerating across segments, from independent boutique properties to major resort brands.
With corporate wellness budgets remaining robust and executive retreat bookings a key revenue driver for upscale properties, the Pleinement Givré report offers operators a data point worth factoring into 2026 and 2027 programming decisions.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
