Tucson's Miraval resort is bought by Hyatt hotels

The acclaimed Miraval resort has been acquired by national hotel chain Hyatt Corp.

The $215 million sale includes all of New York-based Miraval Group’s properties in Tucson; Austin, Texas; Lenox, Massachusetts; and Dana Point, California.

“The Miraval acquisition reflects our commitment to super-serving the high-end traveler and finding new ways to understand and care for them,” said Mark Hoplamazian, Hyatt’s president and chief executive officer.

“We know that wellness is an area that is becoming increasingly important to our guests and we share Miraval’s belief that wellness is more than fitness and nutrition – it’s a lifestyle.

“Adding Miraval to the Hyatt family creates a great opportunity to advance the Miraval brand expansion while building a greater depth of expertise in wellness and mindfulness.”

Miraval’s flagship location at 5000 E. Via Estancia Miraval, north of Catalina State Park, is considered one of the country’s leading wellness resorts and is frequented by many celebrities. The 400-acre resort has received top rankings from industry magazines.

William T O'Donnell opened Miraval under his business NextHealth in 1995. It was once the main campus for Sierra Tucson. Miraval began accepting guests in 1997 when Sierra Tucson moved across the street. Miraval and Sierra Tucson remained sister companies until 2005 when O’Donnell sold Miraval to AOL cofounder Steve Case.

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Hyatt plans to invest about $160 million within the next three years to expand the Tucson resort and redevelop the ones in Austin and Lenox.

A $3.5 million construction project is underway to add 10 bungalows at the local property.

Global wellness tourism revenues grew from $494.1 billion in 2013 to $563.2 billion in 2015. The 14 percent growth rate is more than twice that of overall tourism (6.9 percent), according to data from the Global Wellness Institute.

Hyatt plans to create a new wellness category within the company and Miraval’s president and CEO, Steven Rudnitsky, will continue to operate the resort.

“We recognize the business opportunity within the wellness-tourism category and understand the rising demand for wellness offerings among our targeted high-end travelers,” Hoplamazian said.

The newly acquired properties are not currently part of the Hyatt loyalty program.