Whether you love it or hate it, the term “skillcation” is the travel portmanteau you’ll hear more of in 2026. Gone are the days of hedonistic excess; travelers want to better themselves. According to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, 72% of travelers want to take time off to explore a personal passion, skill, or hobby. Hotels are answering with classes, workshops, and local experiences that highlight place—whether mastering falconry on Sea Island or casting fly rods off Cape Cod. From Vermont to Utah, here are eight U.S. hotels leaning into the skillcation trend.
Alila Ventana Big Sur — Big Sur, California
Alila Ventana emphasizes mindful disconnection among Pacific waters and redwoods. Its Alila Experience program offers nature-integrated workshops like Sundown Sessions—music inspired by the California coast—and a hydrosol class on botanical distillation using foraged plants. There’s also a knife-handle–making course using locally sourced wood from the property.
Sundance Mountain Resort — Sundance, Utah
Robert Redford’s Sundance combines arts and the outdoors. The Art Studio & Gallery hosts classes in jewelry, journals, prints, perfume, pottery, and soap, plus a phone photography course focused on macro nature shots. Guests can watch artisans in the Glassblowing Studio or participate in hands-on workshops across media.
Sea Island Resort — Sea Island, Georgia
Whether staying at The Cloister or The Lodge, guests can take tennis and pickleball lessons or choose distinct offerings like The Falconer’s Apprentice, training with a master falconer in the history and techniques of the ancient sport. Kids’ programming includes Beginner’s Archery and Turtle Technicians, where children learn about local turtle species alongside a naturalist.
Hotel Vermont — Burlington, Vermont
Hotel Vermont partners with nearby ski areas to offer lessons such as Bolton Backcountry 101 and highlights local makers like AO Glass. Guests can visit Burlington’s South End Art District to work with AO glassblowers and create a vase, drinking glass, or bowl, connecting hotel stays with the city’s craft scene.
Mohonk Mountain House — New Paltz, New York
Think adult summer camp on a mountaintop castle. Mohonk’s seasonal catalogue includes tomahawk throwing, Via Ferrata rock climbing, guided horseback riding, and winter offerings like embossed-medallion crafting, art history talks, Qigong, and “lostproofing” (navigating without a map). Recreational experiences change with the seasons, keeping programming fresh.
The Lodge at Primland, Auberge Collection — Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia
This 12,000-acre resort is a sporting ground offering tracking and hunting, fly-fishing, clay shooting, RTV rides, and more. The on-site observatory, equipped with Celestron CGE Pro 1400 and CPC 800 telescopes, provides astronomy lessons for stargazing in Appalachian skies. Families can join a resident naturalist on foraging hikes to learn about native plants and flowers.
Enchantment Resort — Sedona, Arizona
Set in Boynton Canyon, Enchantment offers artsy experiences from oracle-card–guided painting to pyrography (wood burning), but pottery is central: wheel classes, clay shaping (including a dog-friendly paw-print session), and Southwestern glazing techniques. Many sessions can be paired with wine selected by the hotel sommelier.
Wequassett Resort & Golf Club — Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Wequassett partners with the Orvis Saltwater Fly Fishing School to host novice anglers learning to sight fish for striped bass in Cape Cod’s shallow waters. Options range from one-hour casting clinics to full-day courses covering gear, tackle, landing, and safe release. The resort also offers guided meditations, mixology classes, and golf lessons.
These properties show how hotels are shifting from pure leisure to purposeful travel, offering guests opportunities to learn, connect with place, and return home with new skills.
