Everyone loves (or secretly loathes) a good 'first on board' story.

• Bitcoin at $3.
• Stocking kombucha before people could pronounce it.
• Hotels that built pickleball courts back in 2015.

Fast forward to now and those early investments are long gone.

So what’s next?

Paul Stanton reckons it might be Padel.

The tennis/squash hybrid is quietly picking up traction and the numbers aren’t exactly whispering:

• 🏟 50 new clubs opening every week
• 🌍 30M players across 110 countries
• 📈 26% annual court growth
• 💰 Up to $200/hour bookings

Even travel’s getting involved. Italian padel marketplace Weebora just raised €1.3 million to offer padel-based getaways. Some are even priced at €1,000+ per person.

Don’t worry about space too much either:

• If your hotel has tennis courts, consider converting one into two padel courts.
• If you don't, just remember that 4 courts need just 1,000 sq meters

Let that settle for a sec.