28 February 2020
Although initially off to a slow start, hotels and luxury resorts around the world are now focusing more on expanding their spas and their wellness offerings to go beyond traditional massage and thermal water experiences.
Dedicated wellness-centric programmes and daily offerings are becoming a staple of the hotel and resort experience. As the demand for wellness tourism continues to boom, many are chasing trends to offer the best in fitness, food, spa, sleep wellness and even mental wellbeing. Just check out the predicted wellness trends of 2020 to get an idea.
A good spa and a good gym are a great start for any hotel. Still, only the most forward-thinking hotels are going above and beyond with amenities and offerings that are health-focused, data-driven and holistic in execution.
Globally, travellers made 691 million wellness trips in 2015, according to the Global Wellness Summit, and since then, that number has consistently increased. Consumers, regardless of their price bracket, are always looking to spend a bit more on hotels and resorts that offer something back in terms of wellness. From five-star luxury rooms with circadian lightbulbs and unlimited spa treatments included in the price to two-star hotels that have biodynamic breakfasts and black-out curtains – activating a hotel space with wellness amenities and activities sees guests happy to pay a premium.
2020 will see a rise in integrative wellness programmes, and many hotels are already doing just that. From all-day Spa Safaris at Nihi Sumba in Indonesia to ‘healthy hours’ and complimentary fitness classes at Bucuti & Tara in the Caribbean, spa experiences are moving ever further away from treatments in a single room, towards more active, nature-inspired journeys such as circuit hiking and wild meditation.
GOCO Hospitality Appointed as Wellness Advisor to Saudi Arabia Sovereign Fund’s ultra-luxury AMAALA project.
Community wellness is also playing a part in the growing co-living world that merges hospitality with workspaces, such as The Assemblage in New York that has an elixir bar that serves herbal non-alcoholic cocktails and a gamelatron (a sound-producing kinetic sculpture) in the entrance to create “intentions and a sense of peace.”
Data is also a big part of hotel wellness programming, with many tech companies finding ways to make data collection a more accessible part of the hotel wellness experience. At Rosewood London, personal trainer Harry Jameson monitors his guest’s habits, from heartbeat to sleep cycle for a generous helping of futuristic data-led training sessions. And when it comes to virtual interaction, guests are increasingly curious about how they can incorporate AI and VR into their wellness experience, pro-actively searching for “Virtual Wellness” online, with searches up 242% according to Google Trend.
“The future for wellness travel will be engaging people’s emotions as much as evidence-based healing,” says the Global Wellness Summit. At GOCO Hospitality, we agree. Click here to see how we can help incorporate wellness into all facets of your property – from design to conceptual planning and curated spa offerings.
