Spa Executive - December 2021

Here are seven wellness trends for 2022:
Weaving wellness into the fabric of the hospitality experience
Wellness tourism will be hugely popular in the
coming year and beyond. As we know, interest
in wellness, an already booming industry, has
intensified during the pandemic, and people are
itching to travel.
In a recent survey of 2,500 people by the Wellness
Tourism Association, 84% of respondents said
they participate in wellness activities when they
travel, and 61% reported that they’re currently
planning a wellness vacation.
Industry veterans often note that when they started
in the hospitality sector, spa was an amenity or an
adjunct service offered not as an integrated part of
the hotel experience but as an add on to it. Those
days are gone.
Today, the best hospitality companies weave
wellness into the fabric of the entire guest
experience and have a true understanding
of its revenue generating power. This means
incorporating wellness into the design of buildings
and the atmosphere of guest rooms. It means
optimizing guest sleep experiences, offering
food and beverage options designed to enhance
wellbeing, and creating programs to do the same
in unique and exciting ways.
For example, Emlyn Brown, Vice President,
Wellbeing for Accor Luxury & Premium brands,
has said his goal is “to surpass the expectations
of our guests and to infuse their entire experience
with opportunities for transformative, innovative
and extraordinary moments of wellbeing.”
And, in an interview with Spa Executive about
her book, The Wellness Asset, How wellness
can transform and futureproof your hotel, global
wellness expert, Sonal Uberoi said, “Wellness is
the new luxury that today’s consumers are looking
to our industry to provide as they pursue a state of
wellbeing that allows for a fuller human experience
than traditional hospitality typically provides.
“It has become standard to find a spa and gym
in five-star luxury hotels, but the market now
demands increasingly more sophisticated,
integrated wellness experiences.”
Uberoi writes, “Wellness is no longer confined to a
specific activity or a physical space; real wellness
is more than a spa, a gym or a studio. The definition
of wellness is broad and involves anything that
enhances overall wellbeing. Therefore, a lot
of activities – such as horse riding, hiking in
the mountains, cooking classes and coaching
sessions, or wine tasting – that many hoteliers
are already offering their guests are essentially
wellness-related activities. Once you accept that
you can’t keep away from wellness – whether you
have an urban hotel or a resort, whether you are
budget, mid-scale or luxury – you start seeing the
immense revenue-generating opportunity in front
of you that wellness adds to your hotel offering.”
Wellness is now an integral part of the holistic,
hospitality experience. This will become even
more the case in the coming year as travel picks
up again and hotels and resorts regain their
momentum.
December 2021 Issue • p. 8