Spa Executive - December 2021

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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
Sustainability Sustainability is not a new trend. It has been a major focus of conscious companies and consumers for several years. People care deeply about the future of the planet they’re leaving to their children and their children’s children. The focus on sustainability, however, shifted to more immediate concerns during the pandemic, and will now swing back. Case in point: Forbes Travel Guide is implementing sustainability standards as part of its rating system. Amanda Frasier, Executive Vice President of Standards & Ratings, told us in this month’s Spotlight interview, “Just before the pandemic hit, a big focus for us was launching sustainability standards. We paused releasing them because it wasn’t the right time to start evaluating people’s performance against reduction of single use plastics when, suddenly, everything had to be individually wrapped because of hygiene concerns and there were millions of masks and miniature bottles of hand sanitizer in circulation.” She added, “We did release a set of sustainability standards just for hotels in 2021, and these will be made official in 2022, meaning they’ll be part of the scoring for Recommended and Star ratings.” It’s what travelers want. In a poll from Virtuoso, a global network of agencies specializing in luxury travel, half of travelers surveyed said it’s important to choose a hotel, cruise line, or travel company with a strong sustainability policy, 70% said traveling sustainably enhances their vacation experience, and 82% said the pandemic has made them want to travel more sustainably in future. Also, according to a recent report from ADM, global consumers see sustainability as a “moral imperative,” with 47% reporting that they are more attentive to sustainability claims now than in the past. “This has sparked demand for ethical production and sustainable sourcing practices – such as regenerative agriculture and carbon negative production to protect the food supply of the future,” says the report. Sustainable products, packaging, and more will become industry standards. While recycling programs continue, we’ll be seeing more thoughtfully designed alternatives like bioplastics and refillable options. December 2021 Issue • p. 9
Page 1 and 2: Spa Executive For leaders in the bu
Page 3 and 4: Letter from Publisher Dear readers,
Page 5 and 6: People don’t want to work in hosp
Page 7: SEVEN WELLNESS TRENDS FOR 2022 Cons
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Page 13 and 14: For example: Benjamin Donat Spa Dir
Page 15 and 16: Stress, meanwhile, is also linked t
Page 17 and 18: Thermal bathing People have been ta
Page 19 and 20: Guest rooms offer sophisticated neu
Page 21: Stand out items on the incredible m
Page 24 and 25: As we look into the new year, I see
Page 26 and 27: FORBES TRAVEL GUIDE’S AMANDA FRAS
Page 28 and 29: What does your job entail? My key r
Page 30 and 31: Are you focusing on new or differen
Page 32 and 33: "We’re seeing more interesting tr
Page 34 and 35: People are seeking wellness more th

Spa Executive - December 2021

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