Should all hotels be looking at offering wellness amenities?
Three simple ways to add a wellness element to your hotel.
With personalisation becoming a growing trend in all aspects of travel it’s perhaps no surprise that hotel guests are now beginning to expect the same thing when it comes to health and wellness. This combined with a rising awareness of the benefits of healthy living, fitness and diet, has seen more and more travellers keen to continue these regimes away from home in the hotels they visit.
No so long ago, hotel guests would have only expected or come across supposed ‘wellness’ facilities in top end hotels or specific ‘spa retreats’, but now as the trend continues to steam roll, many travellers today (and of all budgets) consider health and wellness amenities an integral part of the guest experience, whether going away from home for business or pleasure.
In recent years, you may have noticed a shift towards catering to this trend within hotels — stemming from new wellness hotel openings all over the world, to hotels offering more health and fitness options, amenities, initiatives and packages. Kimpton Hotels (and long before it became part of IHG) for example was one of the first groups to offer yoga mats in each hotel room, providing guests with a mat combined with access to an on-demand complimentary yoga TV channel.
Keeping it in the IHG family, EVEN Hotels was designed specifically to meet the large and growing demand for a hotel brand to help wellness-minded business travellers keep their balance on the road. As an industry first, the brand has intentionally designed every aspect of the hotel experience to empower guests to maintain their wellness routine through four components of the guest experience: Eating Well, Resting Easy, Keeping Active and Accomplishing More.
Rooms are set up with a stand-up desk and designated workout area including fitness apparatus, from yoga gear to resistance bands, Swiss medicine balls and access to workout TV channels.
The Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa now offers one-on-one classes with an in-house nutritionist and paddle-board yoga, and Oslo’s Comfort Hotel Børsparken now even includes the Nordic’s first Crossfit gym with free classes for hotel guests– the first gym of this kind in a hotel property, and the GM Johanna Furenback tells us “it’s the hotels greatest USP and a big draw card for guests.”
So what could you be doing? The great news is you don’t have to be a specific ‘spa’ hotel to improve your guest experience within health and wellness.
Here are three simple things you could consider to add a wellness touch to your hotel.
Food menus
Increasing number of individuals are now choosing either vegan or vegetarian diets as a response to health warnings, environmental issues or just plain personal choice. Consider adding one or two healthy options on your menus looking at areas such as raw, vegan, gluten-free, (if you can) or just simple low-calorie options for those conscious of what they are eating.
Boutique hotel, The Upper House in Hong Kong went as far as offering its guests an entire revitalising vegan lunch menu at the end of last year, as a growing number of its hotel guests and those visiting from outside were asking for more health-conscious choices.
Exercise
If your hotel has a gym then great, but if not consider other ways to help your guests stay active by making use of amenities in your area. Explore partnerships with gyms or fitness classes locally to offer preferential rates to hotel guests, or day passes. If that’s not possible take note of what Westin Hotels and Resorts did with its RunWestin programme. Since 2012 the hotel group has become a favourite among runner’s due to its hotels offering guests a ‘running map’ of the area with three and five mile options.
On the way back guests are met with a towel and water as an amenity for the run. The program also featured a sneaker-lending program where guests borrowed New Balance shoes, and a “run concierge” customized maps for sightseers to highlight area USPs. The Westin Maui for example has a run through the Black Rock formation.
Snacks
If you aren’t able to add anything to your food menu, consider healthy snack options in the mini bar, hotel lobby or café as well as the usual sugary offerings. A few years ago The Four Seasons in Austin decided to add organic, sustainable and local products to its minibars in response to an increased guest demand. The Epiphany Hotel in California, also offers guests seasonal salads, and trail mixes on demand (for an additional charge).
Food for thought and have a healthy week hoteliers!
