TheLifeCo's Aslihan Ozgur outlines A'ila Developments, a $1B+ master-planned longevity village in St. Lucia spanning three resorts, 500 residences, and a physician-led detox program with a 65% repeat visit rate.
As Wellness Director and Sleep Certified Coach at a mid-size chain, I see sleep disruption as an operational and revenue lever—not just comfort. Your data aligns with ours; the gap is systematic technology integration, not awareness.Three Tactical Recommendations:1.
From my perspective, sleep is no longer a standalone service it has evolved into a core wellness pillar that requires a fully integrated, multi-dimensional approach. At Carillon, we are intentionally developing a comprehensive sleep wellness ecosystem that supports the guest journey across spa services, in-room experiences, and targeted retreat programming.Our sleep-focused retreats combine education, diagnostics, and personalized therapies designed to address the root causes of sleep disruption, including stress, nervous system imbalance, inflammation, and lifestyle habits—moving beyond passive relaxation to deliver measurable results.Within the spa, we incorporate both hands-on treatments and advanced touchless technologies that promote parasympathetic activation, recovery, and nervous system regulation.
Sleep is not a product, amenity or service hotels can sell to their guests. Hotels may facilitate, improve, or damage sleep quality. Or just ignore the issue altogether. Sleep has tangible and intangible attributes many beyond the control or influence of the hotel.
We are entering a defining era for wellness one shaped not only by global change, but by a profound shift in how people value their health, time, and quality of life. Wellness is no longer an amenity; it is becoming the foundation of modern living.Throughout my career, I’ve seen our industry evolve from offering moments of escape to creating pathways for longevity, resilience, and transformation.
The number one challenge is that wellness behavior has evolved faster than spa operating models—and as a result, the spa is no longer the primary gateway to wellness; it is one of many.Consumers are engaging in wellness more frequently through fitness, recovery, longevity clinics, and local access models, but much of that engagement is happening outside the hotel spa.
It is difficult to measure the ROI of wellness programming because much of it is intangible, but I believe they are a strong investment and that they do add value holistically. By “holistically” I mean they add value in a number of ways that transcend the departmental profit of the programs themselves.
Wellness, however one defines it, continues to be front of mind for many of us as we navigate through this uncertain period of the pandemic. On a positive note, we are all becoming more aware of our personal wellness needs, whether this is spiritual, emotional, physical, or any other area of self-care.
The COVID-19 pandemic made wider audiences recognize the importance of health, wellbeing, and harmony. Either physical, social, or emotional. I would like to challenge the hospitality sector on this note. Does not the word 'hospitality' indicate the importance of guests' safety and comfort by definition?
The travel industry (and the world, for that matter) has never seen a situation like the current pandemic. For that reason, I think it is important to acknowledge that there are no “experts” on this topic. Just a group of industry colleagues trying to figure out how to best navigate a very difficult and very unpredictable situation.
This is time to revisit what the hospitality industry called wellness and how it marketed and operated it. Glorified spas re-branded as 'wellness centers', low calorie ice cubes sold on line, etc. We have to stop wellness-washing and need to come up with proper value propositioning.
We currently have the benefit of time; how we use it to prognosticate and plan for the copious scenarios we may face in the months and years ahead will ultimately determine the path forward for our industry. A few suggested initiatives that we should consider as high-priority in our post-crisis planning should be: A Wellness-lead Reopen.
"Grand Cayman was the perfect choice for Kimpton's first island resort, with an ideal location right on Seven Mile Beach," said Steven Andre, Seafire General Manager. "Seafire embodies the spirit and culture of the destination, and will allow guests the opportunity to truly immerse themselves in island life."
W Hotels Worldwide, the hotel category buster and industry innovator, has unveiled W Retreat & Spa - Vieques Island, the W brand’s 37th hotel globally and its first retreat within North America. Owned by REIG CAPITAL, through its affiliate Vieques Hotel Partners, W Vieques is located only eight miles off the southeast coast of Puerto Rico and opens as the second W Retreat in the world, following the successful opening of W Retreat & Spa – Maldives in 2006. As W Hotels continues its transformation into a global powerhouse, on track to expand its portfolio to more than 50 hotels by the end of 2011, W is slated to open nine new hotels this year, including two retreat properties in Bali and Koh Samui, Thailand.