Medical tourism and medical travel have emerged as significant components of the global healthcare landscape, offering individuals opportunities to access healthcare services beyond their national borders.
With worries swirling around the global economy, climate change, political instability, and ongoing health and safety issues, health and wellness have emerged as the shining beacons guiding our travel plans. Travel, hospitality, and wellness have joined forces in a thrilling "convergence" that's changing how we think about the industry. This isn't just a trend; it's a full-blown revolution.
With sleep science reaching the mainstream over the past few years, numerous hotel brands have unveiled fancy new sleep programs in an arms race to win over travelers looking for accommodations that will help them get a full night’s rest while aboard.
Experimental travel is all about taking unusual routes and challenging traditional norms to create memorable experiences and innovative approaches to travel.
Sleep tourism may be a relatively new buzz term, but for hospitality it isn’t really anything novel; it’s an extension and more deliberate expansion of what hotels aim to achieve each and every night. After all, one of the hallmarks of guest satisfaction, and a core part of any hotelier’s duty of care, is whether or not the guest slept well. Knowing this principle, leading brands are engaged in an arms race of sorts to meet the increasing cultural appreciation and prioritization for sleep amenities. Often lost in this conversation, though, are independent hotels.
One of the very frequent events that take place while traveling and has not been properly addressed over the years is the complaint of acute chest pain. This can potentially ruin the entire vacation/travel plan and would add undue stress on the travelers. Most travelers either have established coronary artery disease or risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, high triglycerides, smoking, vaping, and others.
As longevity researchers continue to explore the intricacies of how to ward off chronic disease, extend human life, and even reverse aging, one thing has become clear: there’s no single cure-all yet. We haven’t reached the point where a quick fix can turn back the biological clock by a decade (healthspan) or push the human lifespan beyond its current upper limit of around 125 years. While this lack of a magic solution frustrates some, it opens exciting opportunities for wellness hotels, as we’ll soon explore.
Like fashion, dieting has its trends that come and go. It used to be low-fat everything, while now many of us are all about low carb to blunt those insulin spikes. Full continental breakfasts are still a mainstay; just now their presence is padded by the likes of avocado toast, overnight oats or superfood smoothies. To those without a firm understanding of nutrition, it may seem a bit haphazard, but underneath every new menu unveiling is a hidden trail of scientific research suggesting a healthier path forward.
Ever noticed how a good night's sleep can make or break a trip? Well, the savviest hotels sure have. They’re not just fluffing pillows anymore; they’re pulling out all the stops, using the latest tech to ensure you get those much-needed Zs.
As the wellness real estate market continues to accelerate, it seems increasingly clear that wellness and sustainable asset types will become a new class of properties in the market. Whereas these developments have been underway for a while, these assets often have distinct property features that require reconsidering the wide and general framework of conventional financing, valuation methodologies, CAP rate averages, and WACC factors. This article describes an outlook for this new asset class to help identify and unlock wellness and sustainability in hospitality finance.
Mentorship, in its simplicity, is the guidance provided by an experienced individual to support and develop the potential of another person. Reflecting on my nearly two decades in the hospitality industry, mentorship has been a cornerstone of my career. From my beginnings as a Night Auditor to my current role as Vice President of Operations, the impact of being mentored and mentoring others has been profound and rewarding.
This morning, on my way to work, I decided to pick up bagels for the office and a cup of coffee for myself. Arriving five minutes before the bagel store opened, I parked and joined the line behind three people waiting at the door. Within ten minutes, the line behind me had grown to about twenty people. With only two staff members behind the counter, the line moved slowly.
What is this dog’s breakfast that you see here? I’ve been reluctant to post some of the longevity meals I eat at home because my plating is certifiably atrocious, but many people have requested so here goes…
Once you go down the wellness rabbit hole, there’s no going back. Living a healthy lifestyle has far too many advantages. You think more clearly; you have more energy; your mood improves; you’re happier; then you end up having better relationships and being more successful overall.
The word ‘optimization’ in today’s world implies the use of data and metrics for continuous business improvement, but it also implies making tradeoffs and devoting limited resources to certain goals ahead of others. For today’s hospitality world, we are confronted by so many data points, so many partners or siloed interests and so many different activities vying for our attention or capital. To make informed, strategic decisions that will unify various operations towards a common objective, hoteliers and owners must carefully pick the key performance indicators (KPIs) that they will optimize and prioritize.
This is a new benchmark for lifestyle, leisure, better health, and premium hospitality. This article reviews the mounting employee tensions in the hospitality market, specifically regarding service workers and provider orientations in spa and wellness departments. Amid a time of significant global and methodical change, a new generation of hospitality is coming of age. This article examines some of the leading pressure points and the acceleration of the various challenges this market faces today. It also points to actionable solutions, unlaid tactics, and nuance to help motivate changes in this important hospitality personal-care sector.
Even with the economy's ups and downs, travelers are spending more on experiences. They're going for bucket-list adventures that showcase their unique passions. This booming industry is expected to reach $1.6 trillion by the end of 2024! Airbnb is also stepping up its experience game with the announcement of its Summer 2024 Icons Program. This new initiative promises a collection of extraordinary experiences hosted by the biggest names in music, film, TV, art, sports, and much more.
In recent years, the topic of well-being has become increasingly ubiquitous. A report by McKinsey (2024) finds, surprisingly, that millennials and Gen Z are spending more on health and wellness than older consumers. According to the Global Wellness Institute (2023), the wellness economy reached $5.6 trillion in 2023 and is forecast to soar to $8.5 trillion by 2027.
According to Hilton's third annual trends report, this year will be marked by a pronounced emphasis on wellness travel, with "rest and relaxation" identified as the pivotal trend shaping the travel landscape for 2024. Beyond the traditional offerings like spas, yoga classes at sunrise, and fitness centers with the latest equipment, the pursuit of personal wellness has undergone a significant transformation. As a result, today's travelers, whether embarking on a business trip or a leisurely vacation with friends or family, are placing a growing emphasis on prioritizing sound sleep and rest.
The word ‘optimization’ implies the use of data and measurements for continuous business improvement, but it also implies making tradeoffs and devoting limited resources to certain tasks ahead of others. For today’s hospitality world, we are confronted by so many data points, so many partners or siloed interests and so many different activities vying for our attention or capital. To make informed, strategic decisions that will unify various operations towards a common objective, hoteliers and owners must carefully pick the key performance indicators (KPIs) that they will optimize and prioritize.