Wellness & Wellbeing Opinion Articles

July 15, 2020

Hawaii Spa Association Highlights "Aloha" In the New Normal

In 2004, Spa Directors from some of the most well-known facilities across the Hawaiian Islands met in Oahu to form a collaborative organization now known as the Hawaii Spa Association (www.hawaiispaassociation.com ). The Hawaii Spa Association (or Hi-Spa for short) is a non-profit entity created to elevate awareness of Hawaii's significant role in the World Leisure and Wellness Market.

By Cecilia Hercik, Director of Spa & Sports Club, C-SPA Consulting

Opinion Article

July 10, 2020

Hotel Spa: 12 Steps Toward the Path to Spa Recovery

The hospitality industry is facing the greatest challenge in our lifetime as hotels around the world have been closed, international borders restricted, and flights cancelled in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. There is no question that travel will return, but it won't be easy and the hospitality landscape is likely to be forever changed by current events.

By Jeremy McCarthy, CEO & Founder, Leisure Alchemy

Opinion Article

July 8, 2020

Health Really Is the New Wealth

People in vast numbers are more in tune with their mind and bodies than ever before, but not necessarily in harmony. This has spawned huge growth of interest in online tutorials, on-demand classes and podcasts that teach us how to be better at caring for our well-being. Self-care, a phrase that has gained traction in the wellness mega-trend, gives us permission to be healthy. Two simple but powerful words.

By Claire Way, Managing Director, Spa Strategy

Opinion Article

July 7, 2020

Getting Wise on Wellbeing: Nurturing Guests During & Post-COVID

While many properties are still trying to figure out the best way to ensure the physical safety of their guests, we can't ignore that this pandemic has hit people's wellbeing hard. Travel has always been a 'cure for what ails you', but if you haven't noticed - people are changing. Values are evolving. Over the last 15-20 years, we have experienced a massive paradigm shift, and we now stand in the aftermath of it.

By Samantha Hardcastle, Founder, Amore Social

Opinion Article

June 24, 2020

22 Best Practices For Your Wellness And Spa Department During And Post-COVID-19

Sooner or later, COVID-19 will be a thing of the past. However, as the crisis will pass, many things will have changed. New ways of working, new consumption patterns, a new way of interacting with people, and most certainly, cleanliness standards as new ways of measuring the attractiveness of hotels will become the norm.

By Alex Sogno, CEO, Global Asset Solutions

Opinion Article

April 29, 2020

Post-Crisis Planning: Simple Spa & Wellness Strategies to Consider

One truth…there is very little we can confidently predict at this point. Yet in my career, I have seen and led teams through some very difficult periods and the one thing I can confidently predict is that we will endure and thrive and the data backs that prediction up. In 2018 the International Spa Association reported that total spa revenues in the US grew 48.7% since the end of the Great Recession to $18.3 billion.

By Robert Vance, Founder & Principal, HUMNEX Advisory

Opinion Article

April 17, 2020

Investing in Cannabis: Is the Grass Greener for Investors?

Starting as a peculiarity in the 1970s in the Netherlands, the use of cannabis for medicinal or recreational purposes has gained immense momentum across the globe in recent times. Thus far, 4 countries and 11 U.S. states have officially legalised cannabis for recreational use and more than 40 countries and some 30 U.S. states for medical use. Furthermore, the recent legalisation of cannabis in Canada (in 2018) and in the U.S. State of Colorado (in 2014) for recreational purposes has been widely publicised and commented upon.

By Dr Jean-Philippe Weisskopf, Associate Professor, EHL

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Opinion Article

February 18, 2020

Reframing Wellness to Wellbeing in the Hospitality Industry

The wellness tourism is now a $639 billion industry. This begins to point us in the direction of traveler & guest desires, but the word wellness can lead to restrictive thinking. What comes to mind when I say wellness? Did you get images of yoga, smoothies, or maybe essential oils floating into your head?

By Samantha Hardcastle, Founder, Amore Social

Opinion Article

February 13, 2020

Health Movement Leads To Growth In Hotel Spas

In 2007, CBRE introduced Trends® in the Hotel Spa Industry in response to the spa industry's rapid expansion within hotels and resorts and its relevance to hotels' bottom lines. For the second time in the history of the publication, spa revenue increased at a higher rate than rooms revenue and total operating revenue. During 2018, the 159 hotels in our survey sample of achieved a 3.7 percent growth in RevPAR, which led to a 3.8 percent rise in total operating revenue. Concurrently, spa department revenue increased by 4.8 percent. With RevPAR forecast to increase less than 1.5 percent through 2021, the Spa Department represents an opportunity for hotel owners. Wellness is a growing desire in the minds of guests, and hotels can capitalize on this trend.

By Jenna Finkelstein and Mark VanStekelenburg

United States

Opinion Article

December 2, 2019

Report: 2020 Wellness Trends

The following research and insights are compiled by Jeremy McCarthy, Group Director of Spa & Wellness at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. The brand leads the luxury hospitality sector in integrating wellness into the guest experience, continuously creating offerings that nurture the mind, body and soul.

By Jeremy McCarthy, CEO & Founder, Leisure Alchemy

Opinion Article

August 30, 2019

Creating Experiential Content for Resort Marketing

Social media has changed the game in resort marketing, but it remains a confusing and misunderstood medium. Words like Followers and Engagement get thrown around, but how does one go about making real connections with their target demographic?

By Jim McGuire, Founder, Vikara Events

Opinion Article

July 31, 2019

Hotel Development: Integrating Wellness into Hospitality for Guest Satisfaction and Owner Return

Driven by the interests of an increasingly older and unhealthy population, healthcare has been at the center of political debates in the United States for over a decade. The current conventional healthcare model is broadly recognized as failing and is compelling people to take on responsibility for their wellbeing through alternative solutions.

By Agnes Pierre-Louis, Senior Consultant at Horwath HTL – Miami, Horwath HTL

United States

Opinion Article

May 29, 2019

Five Strategic Directions to Take Your Hotel

Value adds always become expectations. Such is the course for hospitality and if you aren't constantly evolving your brand then it will become stale. And in an overstuffed hotel marketplace, you need bold new directions to differentiate your product and drive rate.

By Larry Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited

Opinion Article

March 29, 2019

Redefining “Environ-mental Impact” in Cruise: The Fusion of Wellness, Design, & Hospitality

"Wellness" sounds trendy, but the concept has always been inherent to the hospitality industry its beginning is arguably rooted in historic spa locations where mineral-rich waters were used for medicinal baths. Belief in the restorative powers of such waters actually dates to prehistoric times. This curious fact underscores another fact — interest in the concept of wellness is not a modern fad. And, it's a bankable product and service offering, as exemplified by recent statistics:

By Andrew Hazelton, Managing Director, AETHOS Consulting Group

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Opinion Article

February 15, 2019

Winning at Wellness in 2019: Five Rules for Succeeding

Wellness is the word in today's hospitality as experts throw around immense numbers - the market size is said to be over $4 trillion! - and so in 2019 there is a stampede into wellness that is unlike anything we have seen before.

By Babs Harrison

Opinion Article

January 8, 2019

How to Boost Customer Experience in a Spa Centre

With the growth and development of the spa industry, the quality demands on customer service have risen as well. In order to satisfy those requirements and boost your customers' experience, you need to aim at establishing a premium resort spa service.

By Lillian Connors, Senior Digital Marketing Strategist, Bizzmark

Opinion Article

October 22, 2018

Growing Wellness Revenues in Four Quadrants

While wellness has long been a primary driver for resorts and luxury properties, it is now reaching critical mass for all other segments of hospitality. The trends supporting this progression come from the generally healthier dispositions of customers who now actively seeking healthier choices in all aspects of their lives, not just when they are home and going about their daily routines.

By Larry Mogelonsky, Partner, Hotel Mogel Consulting Limited

Opinion Article

October 19, 2018

Spa 2.0

Face a stark reality: many resort and hotel spas disappoint management and owners alike when it comes to guest usage and the resulting profits. Word of advice: it will only get worse for those pursuing a rigid spa menu of services and activities. Spa just isn't a universally powerful guest magnet anymore, in part because of the sheer number of spas, in part because a "been there, done that" indifference has spread across many potential guests when they think about a spa vacation.

By Babs Harrison

Opinion Article

October 18, 2018

How Hotels Can Compete in the Airbnb Landscape

Airbnb came on the scene in 2008, amidst corporate scandal, economic downturn and instability. Initially people were skeptical, but Airbnb has gained remarkable momentum building its platform with transparency and trust, at a time people were greatly seeking both. In the early years, Airbnb's inclusive and diverse model provided low-cost travel options with uncommon flexibility, which became an enticing alternative to the traditional big-name hotel booking systems.

By Mia Mackman, Owner and Principal, MACKMAN|ES

Opinion Article

August 29, 2018

What’s So Great About Wellness Hotels?

When the first wellness-inspired 'EVEN Hotel' by IHG opened in 2014 I remember thinking, "It's not for me but there must be a bunch of people that are looking for something like this." In retrospect, I guess my assessment wasn't too far off as four years later they have only nine hotels open and 14 in the pipeline. These growth numbers seem especially weak when compared to 'avid', IHG's answer to Millennial-focused brands Tru (Hilton) and Moxy (Marriott). The 'avid' brand was announced in 2017, and now has one hotel open and 126 hotels in the pipeline.

By Tucker Johnson, Instructional Assistant Professor, University of Houston