is a serious business but can fail when taken too seriously, whether by brand leaders or operators. Some exceptions apply to purpose-built health retreats and destination spas. But even then, for consumers to trial wellness— and ideally become brand loyalists— programs need to practically fit into an everyday, human existence. This can mean enjoying the cheeseburger and fries as well as the spin class the next morning. Whether at home or on the road, wellness should always include a healthy dose of fun and flexibility.
➋ Wall Street still rules Main Street. There are still a number of hospitality leaders that give wellness lip service from a marketing perspective, but then fall short of authentically modeling it for their stakeholders to see. This behavior not only confuses or frustrates employees tasked with delivering wellness-related business plans, but it stands to get in the way of both colleague and business performance. The most successful brands connect their wellness commitments to their core purpose, clarifying why these initiatives truly matter. In turn, wellness becomes more about who an organization is, rather than how it delivers. This alignment allows brands to demonstrate wellness at every level of the business, making it easier for investors to see the benefits and harder for competitors to replicate.
➌ Wellness can score premiums on ADR and guest spend. Years ago, when wellness was confined to the spa, we worked with data benchmarking groups, such as STR, to prove that hotels and resorts with spas actually realized premiums on ADR and RevPAR when compared to those without. Today, the Global Wellness Institute( GWI) has further tracked average spending premiums of wellness tourists that range from 40 %-175 % when compared to their international and domestic counterparts. What’ s most compelling is that GWI’ s data not only includes primary travelers, where wellness is the purpose of the trip, but secondary travelers who happen to consume wellness while traveling for other purposes. This helps to prove that the mere option of wellness drives additional guest spend.
➍ Gen X has mistakenly been X-ed out of the wellness conversation. The buying behaviors of Gen Z and Millennials underpin most marketing efforts as they relate to both travel and wellness, while Gen X has significantly more buying power. Even Baby Boomers get more airtime than those of us with the“ X-Factor” who tend to spend more on travel and have less price sensitivity for high-end, restorative travel experiences. Gen X wants to unplug and often seeks what I like to call the“ Three Cs”: comfort, convenience and credibility. Surely, us wellness and hospitality pioneers should do more to attract the mind and wallet share of this forgotten generation.
➎ Wellness certifications mean more to the industry than to consumers. Few people would argue that LEED is the gold standard of certifications when it comes to certifying green buildings, but what about certifications that ensure the wellness of those inside? The WELL Standard, created by the International WELL Building Institute( IWBI), has likely made the most progress to date, claiming 6 billion square feet of certified space to date on its website, but, so far, this is more of an industry conversation within hospitality versus a meaningful one amongst consumers. Time will tell if newer certifications, such as from
Wellness in Travel & Tourism( WITT), will compel the industry to put their dollars where these certifications are, or for consumers to follow suit. In the meantime, hotels, resorts and brands need to do a better job or articulating their wellness value propositions in a way that earns a virtual seal of approval, if not a formal one.
➏ Colleague wellbeing— a proverbial mirage in the hospitality desert. Though hospitality giants like Hilton and Hyatt regularly score points on Fortune Magazine’ s“ Best Companies to Work For” list, hospitality still seems to hide behind its 24 / 7 work culture as a hurdle to supporting colleague wellbeing— at least at a property level. While hotels aren’ t able to put up a closed sign, HR departments still seek programmatic solutions to cultural problems at more“ 9-5”-style, corporate offices. This means offering things like discounted gym memberships, healthy food options in the cafeteria and complimentary subscriptions to mindful apps. Identifying the leadership and workplace behaviors that are creating the need for wellbeing programs is where the real work resides.
➐ A wellbeing curriculum. Until recently, workplace wellness initiatives were largely spearheaded by the Total Rewards functions of hospitality and travel organizations. And with mixed results. Forward-thinking companies both within and outside the industry are moving these efforts elsewhere in HR, such as Talent and Development( T & D). While T & D stands to be a better home for this kind of work, the curriculum needs to evolve beyond establishing the strong leadership and business acumen necessary to advance in an organization. It should also help students to understand the relationship between personal habits and behaviors that help organizations thrive. It’ s a tall order and one that ideally would be supported by undergraduate business, MBA and hospitality programs, which teach both the mechanics of industry, as well as the
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