EDITOR ’ S DIARY
PASSION FOR HOSPITALITY
EDITORIAL Jeff Weinstein , Editor In Chief 1.312.274.2226 E-mail : jweinstein @ hotelsmag . com Barbara Bohn , Managing Editor 1.312.274.2209 E-mail : bbohn @ hotelsmag . com Chloe Riley , Associate Editor 1.312.274.2229 E-mail : criley @ hotelsmag . com Bert Ganzon , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2227 E-mail : bganzon @ mtgmediagroup . com Steve Vanden Heuvel , Senior Art Director 1.312.274.2218 E-mail : svandenheuvel @ mtgmediagroup . com Brittney Hackbart , Associate Art Director 1.312.274.2216 E-mail : bhackbart @ mtgmediagroup . com Michelle Villadolid , Freelance Design E-mail : mvilladolid @ mtgmediagroup . com Bill McDowell , Vice President , Editorial Director 1.312.274.2201 bmcdowell @ mtgmediagroup . com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Judith Crown , Megan Rowe , Juliana Shallcross , Erin Sund
PUBLISHING David Wood , Publisher 1.312.274.2225 dwood @ hotelsmag . com Bill Kinross , Vice President , Group Publisher 312 / 274-2214 bkinross @ meatingplace . com
INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD Nakul Anand Executive Director , ITC Ltd ., Gurgaon , India Stephen Bartolin President , Broadmoor Sea Island Co ., Colorado Springs , Colorado Alex Kyriakidis President and Managing Director , Middle East and Africa , Marriott International , Dubai Christopher Nassetta President and CEO , Hilton Worldwide , McLean , Virginia Monika Nerger Chief Information Officer , Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group , Atlanta Paul Sistare President and CEO , Atlantica Hotels International , São Paulo Susan Terry Vice president of culinary and food and beverage operations , Marcus Hotels & Resorts , Milwaukee , Wisconsin
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WELL-BEING DNA
Flexible and user-friendly loyalty programs help grow share . Additional staff training and investment in safety and security — both physical and data-wise — are more critical than ever . Cutting-edge yield management programming is imperative for optimizing profitability . But as I read today ’ s headlines , I keep coming back to empathetic service and responsiveness to guests ’ well-being as perhaps the most important aspect of a successful business plan .
Well-being is a term that is resonating more with your guests
Editor In Chief and team members . With labor and turnover costs escalating and top of mind with management at the property and corporate levels , finding ways to care for your stressed-out internal customers can make a big difference . To quote Bill Marriott , “ If you take care of your employees , they will take of your customers and your business will take care of itself .” It may sound trite , but it remains a simple truth .
A few weeks ago I interviewed Marc Ellin , a 30-year Hyatt veteran who currently heads the company ’ s Miraval Group , to talk about what he refers to as making the world a healthier place . The cynics call that a sound bite , and no doubt it is easier said than done from customer and staff perspectives , but Hyatt seems to be making that phrase its ideal , and as a hospitality company it makes complete sense . CEO Mark Hoplamazian talks about this all the time and the company backed it up again last year by hiring Mia Kyricos as senior vice president and global head of well-being . She is charged with integrating wellness into its brand values and business philosophies .
In my conversation with Ellin , we talked about how Hyatt is integrating its recently acquired Miraval wellness resort and Exhale fitness brands into hotels and for guests while on property — and how it can expand into the meeting spaces , corporate client agendas outside of hotel stays and even integrating wellness concepts into the Hyatt loyalty program . He says Hyatt is spending R & D money on pilots to figure out what type of programs can impact colleagues and guests , and he believes the real issue is how deep you are willing to go with a well-being platform and how much of a sustained commitment you make .
Ellin says Hyatt will not chase wellness fads , preferring to follow its “ life in balance ” philosophy to inform decisions . Currently , that includes leaning in to conscious cooking and finding more ways to give back to surrounding communities .
The Global Wellness Institute has stated wellness tourism is growing exponentially and that those types of travelers are spending between 50 % and 180 % more than their average counterparts . Is that enough to get your attention ?
March 2019 hotelsmag . com 7