Personalized Wellness Experiences Elevate Hotel Stays

Over the last three years, individual well-being has become a priority, even when traveling. From useful tips about how to stay healthy while traveling to the emerging wellness tourism sector (not to be confused with medical tourism), consumer expectations are evolving to make health and well-being a priority in their daily lives. When it comes to enhancing the customer experience and aligning it with their lifestyles and health goals during their trips, new technologies are a perfect fit. 

Whether people are traveling for business or pleasure, keeping their wellness routines is top of mind. Upgraded room and property amenities are the best way to start. While technological advancements have been implemented, more is needed to take the guest experience to the next level. Now, is the perfect moment for hotels to incorporate innovative touchpoints.

Upgraded Amenities Kickoff the Wellness Experience

The wellness travel market is expected to reach $1.3 trillion by 2025. After a global pandemic, consumers are looking to refocus on themselves, while managing and improving their overall health and well-being. Motivated by desire for healthy living, stress reduction and authentic experiences, they experiment with new wellness habits to incorporate into their daily lives after their stay. Small changes can often positively affect guests' mental and physical health in the long term.

Seamlessly integrated into the hotel environment, IoT-enabled devices instantly enhance the in-room experience: learning about guests' routines and suggesting personalized ways to relax or care for themselves during their stay.

Thanks to artificial intelligence, it is now possible to analyze different types of unstructured data in real time - from weight and skin condition to the frequency and quality of tooth brushing - and make accurate recommendations based on this data. 

A tool like the BBalance smart bath mat automatically measures guests' weight, body composition, balance and posture during their morning and evening routines. In an app, guests receive personalized exercises to work out, improve posture and balance, or an invitation to the spa service to realign and relax the body.

A smart mirror with skin analysis, such as HiMirror, leverages AI technology to analyze a guest’s skin - redness to wrinkles to acne - to provide personalized feedback on what they are doing well and areas for improvement, recommend products to integrate into their routines or facial treatment at the hotel spa.

With an estimated 82% of guests willing to share some of their personal data for a better experience, hotels are at an advantage.

Elevated Experiences are Taking Over

The same study by the Global Wellness Institute found domestic wellness travelers spend 178% more than the average tourist and hotels will want to cash in on this opportunity. This wellness shift has pushed hotels to update their offerings to meet this new focus.

EVEN Hotels by IHG includes free on-demand streaming fitness classes and all the gear needed to complete them, offering guests a healthy way to start their day or unwind their day. For guests looking to elevate every aspect of their wellness routines, Equinox Hotel features personal training services, a cold plunge pool, a state-of-the-art gym, and healthy food options to enjoy during their stay. Earlier this year, Hilton announced a partnership with Peloton which will see the addition of at least one Peloton Bike featured in fitness centers in Hilton hotels around the world. And if you’re looking to completely disconnect, Miraval Resorts & Spas offers its guests beekeeping classes, archery lessons and floating meditation. For those looking to set intentions around their wellbeing, Canyon Ranch encourages guests to pick a “pathway” for their stay and think about what they’d like to learn for their wellness journey (aging well, staying generally healthy, or just discovering joy).

The above is just a glimpse of what hotels are incorporating to cater to guests wellness needs and expectations. As this trend in wellness hospitality is expected to continue to soar, we’ll likely see more hotels dabble in offering augmented or virtual reality or collaborations with other brands to continue to provide unique experiences.

Innovation Increases the Bottom Line

New or upgraded amenities significantly improve the way guests see an establishment and it is for the better: a new study found 19% of properties have seen an increase in customer satisfaction scores after adopting new technologies.

Wellness-focused offerings that cater to guests and offer personalized experiences are a way to differentiate your amenities and keep them coming back. The same study found a 135% increase in revenue expected after integrating new technology. Guests are more in tune with their bodies, and maintaining their health is a top priority. Upgrading existing amenities with innovative technologies or replacing them goes a long way toward the customer experience.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Huong Le Dieu is a Lead Product Manager of BLabs at Baracoda Daily Healthtech. BLabs is the Innovations Lab at Baracoda, created to incubate and accelerate new ideas for Daily Healthtech. As the Lead PM, Huong helps Baracoda develop game-changing solutions by overseeing all projects regardless of their development phase, ensuring the innovation playbook is implemented, and supporting the core project teams. BLabs helps Baracoda to shorten R&D cycles, and maximize its chances of success thanks to its unmatched know-how in the IoT ecosystem and our proprietary platform that aggregates all hardware, software, and AI capabilities.