Wellness doesn’t stop for many business travelers while they’re on the road. In fact, mostly all of them prefer to keep up with their wellness-related habits when they’re traveling to attend business events.
“The data that we’ve seen, on a meeting planner side, is that 93% of meeting planners say their travelers are looking for wellness activities, at least occasionally, when they’re traveling,” said TJ Abrams, vice president of well-being at Hyatt, citing a recent global business traveler report. “There’s another study that says 76% of travelers [in general] say that they’re looking for wellness activities, and over 50% of them say that they’re actually paying for it.
“So, there are a number of data points that’ve suggested there’s the opportunity for us to identify holistic well-being offerings that really make a difference and help our guests have healthy, happy and fulfilled lives,” Abrams added, and hotel brands including Hyatt have listened.
Following are three hotel brands that have taken their wellness offerings to a new level to ensure leisure and business travelers alike are guaranteed multiple options for prioritizing their well-being.
[Related: 8 Hospitality Industry Professionals Share Tips for Managing Stress]
Hyatt
Hyatt is one hotel brand leading in the wellness space, taking a holistic approach to its wellness offerings that considers physical health in addition to mental and emotional needs while staying on top of current industry trends.
The brand was an early adopter of mental and emotional wellness offerings, initially partnering with Headspace, a British-American healthcare company specializing in mental health, in 2019. In October 2023, Hyatt became the only hospitality company to offer members and guests a complimentary sampling of relaxing sounds from Headspace’s premium colored-noise collection, which are now available within the World of Hyatt App and on in-room televisions at more than 350 properties across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Meeting planners also have the option to infuse Headspace content and experiences into Hyatt meeting packages.
“We also continue to see fitness being really important, and our guests are looking for ways to maintain their routines away from home and when they’re on the road,” Abrams said, highlighting movement as one of the biggest wellness trends in business travel at the moment.
“We’re seeing that our guests are much more mindful about their routine while they’re on the road, because [during the pandemic], their routine became being at home for so long,” said Emily Wright, vice president, global brand leader at Hyatt. “Over the past couple of years as business travelers come back, as meetings and events have come back, there’s just a heightened awareness, and we’re seeing through our guests’ insights that folks truly want to maintain a routine that they perhaps have established at home and want to transition to the road.”
Hyatt’s recently launched collaboration between Hyatt Regency hotels in the U.S. and personal training platform Future is one example of how the brand is giving its guests what they are asking for. The program, which launched early in March at 26 Hyatt Regency hotels across the country (with plans to expand), invites guests to enjoy nearly 130 complimentary guided workouts for all fitness levels, virtually guided by expert coaches via the Future personal training app.
“We really feel that this Future partnership is really in that sweet spot for Hyatt Regency because we are offering something that’s extremely convenient,” Wright said. “All of the workouts are based upon the equipment in each of our hotel gyms, so it’s not a workout built for you somewhere else. It’s a workout built for you at a Hyatt Regency Hotel.
“And as you think about your own personal fitness journey, mine and TJ’s are very different. Mine and my other colleagues’ are very different, and the ability to really tailor that workout from low intensity to high intensity, the variety of offerings within that customization is really personalization brought to life, which is another key focus for Hyatt,” Wright continued.
When it comes to other wellness trends, Abrams said he also sees sleep continuing to be an important aspect of well-being while traveling, especially for business travelers looking to remain productive and perform at their best. The idea of longevity and biohacking is also on the rise as travelers prioritize understanding how to extend the livelihood they aspire to have for as long as possible.
“There’s a special opportunity that we have to introduce our travelers to new lifestyle habits and tools that can help them improve their performances,” Abrams said. “We are creating something that’s situationally unique.”
[Related: 3 Hotel Brands That Are Personalizing Guest Gifting Experiences]
Caesars Entertainment
At Caesars Entertainment, “wellness is a part of our organization’s culture,” said Kelly Gleeson Smith, vice president of sales for Caesars Entertainment.
In Las Vegas, the brand has a company fitness center that’s open 24/7 to accommodate all shifts, and team members can book trainers to help them meet their fitness goals for free. The company also has nutritionists and offers free mental health counseling for employees.
“Wellness is not new to us,” Gleeson Smith said. “So, we naturally value wellness and seek ways to bring that to our community. We are well-positioned to procure existing wellness activities, find cutting-edge practices and bring them to our larger client community. Because of our scale, we can curate a menu to ensure that we are offering a constellation of incredible wellness experiences provided by some of the best speakers and practitioners the world has to offer.”
Following the release of its new meetings wellness menu last October, Caesars Entertainment has experienced a “surge in inquiries from planners who are seeking ways to enhance attendee experience,” Gleeson Smith said. “And our wellness options provide just that.”
The brand strives to offer wellness activities that foster well-being and community and create positive lasting memories for conferences, tradeshows and VIP groups, working in partnership with organizers to build experiences that create good sentiment and lasting memories through the innate aspects of releasing endorphins and heightened positive feelings.
“Plus, great and tasty nutrient-rich food options also promote stamina and attentiveness during a conference,” Gleeson Smith said. “Wellness is now mainstream. Its benefits are being studied more often and reported on, which encourages us to be innovators in this area.
“Our team excels at not only providing these opportunities, but at Caesars, we get to offer exciting and iconic venues to hold wellness activations that enhance the experiences,” Gleeson Smith continued. “For example, one client recently held a goat yoga session at our Garden of the Gods pool at Caesars Palace. This left attendees with a fun way to start their day and a fun, memorable experience.”
The brand is constantly seeking to improve their wellness offerings, too, updating its menu often based on new and growing areas of interest related to well-being.
“We stay on top of it to make sure we offer planners the best of what’s out there,” Gleeson Smith said. “Right now, we have a hot tea activation that’s very interesting, and somatic breathing workshops, and one can add crystal activations and sound baths, which are really something to engage with and experience. This can all be folded into an event or VIP experience.”
[Related: Caesars' New Meetings Wellness Menu Prescribes a Healthy Dose of Program Options]
Westin Hotels & Resorts
Another global hospitality leader in well-being, Westin Hotels & Resorts empowers guests to “transcend the rigors of travel while on the road” through the brand’s six pillars of well-being: Sleep Well, Eat Well, Move Well, Feel Well, Work Well and Play Well.
One brand offering rooted in empowering travelers to stay active while on the road is RunWESTIN, through which Westin Hotels & Resorts offers a variety of run- and walk-related programs across all its hotels globally to encourage travelers to move and keep up with their wellness routines.
Westin boasts more than 225 Run Concierges globally who provide travelers of all running levels with the opportunity to have a running partner for individual runs and also host group runs. And, since Westin understands most of its guests will likely be running in a new city, RunWESTIN Maps were created to help travelers “run like a local” with curated scenic routes based on preferred distance.
Following a reimagination of the brand’s WestinWORKOUT Gear Lending program, which lets guests borrow the latest high-tech recovery and total body strength training equipment, Westin Hotels & Resorts partnered with brands such as Strava, an American internet service for tracking physical exercise that incorporates social network features, and Abbott World Marathon Majors (AbbottWMM), a series of six of the largest and most renowned marathons in the world, to offer tailored experiences to help marathoners of all levels “get to the starting line and cross the finish line,” as well as offer exclusive perks to celebrate the achievements of Six Star Finishers.
As sleep becomes an even bigger priority for business travelers, Westin recently announced the new generation of its Heavenly Bed, developed in collaboration with leading sleep experts, Westin associates and guests.
“This new prioritization in sleep quality has individuals seeking out new ways to optimize their sleep experience while traveling, as evidenced by the booming sleep sector, which is expected to grow by over $400 billion through 2028,” cited a Westin press release.
The significant development process of Westin’s next-gen Heavenly Bed included the brand testing thousands of products, hosting consumer focus groups and researching the evolution of sleep comfort and tech. The new Heavenly Bed features innovative silver fiber weave and additional layers of temperature-regulating gel-infused foam to offer a superior sleep experience at the brand’s more than 240 hotels worldwide.
“An industry benchmark was set with the launch of our legacy Heavenly Bed in 1999, and it now serves as a testament to our unwavering commitment to provide the very best sleep experiences for guests around the world,” said Brian Povinelli, senior vice president and global head of marketing and brand at Marriott International. “In a culture that has long glorified busyness and productivity, Westin knows that a good night’s sleep is paramount to guests’ overall well-being.”
*Brought to you by Caesars Entertainment.
