A Healthy Focus on Wellness
By: Susan Jacobs
Health and wellness used to be an afterthought in the meetings industry. Events were usually staged in dark, stuffy rooms; the gym consisted of little more than a stationary bike and some weights; and food in airports, planes and sometimes even hotels themselves was pitiful.
How times have changed! Today, airports sell kale salad, meetings occur in light-filled spaces and hotel gyms are bona fide fitness centers with impressive spas. Are you gluten-free? No problem. The hotel kitchen staff will happily prepare tasty dishes to meet you dietary requirements. Forgot your workout wear? Don’t sweat it. Westin has gear-lending partnership with New Balance, Trump Hotel Collection has partnered with Under Armour and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts works with Reebok. The radical transformation is bringing joy to planners and attendees.
“A happy guest is a healthy guest,” says Dr. Ernest Brown, a Washington, DC-based physician who serves as medical advisor to several hotels in the nation’s capital. He cites Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square as an example of a property concerned about health. The hotel regularly hosts events where community partners provide information and free consultations. “And with the assistance of a dietitian, their executive chefs developed a fantastic menu that provides calorie counts,” Brown says.
Hotels have a sound business reason for this: Wellness offerings attract younger travelers. In a recent study by MMGY Global, 45 percent of millennials and 38 percent of Gen Xers said that the presence of spas and fitness centers influence where they choose to stay.
In order to appeal to younger demographic groups as well as baby boomers concerned about their health, planners are taking a closer look at hotels that emphasize wellness. From A to Z, we toast some of the most interesting health and wellness innovations offered for travelers today.
Xtreme Sports
Blood flow to the brain declines after 10 minutes of sitting still. In response, planners are moving their groups outdoors. At Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa, meetings attendees can compete in a challenging Beach Olympics / Survivor event. Utilizing their lazy river and waterslide, The Hilton Orlando offers a high intensity, Amazing Race-style event that promotes teamwork and camaraderie. Cheeca Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, Florida, offers a Paddle & Run competition where teams launch glass-bottom sea kayaks, paddle around a 525-foot fishing pier and return to the beach. Nothing says beachside wellness like a morning beach spin class at one of the top beaches in America. At Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, participants don headphones so non cycling guests are not disturbed. The award winning Miraval Resort & Spa in Tucson, Arizona, offers 380 different experiences, many of them physically challenging. Popular classes at hotels include surfing, stand-up paddle boarding, flash mob exercises, boot camp and Zumba. HoopFit performed with light-up hula hoops at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, in unique. At Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, meeting attendees can scale a 35-foot-tall indoor climbing wall, while guests at The National Conference Center in Leesburg, Virginia, can sample high and low ropes courses and a climbing wall.
