Welcome Wellness Travellers at Your Hotel: Practical Tips & Examples

It seems everyone we know is busy, busy, busy, — 80% of employed Americans reported they ‘never had enough time’— and travellers are increasingly looking for the opposite.  
 

Wellness tourism, travel that supports a person's well-being or feeling of contentment, has gained popularity in the early aughts and has steadily increased, outperforming the overall tourism industry for over a decade, according to the non-profit Global Wellness Institute. Like many tourism sectors in the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath, wellness tourism is soaring.
 

Some 819.4 billion wellness domestic and international trips were taken in 2022, representing 7.8% of all tourism trips that year. Wellness trips are projected to rise to 8.3% by 2027.
 

Hoteliers can capitalise on this newer, lucrative tourism by adding wellness offerings. Gen-Z, born between 1997 and 2012, are already frequent travellers and emerging as some of the most eager to travel post-pandemic. This group prioritises mental health and often looks for relaxing experiences when travelling.
 

In this article, we deep dive into this increasing travel trend for 2024 and provide several tips to leverage it in your property beyond ‘just’ having a spa.  
 

Why hoteliers need wellness tourism 

Wellness tourism is high-yield tourism, as wellness travellers spend more money than the average tourist, 75% more than the typical domestic tourist and 41% more than the typical international tourist. Hoteliers investing in wellness are almost guaranteed to get a return on their investment, as the wellness market is forecast to jump to $1.4 trillion by 2027.

It's not too late to get a foothold in the wellness tourism sector. Take a giant leap forward by joining the Hotelbeds portfolio, where hoteliers can reach 66,000+ travel distributors who are searching for wellness experiences for their high-value clients. 

If you're already a member, log in to the Partner Extranet to update your property info and wellness offerings, upload new photos, adjust rates, and more.
 

Examples of wellness tourism 

Wellness travel extends beyond the spa and gym. It touches nearly every aspect of the traveller's trip, from healthy food and drinks to experiential experiences to the best hotel amenities that promote self-care.

Hoteliers can easily incorporate some or all of these ideas:

• Using bedding that promotes more restful sleep, including breathable fabrics like cotton and linen, and weighted blankets.
   
• Providing turndown amenities that promote sleep like herbal teas, melatonin tablets, meditation apps, and books.
   
• Hosting live and on-demand fitness classes. Offering referrals to area gyms, boot camps, and personal training and creating walking, hiking, and biking trails on and off property.
   
• Adding organic drinks and meals made with local ingredients to your restaurant, bar, and grab-and-go menus.
   
• Offering airport transfers in vehicles that are low or zero-emission.
   
• Stocking your gift shop with organic sundries and wellness products that support healthy travel and lifestyles.
   

• Offering activities like guided meditation, stretch & release classes, and foraging with the hotel chef. 

   

Spa wellness travel

Spa travel has long been a form of luxury travel, but it's growing with travellers making it their primary or secondary focus. The global spa market was valued at $87.63 billion in 2023 and it's projected to grow to $375.54 billion by 2032.  
 

Spa therapies can help align the body, mind, and spirit through a variety of treatments and experiences, including massage, aromatherapy, cryotherapy, hydrotherapy, saunas, facials, manicures, pedicures, body wraps, and scrubs.  
 

Enhance your property's existing spa services with soothing lighting, eco-friendly and sustainable decor, and the latest spa treatments. Properties without a spa can partner with local spas to offer in-room and pool-side treatments.

Sleep tourism

Sleep tourism is a post-pandemic travel trend that is on the rise. Hoteliers are creating soundproof sleep suites where the main attraction is sleep. These sanctuaries include amenities like AI-powered beds that adjust to sleepers' needs, luxury bedding that promotes cool and comfortable sleep, and amenities that promote restorative sleep like deep soaking tubs, aromatherapy diffusers, blackout curtains, pillow menus, and sleep masks.  

Don't sleep on this wellness travel trend, which is expected to grow by nearly 8% to more than $400 billion between 2023 and 2028.
 

Healthy experiences

Help travellers who already lead healthy lifestyles by offering healthy amenities. From well-stocked fitness centres to group and on-demand classes to hot tubs, steam rooms, plunge pools, and infrared saunas, there are many options for properties of all sizes.  

Additional options include in-room workout kits with access to fitness apps, partnering with local businesses to offer boot camps, personal training, and group fun runs, and providing outdoor spaces for walking, relaxing, and dining.

Experiential wellness

A segment of experiential travel, travel fuelled by a desire for connection through sustainable tourism that supports local communities, experiential wellness is attractive.  

From private tours of local natural wonders to classes with local artisans to create candles and bath products to one-of-a-kind volunteerism experiences, experiential travel taps into a desire for bespoke experiences and lifelong learning.
 

Solo travel wellness retreat

Solo travel is exploding, particularly among female travellers. Some 76% of Millennials and Gen-Z are planning to take a solo trip this year, and 60% of all travellers are planning two or more solo trips. More than half of these trips are centred around self-love and treating oneself.  

These trips offer the opportunity to focus on emotional, mental, physical and, sometimes, spiritual, well-being without the distraction of other travel companions. Leverage solo travel's popularity by creating personalised trip itineraries that include customisable meal plans, fitness regiments, and activities.
 

Family wellness retreat

Increasingly, families are focusing on strengthening bonds through wellness retreats that promote shared adventures.  

Whether enjoying activities together like ropes courses, cooking classes, and hikes or separately via kids' clubs, children's mindfulness, bubble-blowing breathwork, and soap making classes, and activities like journaling and stargazing, leverage family retreats.
 

Yoga retreats

Yoga retreats offer opportunities for first-timer yogis to advanced yoga practitioners to relax and find balance.  

These retreats are often offered in tandem with meditation, sound bath, and energy healing sessions, fitness classes, workshops on wellness-related topics like nutrition and stress reduction, breathwork sessions, detox programmes, healthy cooking classes, and on-property dining options that focus on farm-to-table, organic, and/or locally-sourced artisanal meals.
 

Corporate wellness retreats

With many people still working remote or hybrid, companies are prioritising corporate retreats. Some 79% of companies allocate a specific budget for getting their teams together.  

Even if your property isn't part of a large conference centre, you can support corporate travel by partnering with local businesses to create team building activities, entertainment, and outdoor recreation.

Don't let another minute pass without joining the wellness revolution.  

Give your property a check-up by logging in to the Partner Extranet to share property photos and wellness offerings.  

Haven’t joined Hotelbeds yet? Register your property today for free. You’re just a few clicks away to start benefiting from our wide range of products and services for hoteliers.