RLA Global’s Top 5 Trends for Hotel & Resort Wellness.

Like everyone, we hope that 2022 is the year that health does not dominate the news headlines, however, one (we like to think) positive legacy of the pandemic is a cultural rethinking of how we view our health, both physically and mentally. Wellness and travel, is going to be big in 2022, so here are our top 5 trends that should be appraised before considering a hotel wellness offering.

1. Preventative Wellness

Immune health will no longer just be the preserve of health shops and vitamins, we will begin to see more hotel’s wellness programs offering treatments that start from the inside out. Whether that is a spoonful of Manuka honey to help boost immunity at the beginning of a treatment, naturopathic prescriptions or dishes designed to improve your gut health immunity, 2022 is the year of preventative wellness.

Look out for Fiji Water’s founder, David Gilmour's, foray into premium ginger and turmeric through The Wakaya Group that is being distributed into the luxury retail and spa markets. It’s ginger tea at champagne prices!

2. Mind Over Body

Detoxing your body will be usurped by detoxing your mind. With a real emphasis on mental health, there will be open demand for programs and retreats at lux hotels that are focused on improving your general mood and wellbeing.

3. Hybrid Health Solutions

Exercise is no longer left behind at the gym doors as digital applications and zoom Pesonal Trainings’s morph into hybrid models; think Peloton but with a bricks and mortar presence. We expect to see traditional gym activities combined with online classes, health tracking and digital communities to create accountable health solutions.

4. Biohacking

If you have not yet heard of biohacking, this unusual trend looks to grow in popularity as people look to take control over their own health. Biohacking or DIY biology, at its most approachable level, is about experimenting with your own diet and wellness to find out what works best for your body. With more data, technology and influencers on the topic, this unconventional approach is about to become more conventional in 2022.

5. Hotels Get Fina(ncial)ly Serious About Wellness

RLA Global has long championed the financial modeling of wellness products and how it should and could influence hotel and resort performance. In 2022, it’s the business of wellness that finally gets taken seriously as spas are no longer just treated as plug and plays for hotel guests. Investors are now determining the operational and financial opportunities and risks of the sector before investing in wellness offerings.