It’s no secret that sustainable hospitality and the wellness tourism market is exploding right now.  While hotel chains have taken note, many hotel owners are still missing out on investment opportunities that can help their properties appeal to these highly sought after guests.

The wellness tourism industry drives $639B of spend globally and that spend is growing at more than twice the rate of the broader tourism market (nearly 7%).

Domestic wellness tourists here in the U.S. spend a whopping 178% more than non-wellness travelers (Global Wellness Institute).  Wellness minded travelers have significant discretionary income and are willing to pay a premium to feel good both physically and mentally.

Smart hoteliers and brands are identifying creative ways to tap this market. In this article we'll educate you on the data around wellness in travel, review successful hotel wellness tourism initiatives and empower you to bring wellness into any property regardless of location or market segment.

What is Driving the Wellness Tourism Market’s Growth?

It’s not hard to see why the wellness market is exploding.  The western world has undergone a health consciousness renaissance and it’s in large part thanks to ancient eastern philosophy.  This is very much a global phenomenon.

A quick review of Google search trends highlights the burgeoning demand for wellness related products and services.  823,000 consumers search Google each month to learn about ‘meditation’ techniques and there are more than 50,000 searches for the term ‘yoga retreat’.  Those numbers don’t even include the massive list of long tail of searches around each of those terms. Needless to say, we are talking about huge numbers here.

The latest advancements in science and medicine have generated knowledge that is empowering everyday consumers to live healthier lives.  Today’s so-called unicorn companies show that despite its massive market size, the wellness revolution has really just begun. A wave of wellness unicorns like Peloton, 23andMe, Fitbit, Beyond Meat, ClassPass and Hims are experiencing exponential growth by meeting the demands of modern consumers and those same consumers are traveling to hotels like yours every single day.

How Major Hotel Chains Appeal to Wellness Travelers

From Hyatt’s partnership with meditation app Headspace to Hilton’s Five Feet to Fitness guest room concept and Equinox launching hotels it’s clear that major brands understand the importance of appealing to wellness-minded travelers.

Westin was arguably the first major global hotel chain to successfully center its entire brand around wellness through advertising, dedicated programming and innovative partnerships.  Newbalance has been one of Westin’s longest standing and most successful wellness partnerships.  The partnership enables guests to rent running shoes and gym clothes on property so they don’t need to carry dirty laundry or hefty running shoes in their luggage.

Westin has since forged similar wellness partnerships such as RunWestin (guided running maps) and Peloton (world class digital spin classes).  Another key area of wellness focus for Westin has centered around sleep.  The brand is synonymous with the award winning Westin Heavenly Bed identifying sleep as a major area to improve well being, health and mindspace for guests.  Westin has also focused on sleep creating its own Sleep Well Lavender balm and healthy bedtime snack menu.

It’s no secret that travel takes a toll on our bodies and minds which is why it's natural for hotel brands to focus on helping guests feel better during their stay to foster loyalty and create a better travel experience.  Westin has seen so much success with its wellness programming over the last decade that it recently decided to double down with its $30M “For a Better You” wellness-centric advertising campaign.  The campaign builds off of a study where 71% of travelers told researchers that the biggest pain point they experience while traveling is the difficulty of maintaining their ordinary routines while on the road.  Ultimately, keeping our routine is what makes us feel good and that’s what wellness is all about. The ways we do that are through healthy eating, sleeping, fitness and ridding ourselves of stress.

Better Breathing & Sanitation is at the Core of Any Wellness Program

When examining these successful wellness programs, they all center around one thing: helping hotel guests recreate home environments and routines while they’re on the road which ultimately helps them feel good and be their best.  Air quality and sanitation are underserved facet of wellness that fosters better sleep and decreased stress levels through peace of mind.

Sitting on a confined airplane with limited oxygen, it’s hard not to feel like you’re surrounded by germs, virus and bacteria.  The same is true of highly trafficked airports, ride-shares and even hotels. Heavy use commercial spaces are breeding grounds for virus and bacteria and even when we can’t physically see it, breathing virus, bacteria and ultra-fine particles impacts how guests feel each and every day.  For years, travelers have been wary of virus and bacteria in these heavy use spaces and recent data validates their concerns:

“About 81 percent of hotel room surfaces sampled held at least some fecal bacteria. And television remotes are, in fact, among the most bacteria-laden surfaces, ranking up there with toilets and bathroom sinks.” (Scientific American)

Bacteria and virus on both surfaces and in air particles can lead to illness when transmitted through our skin and lungs.

Researchers have identified a clear inverse correlation between air pollution and physical health.  Whether you’re from Beijing, Bangladesh or Los Angeles you understand that air pollution has become such an issue that not only can we feel its negative effects but we can see them.  The number of premature deaths due to outdoor air pollution is due to increase from 3 million people globally in 2010 to an estimated 6-9 million in 2060.  The lion's share of this increase comes from non-OECD economies with less stringent air quality and pollution controls.

The effects of poor air quality outdoors has become a global concern and while air quality indoors may not be as lethal, it’s a problem for wellness travelers and when presented with a solution - many travelers are happy to pay a premium for cleaner air in hotel rooms.

Germs are a non-issue at home because it’s our own personal space.  When we experience poor air quality at home we buy air purifiers. So how are hotels delivering bacteria and virus free environments without air pollutants in highly trafficked rooms? Many of them turn to Pure Rooms.

Pure Room Conversions: A Turnkey Wellness Initiative for Every Hotel

Pure Wellness patented 7-step process and technology treats every last surface and air particle in a room, giving guests more comfort in their surroundings and peace of mind.

Pure Rooms feature medical grade purified air, a hypo-allergenic wellness environment and allergy-friendly bedding and shower filtration to more than 3,000 hotel rooms globally.  Guests have enjoyed the Pure Room experience in over 3,500,000 room nights.

Pure Rooms is trusted by more than 30 major hotel brands ranging from midscale properties like Courtyard by Marriott, Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn to upscale hotels like Westins and even ultra luxury properties like Ritz Carlton, J.W. Marriott and Waldorf Astoria.

Ultimately Pure Wellness helps hotels convert anywhere from 1 - 1,000 of their rooms into Pure Rooms through a patented 7-step room conversion process that creates a best-in-class wellness environment for the wellness-minded travelers.  The conversion process delivers ultra purified air and treated surfaces that keep harmful bacteria and virus away. The end result - guests are willing to pay more for a Pure Room because they wake up feeling better rested and get peace of mind knowing that the room has undergone specific investment with their health in mind.

First, the Pure team leverages its technology and know-how to get rid of all the invisible bacteria & viruses that hotel guests might not see (we hope) but can definitely feel.  Once the conversion process is complete the Pure Rooms team the room on 6-month maintenance intervals. Maintenance of Pure Rooms technology does not interfere in any way with housekeeping or engineering teams and the process is completely turnkey.

Hotels that provide a Pure Rooms alternative for guests are rewarded with increased rates paid for those rooms and are able to differentiate their product in hyper competitive markets.  Room conversion has minimal downtime and the best part is you can start small to test the product and ratchet up your offering over time as demand rises for that offering.

This article was created in partnership with Pure Wellness