Guests today are increasingly interested in staying at wellness hotels. This is likely due to the pandemic, which forced everyone to adjust their health goals due to lockdowns and distancing mandates.
Capitalizing on this trend can be tricky for hotels that don’t already offer wellness services. But you don’t need a natural hot spring on your grounds or a fleet of masseuses to market yourself as a wellness hotel. All you need is a serious commitment to ensuring that you provide a stress-free, restful stay with plenty of access to healthy foods and activities.
Here’s how you can market yourself as a wellness hotel and start to take advantage of one of the top trends in the hospitality industry today.
Sleep
The stress that comes with modern life robs many people of a good night’s sleep. As a hotel manager or owner, it should be your top priority to ensure that your guests have every opportunity to get 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep when they are staying in your hotel. That’s because 8-10 hours can do wonders for your guest’s health, and can help them get out of a sleep deficiency.
Prioritizing sleep might seem a little strange at first — after all, previous guests have always been able to sleep at your hotel. But, as a wellness hotel, you need to flip your mindset and treat the nighttime with just as much importance as the waking hours.
To help folks get their best night’s sleep, consider offering multiple pillow choices and white noise speakers which can cut background noise. You could even offer a relaxation hour at around 8 pm, where your patrons must shut off their phones and have a range of readings and other relaxing activities to choose from.
Going to these lengths might seem excessive at first. But sleep is vital for your guests’ health. Poor sleep can lead to hormonal imbalances, which could raise blood pressure, disrupt eating patterns, and reduce the effectiveness of their body’s immune system. By focusing on sleep, you can help folks get back on track, and give your marketing team an easy win.
Stress Reduction
A recent report from the American Psychological Association found that the stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — combined with other factors like the rising cost of living and global conflict — has negatively impacted the health of millions of Americans. Of course, hotels can’t undo the source of this stress, but you can help ensure that your hotel provides a positive environment for folks who are at wits-end.
To help folks who are experiencing stress, you need to start thinking of yourself as a “restorative hotel”. This means that you should provide an experience that actively reduces the stress levels of your guests, and helps them feel cared for. To do this, you will need to “above and beyond” traditional offerings and should consider things like complimentary room service and hiring more concierges who can work closely with your guests.
Reducing your guest’s stress can help improve their overall well-being. That’s because heightened stress can lead to mood fluctuations, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. It can also cause physical conditions, like heart attacks, a weakened central nervous system, and diabetes.
You can market your current services as “stress-reducing” by highlighting the hard work your current staff already do to ensure that your guests have a stress-free stay. This will look appealing for prospective guests who want their every need met, and will boost your staff’s morale as recognizing their hard work will help them feel appreciated.
Design Changes
Our environment impacts the way we think about the world and can make a significant difference in wellness efforts. If your hotel is looking a little run down or is not designed to reflect a feeling of wellness, then it may be time to consider some design changes.
When deciding upon design changes, consider opting for sustainable interior design choices. That’s because the folks who value wellness are usually the same people who care about climate change and sustainability. It’s hard to create a “wellness” aesthetic, but you can certainly create a sustainable design based on recycled materials, energy-efficient applications, and tactful use of natural light.
Marketing
Your hotel’s commitment to wellness is only valuable if you can market it correctly and bump up your bottom line. In many ways, the changes you make will market themselves — folks will be naturally drawn to wellness hotels that can help them sleep and provide engaging activities.
However, you still need a social media strategy that is pre-planned and effective. Start by creating content based on analytics. For example, if your posts about spin classes and white noise do well, create more posts based on a similar theme. Additionally, try to create engagement-rich content by asking questions or running competitions. This will increase your exposure, and lead to more interest in your wellness offering.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to draw new guests to your hotel. As a wellness hotel, you can provide a relaxing, rejuvenating experience that is likely to yield repeat visits and high praise. Just be sure to back up your wellness marketing with real improvements to your offering. You can consider optional white-nose in bedrooms for a better night’s sleep, or hire on the services of masseuse and group exercise leaders to deliver a restful, healthy experience for your guests.
Credit
Jori Hamilton is an experienced writer residing in the Northwestern U.S. She covers a wide range of topics but takes a particular interest in covering topics related to the hospitality industry, business productivity, and marketing strategies. To learn more about Jori, you can follow her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Over to you
The hotel industry is always changing, especially during a time of crisis. Make sure to future-proof your business and continue attracting new guests by investing in these solutions.
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Related article: How Hotel Spa and Wellness Centers Have Changed During the Pandemic
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About Are Morch
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