2013 Trend Report Spotlight: 10 Healthy Hotels

Recently SpaFinder® Wellness released our 2013 Global Spa & Wellness Trends Report, highlighting the Top 10 Global Spa & Wellness Trends we should all expect to see more of in the coming months. While we’ve already shared the report, we here at the blog thought it would be great to take a more in-depth look into each trend and spotlight 10 spas that really embody each up-and-coming movement in the spa and wellness industry. Our first spotlight looks at Trend #1: Healthy Hotels. From wellness-branded hotel chains to more fitness, spa, healthy eating, and sleep programs, we’ve rounded up 10 hotels that have taken the healthy hotel trend and ran with it.

Westin “Heavenly” One of the first movers and shakers in the healthy hotel market was Westin. With more than 231 properties around the world, Westin created a “Heavenly” concept that includes: a branded wellness menu and spa; heavenly in-room guest bed; SuperFoodsRX menu, which dishes out healthy, whole foods rich in nutrients and antioxidants; and “Westin Workouts” program. The hotels also offer free-to-borrow workout gear and a “RunWestin” program that features guided jogs. Spa options revolve around recharging and rejuvenating guests, whereas the fitness programs aim to get you going.

Element Hotels Element by Westin Hotels, which include 10 locations across the U.S. and five more on the horizon, is dedicated to promoting a healthy, balanced lifestyle for travelers. The hotels all come equipped with 24-hour fitness centers, saline pools, and bikes to borrow to get some outdoor time. Guest rooms and public spaces are bathed in natural daylight and promote an open, airy environment inspired by nature. To encourage a healthy start, complimentary breakfast is offered with options like egg white wraps and fruit smoothies. And all in-room workstations feature ergonomic chairs. The hotels recently installed “charge-as-you-go” power stations, where guests can charge their personal electronics with a stationary bike workout.

Healing Hotels of the World With notable partner hotels around the world, including Rancho La Puerta, Grail Springs Health Spa & Wellness Retreat, Ananda in the Himalayas, and Miraval Resort & Spa, Healing Hotels of the World’s mission is for guests to find their inner balance and peace and to lead a lifestyle of vibrant health. The group’s main goal is to educate visitors on the importance of health and wellbeing. Founders Anne Biging and Elisabeth Ixmeir say, “It is our vision that guests of a Healing Hotel become whole again in body, mind, and soul, freeing them to enjoy the sacredness and abundance of life.” Guests will achieve this through experiences like holistic spa treatments, health consultations, daily activity schedules, life coaching, healthy cuisine, and fitness.

Affinia Hotels Whether traveling to the Big Apple or taking a trip to our nation’s capital, we love Affinia hotels. These boutique hotels in New York City and Washington, D.C., offer a Tender Loving Comfort® Movement in order to make guests feel relaxed and comfortable. Visitors can enjoy Comfort Hour, during which they can try Wii and Kinect games, along with other new items introduced throughout the year. Upon arrival guests will choose from one of six pillows that best suits their needs: feather and down, sound (which plays music), hypoallergenic, magnetic therapy (perfect for achy joints), buckwheat, or Swedish Memory. Experience Kits are available free of charge for travelers to experience the city they are in—including a Walking Tour Kit complete with an iPod Shuffle or Nano; an Affinia Walking Tour Kit with a workout playlist, pedometer, and towel; and a Stay Fit Kit, which includes a yoga mat, stretching blocks, workout bands, wrist/ankle weights, and yoga, Pilates, and boot camp DVDs for you to break a sweat.

Intercontinental Hotels Group’s EVEN Hotels Revolving around the four pillars of a healthy life—eating right, exercising, productivity, and rest—Intercontinental Hotels Group has created its all-wellness EVEN brand. The concept comes from the idea that your routine should not be turned upside down when traveling and that you shouldn’t have to make compromises when it comes to healthy living. With the first round of hotels to launch sometime this year, and a Manhattan location set to open in 2014, EVEN brand has already made a name for itself. Guests will experience amenities like complimentary fitness equipment such as a circuit training guide to use in-room; a “Wellness Wall” with local activities, fitness, and dining options; freshly prepared, healthy food available morning to night; yoga mats and foam rollers in each room—and even a coat rack that doubles as a pull-up bar and a luggage rack that’s also a workout bench.

Las Vegas MGM Grand Not everything that happens in Vegas needs to stay there. Take the new wellness concept launched at the MGM Grand, for instance. Recently the hotel converted numerous guest rooms into “Stay Well” rooms, which feature personalized spa menus, wake-up light therapy, air purification and aromatherapy, vitamin C-infused showers, and wellness videos from The Cleveland Clinic and Deepak Chopra.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Rolling out to all 80 Fairmont Hotel & Resort properties worldwide by early 2013 is the “Fairmont Fit” program. This new wellness initiative provides free fitness gear, mp3 players, and cruiser bikes to guests, as well as a new, healthy “Lifestyle Cuisine Plus” menu. Properties like the Scottsdale Princess in Arizona are launching a comprehensive “Well and Being” program directed by Dr. Tieraona Low Dog, which will offer an integrative medicine lineup that includes everything from acupuncture to cooking classes.

Four Seasons Locations in Canada Four Seasons locations in Toronto, Vancouver, and Whistler have created a Wellness Concierge program, where a wellness concierge will map out a guest’s daily wellness itinerary to integrate healthy spa, food, and fitness options. Guests can choose to have their mini-bar stocked with healthy options and can enjoy personal training sessions with an iPod or mp3 player that plays a virtual workout perfect for them. Best of all? It’s free for all guests!

Eccleston Square Hotel This London hotel features the renowned Swedish Hasten beds, which, for those who haven’t experienced, are some of the best in the world. Guests will have no trouble lulling themselves into a blissful sleep on these electronically adjustable beds with various massage settings. If the bed isn’t enough, rooms are even equipped with Hasten’s Mind Spa™ relaxation programming, which features sleep-inducing natural images and sounds.

45 Park Lane London’s 45 Park Lane and UK fitness expert Matt Roberts have joined forces to create an in-room fitness workout program for guests. A designated TV channel offers a selection of professionally led workouts designed and narrated by Roberts; a complimentary step-by-step training guide, Exercise with Matt at 45 Park Lane Fitness Pack, is even available for guests to take home. In addition to this fabulous in-room private workout, 45 Park Lane provides free yoga mats in each room, as well as 10 bespoke Brompton bicycles for guest use. Roberts’ personal food and beverage selection from Wolfgang Puck’s CUT at 45 Park Lane will be offered upon request.

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