From being just another offering to becoming a focal point and selling point of hotels, wellness has assumed much more significance among hotels, especially after people’s increased concern regarding health and wellbeing after the pandemic.
The hotel sector has now invested heavily in this space to assuage employees and drive revenues by offering ancillary services and guests. Besides the numerous offerings, an increasing number of hotels are creating separate departments to curate wellness experiences and appointing executives to head these units targeting.
Dubai-based Jumeirah Group, the luxury hospitality company and member of Dubai Holding, recently appointed Niamh O’Connell as its first vice president of wellbeing, group and corporate.
Announcing O’Connell’s appointment, Jumeirah said the move was part of the company’s focus to elevate its wellness offering across its portfolio and create experiences that meet the needs of the new-age luxury traveler.
O’Connell, who has worked for almost three decades in luxury wellness and hospitality in Europe, the U.S. and the Asia Pacific region, will work alongside Jumeirah’s hotel and operations team to develop an “all-encompassing wellbeing strategy.” Along with branding, design and programming, this will feature spa services, fitness options, therapies, longevity programs and holistic wellness.
While the position is new, O’Connell has experience in her field and has previously held senior roles at Hyatt International Hotels & Resorts and most recently was the group vice president at Rosewood Hotel Group, where she oversaw the strategic development of wellness and brand experience.
“Over the past three years, a remarkable shift in the landscape of wellbeing has been witnessed, and now the industry stands on the brink of an exhilarating transformation. I look forward to inspiring a new approach to wellbeing across our hotels and resorts, guided by the principles of lifelong learning, longevity and inclusivity. By adopting this approach, my aim is to ensure we empower our guests to enhance their physical and emotional well-being through sustainable wellness practices,” O’Connell said.
In yet another instance of hotel companies looking to streamline and prioritize wellness services, Hilton recently posted a job vacancy for a global wellness director. According to Hilton, the global wellness team is responsible for the enterprise wellness functions within the company and, in addition to its core charter, has been tasked with creating a “next generation” wellness perspective and the strategy and team charter to support the delivery.
As the global wellness director, the person is expected to provide daily support in delivering the wellness team’s priorities and will report directly to the vice president of wellness.
Miraval Resorts & Spas, part of the World of Hyatt brand family, has launched a podcast, Miraval Life in Balance, to guide people to “cultivate wellness, intention and inspiration.” Hosted by American lifestyle and blogger Lauren Scruggs Kennedy, the podcast is centered around mindfulness, with the first six episodes focusing on the connection of body, mind and spirit.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, international wellness tourists spent an average of $1,601 per trip in 2020, 35% more than the typical international tourist. Domestic wellness tourists spent $610 per trip, a whopping 177% higher than the average domestic tourist.
In 2019 the global wellness economy was valued at $4.9 trillion but fell to $4.4 trillion in 2020 due to the pandemic. With the global wellness economy estimated to reach around $7 trillion in 2025, more and more hotels are trying to tap into this sector’s potential and generate revenues.