“I think it’s fair to say that wellness is no longer a trend among today’s luxury travel segment; it’s really a lifestyle that is here to stay, particularly in a market like Los Angeles,” says Zachary Lapidus, director of rooms at The Beverly Hills Hotel.“To remain relevant and competitive among top-tier hotels, wellness needs to be an integral part of the guest experience. There was a time that the so-called ‘wellness guest’ fit a particular stereotype when it came to their gender, age and nationality. But today, the profile of the wellness consumer is varied and diverse.
“Just as our guests expect exceptional room appointments, unique dining experiences, premier recreational facilities, and uncompromising levels of service, they now also expect innovative wellness offerings,” says Lapidus.
And at The Beverly Hills Hotel, part of the Dorchester Collection, guests seeking an incomparable wellness retreat will find an idyllic haven. The hotel offers complimentary wellness kits in all suites that include mats, blocks, stretch bands, Buddha boards, massage balls and therapeutic oils, as well as an in-room yoga and meditation menu where guests can choose from five different types of one-on-one classes.
“Wellness enthusiasts will appreciate many specialty offerings designed for health-conscious guests to maintain balanced and healthy lifestyles while traveling. In addition to healthy dining options like fresh-pressed juice and Acai bowls offered throughout the hotel, we also just introduced a new wellness menu with more than 20 wellness-themed options,” says Lapidus, including Saturday morning complimentary yoga classes. Room rates start at $525 a night.
Wellness Retreats in Vail
“Travelers are looking for more creative healthy ways to travel,” says Patricia McNamara, director of sales and marketing for The Sonnenalp Hotel. “They want mind and body experiences that include meditation, spa and yoga to be combined with their travels so they can go home feeling relaxed and refreshed.”
In order to meet the demands of the industry, The Sonnenalp Hotel in Vail, Colorado has partnered with Wild Wellness Travel to offer a series of 4-day wellness retreats this summer and fall. These programs, curated by health and wellness experts, range from relationship-building to self-empowerment. Each retreat offers such experiences as hiking Vail’s trails, yoga classes, signature workouts, nutrition menus, health-focused guided activities, and pampering at the Sonnenalp Spa.
“The Sonnenalp Hotel wanted to expand to include the wellness services discerning travelers are now demanding when they take a spa vacation,” says McNamara. “One is targeted to couples, another is a girls getaway and the other is for all health-focused guests. It is conducive to people of all ages.”
Currently there are three retreats offered—IGNTD Nourish Your Soul retreat Aug. 10-13 with spa treatments, superfood workshops, meditations, and yoga sessions; IGNTD Women Sept 28- Oct. 1, offering group meditations, yoga practices and a Philosophie Mama Superfood workshop; and the IGNTD Couples Retreat Nov. 16-19 led by a husband-and-wife team and focusing on physical and mental health, nutrition, exercise, neuroscience and self-actualization to impact relationships, career, and well-being. Retreat prices range from $2,600 to $5,200.
Reaching Nirvana
This fall the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in New Mexico’s Santa Ana Pueblo will be offering its popular Yoga and Wellness weekend. The retreat includes a 2-night stay in a deluxe mountain-view or balcony room, two yoga classes, a pottery-making class with a tribal member, a walking meditation journey through the bosque (the Pueblo’s riverside forest), a guided journaling session, a healthy cooking demonstration, a wine and watercolor class, and an 80-minute Signature Treatment. To give you an estimate on pricing, last year’s rates for the retreat were $700 for one person and $1,000 for two, but that’s expected to increase for this year. This year’s date hasn’t been finalized, but last year it was the last weekend in October.
“Today, the multi-dimensional wellness industry is a $3.72 trillion global industry. We are experiencing a phenomenon where healthy living is morphing into all aspects of consumer life and experience.” — Tom Klein, COO, Canyon Ranch
Let’s Look Inward
At Canyon Ranch Tucson, guests can take part in a week-long wellness journey at the property’s Life Enhancement Center (LEC), a place designed for guests to take the steps needed towards reaching their personal health goals. The center benefits guests who want to work on something other than weight, including topics such as overall health, mind and body, brain health, and more.
On Oct. 8-15 Canyon Ranch will be offering Women: The Journey to Wisdom; guests in the LEC program receive accommodations with gathering spaces, their own gyms, locker rooms and dining area, 24/7 access to a supportive group atmosphere, and a structured itinerary dedicated to the guest’s goals. Rates for a 3-night standard stay start at $2,600 in a Double Deluxe room through Sept. 17, 2017. A 7-night stay Oct. 8-15 is $9,540.
“Un Wine” in Napa
At Las Alcobas Napa Valley, a Luxury Collection Hotel, guests can take part in the Un Wine experience, a new ritual that assists with cellulite, but also helps with detox and hangovers, which can be useful for those vacationing in wine country. The Un Wine treatment will aide with the post-alcohol puffiness and includes an espresso coffee scrub followed by a detoxifying massage. Rates for the treatment are $450 for 90 minutes or $500 for 120 minutes. Room rates start at $696 per night.
Spa Oases
“I think more travelers feel like they need to add some quiet time to their trip, to fully reconnect without the stress of the driving, parking, finding the hotel, etc.,” says Marianne Trotier, public relations manager for the Nordik Group.
The Nordik Group currently offers two day spa experiences in Canada—the Nordik Spa-Nature in Chelsea, Quebec; and the Thermea in Winnipeg, Manitoba—that offer that bit of downtime Trotier points to.
A day at Nordik Group spas offers plenty of relaxing options, says Trotier. “We have nine different saunas, and nine pools, with many unique services, including, at the Nordik Spa-Nature, a dip in a floating saltwater pool (your clients would have to travel to Switzerland to find a similar experience).
The Nordik Group spas currently work with nearby hotels to offer stay/play packages such as the Nordik Experience for two starting at $260, which includes a Thermal experience, bathrobe rental, and one or two nights at a hotel of their choice—Auberge Old Chelsea B&B, Auberge de la Gare, Les Suites Victoria, Albert at Bay Suite Hotel, Hotel V, and Moulin de Wakefield Hotel et Spa, among others. There’s also the Nordik Escape package starting at $343; and the Nordik Signature package, starting at $346.
Though the Nordik Spas are currently a day spa option only, a new hotel is in the works for the Chelsea location, with an expected opening date of 2019.
Back in the States, the W Las Vegas has debuted its AWAY Spa, where guests are welcomed with bright pink lighting and energized music. The treatment rooms feature invigorating green accents paired with adjustable LED lighting to allow guests to choose between sensual green or soothing white, and an option from two playlists—one that energizes and one that relaxes. Treatments offered range from the Vegas Vegan facial, the Stoned hot stone massage, and the Vegas Baby hydration facial, to the ultimate pampering experience, Massage a Trois, which includes a bath soak, a hydrating body wrap, a scalp massage, and a full body massage. Room rates start at $169 per night.
Contact Information
The Beverly Hills Hotel: dorchestercollection.com/en/los-angeles/the-beverly-hills-hotel
Canyon Ranch Tucson: canyonranch.com/tucson
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa: tamaya.regency.hyatt.com/en/hotel/home.html
Las Alcobas Napa Valley: lasalcobasnapavalley.com
Nordik Group: lenordik.com/en
The Sonnenalp Hotel: sonnenalp.com/sonnenalp-wellness-retreats
W Las Vegas: wlasvegas.com
