For decades, luxury hotel experiences were defined by tangibles such as golden bathtubs, heavy curtains, and opulent rooms and buffet - but now, these things have become standardized across the hotel industry. New generations show other priorities and the world is more sensibilized towards sustainability values.
“Luxury mindfulness in the hospitality industry refers to the concept of luxury combining the benefits of being in remote hotels and idyllic locations with spa therapies, meditation and mindfulness tuition". Hector De Castro (2022), President of De Castro Group
So, what could the next wave of luxury experience look like?
Hector De Castro, President at LUSH, the Luxury Sustainable Hotels Int'l Association, and CEO at EcoHotelProjects recently stated at conference in Spain that “luxury hospitality is embracing sensual luxury and a major sensibility for nature, it pursues to grab our five senses to take our luxury experience to a higher level, building awareness of its impact in environment and communities". Now is not only about marketing or senses, but also about the brain itself -how we perceive- and how we impact in the environment. New luxury is aware of this and, through different techniques making use of smells, sounds, tastes, textures and even association of ideas, takes our travel experience and hotel stays far beyond.
To complement the concepts mentioned above we need to understand what wellness is about. According to The Global Wellness Institute, wellness is “the active pursuit of activities, choices and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health”. There are two things to point out of this definition. The first one is that wellness in not a passive or static state. Second, that wellness is linked to holistic health. It is holistic because of its dimensions that are physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social and environmental. Actually, because of its different perspectives, wellness is a great ally for tourism. Luxury mindfulness in the touristic sector is growing and growing.
The Global Wellness Institute (2021) created a document named “2021 Wellness Tourism, Spas, Thermal/Mineral Springs I The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond COVID”. In this document, they highlighted three market snapshots. They focused on how wellness tourism, Spas and Thermal/Mineral Springs can be considered a pandemic loser but also a future winner. About Wellness Tourism, they pointed that “it grew 8% annually from 2017 to 2019 (reaching $720 billion) and then took a major hit in 2020. The market shrunk -39.5% to $436 billion, while wellness trips dropped from 936 million to 601 million.
There is an impressive 21% annual growth rate forecasted for wellness tourism through 2025 reflects new traveler values (a quest for nature, sustainability, mental wellness) as well as a period of rapid recovery from pent-up demand in 2021 and 2022.”
For the Spas the scenario is similar. Even if in 2020 revenues fell by -39% (to $69 billion) and spa establishments dropped to 160,100 (with a loss of over 4,000 day spas), the industry is expected to recover fast, with the market growing 17% annually through 2025, and more than doubling revenues (to $150.5 billion). Related to the Thermal/Mineral Springs, there were 35,099 hot springs establishments across 130 countries in 2021. The industry expects a very strong growth 2025, because of the 140 projects in the pipeline. (Global Wellness Institute, 2021)
Luxury properties around the world are turning around to this type of tourism and focusing on the importance of guest’s wellness and mindfulness.
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or judgment. Practicing mindfulness involves breathing methods, guided imagery, and other practices to relax the body and mind and help reduce stress.
Spending too much time planning, problem-solving, daydreaming, or thinking negative or random thoughts can be draining. It can also make you more likely to experience stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Practicing mindfulness exercises can help you direct your attention away from this kind of thinking and engage with the world around you.
What are the benefits of meditation?
Meditation has been studied in many clinical trials. The overall evidence supports the effectiveness of meditation for various conditions, including:
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