As resorts strive to cater to guest demands, they find that wellness is top of mind for many guests in 2023.

Properties have an opportunity to exceed guest expectations and capture more of their spend by offering personalized services and activities centered around guest wellness goals.

Properties that successfully deliver lasting experiences steeped in personal wellness, which is not solely about providing fitness centers and spa services. It is about truly connecting with the guest, understanding their health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness interests, and providing options to support their changing goals and unique needs.

Today's resorts are committed to offering guests access to various outdoor activities and sports, indoor and outdoor fitness facilities that spotlight nature and preventive care, spa, and mental wellness services, as well as food and beverage options that fulfill special dietary requests or nutritional requirements. These properties know that to stand out from the competition and build long-term loyalty they must offer guests options to support their health and wellness goals – whether a new regimen or a lifelong commitment.

Six 2023 Wellness Trends that Your Hotel Property Should be Familiar With

1. "Wellness Tourism" and "Wellness Travel" Are on The Rise

For some guests, that may mean a trip that focuses on good nutrition, positive physical and mental health practices, activities in nature or the surrounding community, and promoting sustainability. For others, it may mean that the travel experience itself benefits their mental health and creates a fresh outlook or renewal when they return home. The Global Wellness Institute estimates that the wellness tourism market will be close to $7 trillion by the end of 2025, and that's a huge testament to the new expectations of travelers and hotel guests.

Additionally, in a recent American Express survey, 76 percent of respondents said they wanted to spend more on travel that improves their well-being, and 55 percent said they would be willing to pay extra for these services or activities. Because of this, full-service resort properties are positioning themselves to cater to guests' wellness goals, build loyalty, creating exceptional experiences tailored to their well-being while capturing more of their spend.

2. Hyper-Personalization Is Becoming The New Normal

Personalized service is still a huge goal for all hotel properties – in fact, 71% of guests expect personalized interactions. Post-pandemic, it's no secret guests are very willing to spend more on personalized experiences, and the more a resort truly knows its guests and understands their unique needs and preferences, the easier it is for its staff members to deliver on that expectation. Some guests want to experience new activities, while others are committed to their existing fitness and nutrition programs. By truly focusing on the individual guest at a higher level and their wellness journey, properties can cater specifically to them and support the type of stay that suits them best.

3. Bleisure Travel Is Here to Stay

While the number of remote positions doubled in early 2020, a Gartner study predicts 48% of knowledge workers worldwide will be fully remote or hybrid by the end of 2023, and 71% of the knowledge workers in the US. According to the Expedia 2022 Travel Trends Report, 56 percent of those remote workers planned to take at least one bleisure trip during the year. Many hotels have already adapted their lobbies and guest rooms to accommodate travelers who plan to work for a portion of their stay. For guests combining business trips with leisure trips, resorts must offer a wide variety of activities, food offerings, and services for these guests to enjoy in their downtime and still cater to their wellness goals.

4. Sustainability and a Deeper Connection With The Destination Are Important to Guests

Conscientious wellness travelers want to learn more about their destinations, and in many cases, give back in some way to the communities around them. They are focused on preserving nature and want to support organizations with sustainable practices. Properties that make sustainability part of their day-to-day operations are more attractive to these guests. Digital services that reduce a hotel's footprint, eco-friendly packaging, energy conservation, and reductions in water and food waste are examples of practices that are important to many travelers. Resorts can also continuously promote using digital marketing solutions as part of their property management system (PMS) sustainability best practices.

5. Guests Want More Than What Traditional Spas and Fitness Centers Have to Offer

Spa facilities today offer services far beyond pampering and beauty. Options that focus on mental and physical well-being for the long term, relaxation, and nutrition are at the top of the list for guests in 2023. Aside from relaxation services provided by spas, many guests are interested in programs that promote healing, stress management, spiritual well-being, sleep enhancement, and mindfulness. Whether an outdoor yoga class, massage by the beach, or a nature hike, reconnecting with the outdoors and truly focusing on mind, body, and spirit are at the forefront of many guests during their wellness-inspired trips.

6. Food and Beverage Is More Varied Than Ever

Offering dietary options ranging from vegan to paleo to vegetarian and everywhere in between is another example of an area where resorts can further personalize the guest's experience. Resorts can create unique menus that cater to guests' goals, nutrition, and dietary needs, with ingredients that help reduce fatigue, stress, and anxiety while boosting the immune system. While some guests may want to splurge on their vacation meals, others are committed to a specific food journey, and they expect their hotel to seamlessly support them.

How Technology Can Help Your Resort Cater to These Wellness Trends

Many resorts already offer spa and fitness facilities, as well as sports and activities, but with many guests focused on wellness, these properties must ensure they not only have the facilities and employees to accommodate this growing demand, they must have the data-driven technology infrastructure in place to make sure guests are familiar with their offerings, and solutions that seamlessly create individual guest profiles for staff to have a better understanding of their guests and their interests, ultimately creating a truly exceptional experience every time.

A dynamic property management system that builds individual guest profiles along every step of their journey – from booking through arrival, stay, checkout, and returning home – allows resorts to construct a rich guest history, learn and activate guest preferences, and personalize future guest experiences in real-time on-site. Properties that add health, nutrition, fitness, relaxation, and wellness goals to those profiles forge lasting relationships that ultimately build champions for their property.

The PMS can seamlessly connect with a robust booking system that allows guests to access and select different wellness activities, spa services, and restaurant options pre-arrival when reserving their room. Spa and activities management solutions help optimize scheduling, and the hotel can anticipate staffing and inventory needs. Through these profiles, the property knows whether guests are planning a work trip, a vacation, or a combination of both, and they know how interested the guest is in wellness practices while on property.

Once they arrive, through mobile check-in solutions that offer digital keys, the guest can go straight to their room and avoid the stress of waiting in a line for a plastic key card. Other mobile solutions allow guests to access dynamic menus updated in real-time with nutritional information and availability to order and receive food wherever they are on property. These solutions not only offer convenience to the guest as well as a myriad of food choices that support their chosen nutritional program, but they also require fewer staff and less equipment, optimizing operational efficiency and decreasing the property's footprint. Recipe and menu management solutions help food and beverage teams reduce food waste and encourage conservation.

While many guests are thrilled to travel again, they are looking for trips that enhance their well-being and promote physical and mental health. As noted in a recent EHL article (EHL Hospitality Business School), widely recognized as one of the world's best hotel management schools), "An increased consumer awareness of all things sustainable, purposeful and health & well-being has set new benchmarks for hospitality enterprises."

With the Global Wellness Institute reporting that the wellness tourism market is projected to expand an average of 10% annually through 2025, resort properties must ensure they are ready for these guests and positioned to support their wellness goals to increase their bottom line. As noted in another recent EHL Insights article, "The hospitality industry does not need to transform itself into a health destination, however, it should seek to offer an answer to the expectations of their new clients who will be looking at living a healthy life, preventing diseases and unnecessary stress, avoiding exhaustion and, when they go to restaurants, being nourished smartly. All professional attitudes will need to encompass a sense of mindfulness and balance."

About Agilysys

Agilysys is well known for its long heritage of hospitality-focused technology innovation. The Company delivers modular and integrated software solutions and expertise to businesses seeking to maximize Return on Experience (ROE) through hospitality encounters that are both personal and profitable. Over time, customers achieve High Return Hospitality by consistently delighting guests, retaining staff and growing margins. Customers around the world include: branded and independent hotels; multi-amenity resort properties; casinos; property, hotel and resort management companies; cruise lines; corporate dining providers; higher education campus dining providers; food service management companies; hospitals; lifestyle communities; senior living facilities; stadiums; and theme parks. The Agilysys Hospitality Cloud™ combines core operational systems for property management (PMS), point of sale (POS) and inventory and procurement (I&P) with Experience Enhancers™ that meaningfully improve interactions for guests and for employees across dimensions such as digital access, mobile convenience, self-service control, personal choice, payment options, service coverage and real-time insights to improve decisions. Core solutions and Experience Enhancers are selectively combined in Hospitality Solution Studios™ tailored to specific hospitality settings and business needs. Agilysys operates across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and India with headquarters located in Alpharetta, GA. For more information visit Agilysys.com