As the interest in wellness continues to grow in the travel industry, so does the difficulty in finding labor to fill the positions needed to provide for guests. A new company has a solution that it says can help both aspects of this problem.
“Aescape is helping the hospitality industry meet the growing demand of the wellness industry by delivering a labor augmentation solution that enables hotels to increase customer demand, satisfaction and retention through an innovative massage therapy solution,” said Eric Litman, founder/CEO, robotics company Aescape. “According to Forbes, the wellness industry has seen a 21% growth in wellness tourism, yet the U.S. massage industry is losing $4 billion annually due to a labor shortage of 29,000 therapists (iSPA 2022).”
Aescape uses AI to deliver massage therapy to guests. “Aescape is unique in that it offers a full-automated, self-directed massage therapy solution for those looking to take more control of their treatment regimen,” he said. “Members can opt into treatment styles and lengths that match how they think about their own needs, while the system provides an insightful, intuitive tablet display with interactive tools to control the areas of focus, pressure and sequencing of the massage experience.”
The massage therapy programs offered are curated in collaboration with highly skilled therapists, according to Litman. The AI tracks each member’s sessions and delivers recommendations and solutions to optimize treatment plans and understand their bodies. “Over time, Aescape will track improvements to one’s body, and through connected apps, we’ll be able to show the benefits of Aescape in correlation to mindfulness, better sleep and fitness/athletic performance,” said Litman.
He said that the technology offers a number of benefits to hoteliers, including adding new revenue streams and being available 24/7. In addition, he said it helps to retain existing therapists because “alternative treatment gives more flexibility in staff planning. With Aescape, massage therapy becomes a perk to on-staff therapists who work long hours and need massage treatments themselves.”
He continued, “We are creating something remarkable for consumers that will accelerate demand for massage and boost hotel spa revenue and reputation through one-of-a-kind innovation. [Our] all-star team includes senior leadership from Accenture, Amazon, Bird, FitBit, Peloton, the New York Knicks, Meta, Tonal, Uber, WPP and others.”