Not long ago, a hotel’s “wellness strategy” was often limited to an old exercise bike along with some weights in a windowless basement room, and perhaps a bowl of sad-looking fruit in the lobby area.
Luckily for us—and the travel community at large—the hospitality industry has realized the enormous benefits of investing in sound wellness strategies. According to the Global Wellness Institute, wellness tourism is scheduled to become a $919 billion market and grow at an average rate of 7.5 percent a year through 2022, while the growth rate for overall tourism over the same period is only 6.4 percent. Given the demand from travelers and the economic impact of employing such wellness strategies, the travel industry has responded with more programming, upgraded fitness facilities, healthier menus and entire resorts whose whole focus is wellness.
Gyms are no longer relegated to out-of-the-way spaces with no views, but are given prime real estate. For example, both the Hotel Pitrizza and the Cala di Volpe resorts on the Costa Smeralda of Sardinia have state-of-the-art gyms outdoors, in prime spaces next to a pool overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. While guests certainly relish partaking in the resorts’ legendary Bellinis and cuisine, they’re equally committed to keeping their fitness routines while vacationing. Similarly, the bustling Fontainebleau Miami Beach is known for its beautiful pools and lively environment, whose guests want to enjoy as much sun and excitement as they can. As such, the hotel’s floor-to-ceiling windowed gym overlooks the Atlantic Ocean as well as the resort’s legendary pools, allowing gym goers the opportunity to not miss a minute of the visual excitement offered by the property.
Some resorts are going a step beyond and offering “green exercise” programs, combining wellness and sustainability. JOALI Maldives offers an outdoor workout regime using RAW Fitness equipment — everything from handcrafted wooden structures to coconut hand weights and natural fiber ropes, all utilizing natural, recyclable materials from the resort, such as tree trunks, coconuts, wood, sand and rocks. This approach to “green exercise” is known to have positive physical and psychological health benefits, including reducing stress and mental fatigue, and improving concentration and cognitive function.