Wellness has become the word du jour across industries beyond just hospitality, and its popularity has led to an explosion of variances when it comes to defining the term. When I say wellness, chances are you think of fitness, healthy eating, maybe even sleep or mindfulness. And when I say well-being, you may have a more immediate sense of how that should feel, but not necessarily how to get there. The confusion occurs when the terms are used synonymously, which is increasingly the case in the world of hospitality.
Wellness and well-being are related but not synonymous. I see wellness as dedicated habits to prevent ailments or sickness, and well-being as the outcome you’re trying to achieve. The former is more closely associated with prevention and the latter is more associated with happiness, which is dependent upon many more things.
At Hyatt, we see wellness as the road—what you do every day to take care of yourself—and well-being as the destination you are always striving to reach but often struggle to arrive at or stay for very long. Along this road are considerations like the food you put in your body, the relationships you keep, the care you take to be more mindful, the steps you take to manage stress or how you move, strengthen your body and more. There are detours, of course, both within and outside our control—like work, relationships, the weather or the environment—that steer us off this road. But with a little commitment and care, one can reach the desired destination of well-being.
