Refining the Guest Experience: Luxury, Wellness, and Technology
Wellness solutions can make the luxury experience for hotel guests truly memorable
May 13
Refining the Guest Experience: Luxury, Wellness, and Technology

Amy McDonald, Principal and CEO of the consulting firm Under a Tree, has been a go-to expert in the health and wellness arena for over 35 years. She’s applied her knowledge to everything from hospitality to real estate development to retail solutions. Over the last few years, McDonald and her colleagues began to notice something interesting, especially among high-end clientele. “Sports performance began to come onto our radar,” she says.

“As consultants, we’re typically working a couple of years out on projects,” she notes. “And just before the pandemic hit, there was a distinct shift in what customers wanted. What we saw professional athletes doing to take care of themselves, the way they worked out, the way they prepped, and the way they recovered was something that more and more properties wanted to bring in — because guests were starting to ask for it.”

And then COVID hit.

“We took ‘wellness’ into our hands — literally,” says McDonald. During the pandemic, handheld devices, connected exercise gear, classes held via Zoom® software, and so on, all became alternative venues for health and fitness. Wellness went digital.

The Reset: Rethinking the “Spa”

But as the pandemic waned, McDonald noted another trend: “In a lot of spas, the therapist or the masseuse didn’t come back.” Staff shortages that began before COVID got worse as the world began to return to “normal.” “So in order to stay viable and relevant, spas had to look at a more holistic wellness plan to mitigate and fill in the gaps in what they were offering to guests.” McDonald and her colleagues realized that “wellness” offerings could move beyond the concept of the traditional hotel spa, which came with a lot of preconceptions: facials, mani-pedis, massage, not to mention the expense. “There are many parts to a wellness package that can be delivered by technology,” says McDonald. “This cuts labor costs, adds greater margins, and makes offerings more affordable while providing a cutting-edge experience to the guest.”

Speaking of cutting edge, there’s a new segment called “wellness immersive experiences.” “These are curated, multi-sensory activities designed to foster a sense of well-being and connection, often involving nature, art, technology, and mindfulness practices to promote holistic transformation,” says McDonald. A high-level example: “Meow Wolf co-founder Corvas Brinkerhoff is leaving the company to launch an immersive spa called Submersive in Austin, Texas.” The 25,000-square-foot bathhouse will feature immersive art, video projections, lasers, and more, all designed to “take you beyond relaxation into elevated states of consciousness, including awe, wonder, inspiration, transcendence, euphoria, hyper-presence, and shared wellness.”

Naturally, most hotels don’t have the capacity for that kind of installation, but it’s an excellent expression of the holistic approach to the wellness experience that McDonald champions. “Spa treatments will always be around, but we see more people interested in things like ‘social wellness’ (like yoga or fitness classes), recovery stations, thermal circuits, and the like — many with options that can cater to individual preferences.”

To learn more about this topic, check out the Smarter Spaces podcast “Refining the Guest Experience: Luxury + Wellness” with Amy McDonald and Michelle Guss, along with Georgio Galaris, manager of residential marketing at Crestron.

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The Wellness Continuum

“I really love Amy’s approach to group wellness and that concept of being able to connect with other people — and provide spaces for that,” says Michelle Guss, VP of hospitality for Crestron. Beyond the traditional spa experience, Guss is seeing hotels, multi-use buildings, and residential developments transforming spaces to accommodate larger groups to enhance that wellness experience. “That includes everything: lighting, audio, video, climate, all of it,” she says.

McDonald is a proponent of approaching these solutions as a “wellness continuum.” “You can have ‘soft wellness’ depending on your location, your business model, and your budget.” (“Soft wellness” would refer to those spaces that encourage introspection, thoughtful reflection, community gatherings, and so on.) “Depending on the property or the business model, of course, you can incorporate more physical solutions — but no matter what you offer — even if it’s everything on that continuum — it can become a brand and a business model that’s woven through a property, regardless of size and location.” McDonald’s point is that the wellness experience should never be limited to the spa. If it’s a goal, begin it in the lobby as a guest is greeted — or even outside the building.

That property-wide integration — with technology helping to create a general feeling in addition to more tangible offerings — is something Guss is acutely aware of: Her clientele is asking for just that. “You don't necessarily have to say, okay, I'm going to do this wellness activity in this wellness area. It's just a feeling that you have throughout the entire property. And I think that when it's done well, it's just there. It's in the background for the guests, creating that feeling immediately, without them having to necessarily go to a special area or reserve an appointment.”

And that extends to every part of a building, including the guest room.

Refining the Guest Experience: Luxury, Wellness, and Technology
Refining the Guest Experience: Luxury, Wellness, and Technology

Personalization = Luxury

The guest room in a hotel can be much more than a place to watch TV until you fall asleep, especially in luxury environments. “Circadian lighting may help with rejuvenation, and a guest should certainly have the option of blackout curtains for undisturbed rest,” says Guss. “A TV need not be a big black slab when it’s not delivering a show. Scenes of nature or soothing imagery can be delivered as content to that display. Audio can be customized to a guest’s preferences. HVAC control is critically important — the right temperature for a guest is everything.”

And the technology that drives those solutions has benefits for the operator, too. “If you’ve got the right shading in place, occupancy sensors, and so on, you can create solutions that save resources and revenue,” says Guss.

That personalized guest room can be a huge selling point for the luxury hospitality property, as was noted in a Crestron-sponsored report from the ILHA Tech Integration Committee:

Personalization emerged as a critical factor in creating a sense of exclusivity in luxury hotels. Guests now expect tailored experiences that cater to their individual preferences. The committee highlighted various methods to achieve this, including using software to collect detailed guest preferences and customizing the guest experience based on this data.

"We're utilizing software to evolve what an intake or consent form would be, soliciting preferences from guests down to robe size or whether they're looking for peace and quiet or a social environment. This helps us customize the guest experience and control the environment within the property." — Taylor Fields, corporate director of Spa, Wellness, & Retail, PCH Hotels and Resorts

“Now add to that a system in which all of those in-room preferences can be called up with a single touch, or even ‘appear’ automatically at check-in — temperature, lights, music, video, menu preferences, everything,” says Guss. “These are all ways to satisfy a guest — one who will then be very likely to return to your hotel.”

To learn more about this topic, check out the Smarter Spaces podcast “Refining the Guest Experience: Luxury + Wellness” with Amy McDonald and Michelle Guss, along with Georgio Galaris, manager of residential marketing at Crestron. Find more info here.

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