Skift Take
Investment analysts are looking at how hotels can profit from emerging consumer interest in wellness and wellness' evolution into a broader concept of well-being.
Early Check-In
Editor’s Note: Skift Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill brings readers exclusive reporting and insights into hotel deals and development, and how those trends are making an impact across the travel industry.
Hotels are increasingly looking at wellness investments as travelers' expectations have evolved.
No investment analyst has thought about how hotels can play the wellness trend as much as Gregory Miller, a vice president at Truist Securities.
Miller's pre-Wall Street career included the development, feasibility, and asset management of hotels — and also the development of destination resort spas and urban wellness facilities. Miller's reports have been authoritative. I spoke with Miller to get his high-level insights on wellness and hotels."We're in the early stage of watching the maturation of wellness as an increasing part of overall travel spend and an important ancillary revenue stream," Miller said.
Offerings have to be more than yoga and some Stairmasters. Cryotherapy, meditation, and other 360-practices are potential futures. "The biggest opportunity for the time being is probably in upscale and luxury full-service hotels rather than select-service," Miller said. At the high end, opportunities for brand extensions with solid execution are "plentiful," he said.A handful of players have made notable investment moves in the space.
Accor in January published a whitepaper saying it saw the rise of a "well-being culture." The Paris-based hotel giant also said it would quadruple its all-inclusive brand that includes wellness offerings, Rixos Hotels, to 100 by 2027. Hilton has been installing Peloton Bikes in gyms across its U.S. hotels. Vici Properties said it had tapped a loan facility for up to $200 million to fund the development of Canyon Ranch Austin in Austin, Texas, slated to open in 2025. Canyon Ranch also plans to open urban wellness clubs, which would be partial-service facilities that help keep wellness top of mind for customers year-round. DiamondRock Hospitality, which owns hotels, bought the Lake Austin Spa Resort las