More guests checking into wellness retreats
Our vision is to help guests rediscover themselves from their hectic life and achieve a both physical and mental balance.”
As market demand continues to expand for wellness hospitality in China, the industry has grown steadily over the past few years.
Statistics show that wellness hospitality registered revenue of 68.18 billion yuan ($10.55 billion) in 2019, nearly 2.5 times that of 2015.
Environmental and social factors such as a rise in the awareness of chronic disease have driven people’s growing demand for healthcare and wellness, according to an industry report released by Meadin Academy.
People have put more emphasis on their lifestyles and tried different ways to take better care of themselves.
Hoteliers are striving to engage with this trend and meet guests’ diverse needs, the report said.
China’s wellness hotels are mainly located in coastal cities in South China and in the Yangtze River Delta region. Shanghai in the delta region boasts 10 of China’s top 50 wellness hotels, according to rankings released by Meadin Academy in February.
The high-level of business activity in these areas has created huge demand for accommodation and prosperous cities. These cities provide an ideal environment for highend consumption, including wellness hotels.
In addition, wellness hotels often operate in areas with abundant natural and tourism resources such as Kunming in Yunnan province, Lhasa in the Tibet autonomous region and Chengdu in Sichuan province.
The development of Chinese wellness hotel industry is still in its early stages, but the concept of health and wellness is being embraced. Only a small number of wellness hotels can provide comprehensive wellness-focused products and services, the report said.
Of the top 50 hotels, 70 percent are able to offer gym and workout facilities and physical therapies such as spa and massage, while only 16 percent have services focused on mood and mind.
The Anandi Hotel and Spa Shanghai,
Zhang Yifan, director of the Anandi Hotel and Spa Shanghai’s marketing communications department
for example, has a traditional Indian therapy providing guests with a customized menu and healing workshops to nourish their body and spirit, according to the hotel.
The hotel features a 1,500-squaremeter lawn and facilities such as salt lamps, sleep-inducing scented candles and music boxes in a bid to create a peaceful and relaxed environment.
“Our vision is to help guests rediscover themselves from their hectic life and achieve a both physical and mental balance,” said Zhang Yifan, director of the hotel’s marketing communications department.
The report said wellness hospitality has great market potential, which will continue in the future.
The aging population will boost demand for health industries and push forward the development of wellness hospitality, according to industry insiders.
As for younger generations, they are also seeking destinations to wind down.
Zhang said tailored services and products will be a key trend in the next few years as increasingly wellness-savvy guests will have more various needs and expectations.
For instance, some Marriott hotels have provided rooms featuring vitamin C-infused showers for customers with beauty needs.
It’s predicted that wellness hotels will step up cooperation with industries such as sports and traditional Chinese medicine to enhance competitiveness, the report said.