Hospitality embraces wellness
India is known for its ancient wellness practices around the world, and the pandemic has once again reinforced its importance in the field. As people are discovering new sense of staying healthy and adopting natural way of life, properties and wellness retreats in the country are offering unique therapies and treatments.
Hotels, resorts and wellness retreats across India, are offering a range of therapies and programmes from not only India but around the world for both inbound and domestic travellers. Some of these treatments and therapies are worth trying.
Addressing hormonal health
Indian wellness is synonymous with Ananda in the Himalayas, which is famous worldwide for its wellness programmes. Sharing one of their unique therapies, Mahesh Natarajan, Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ananda in the Himalayas, says, “The Ananda Rebalance programme has been designed to address hormonal health, both for menopause in women as well as changes in testosterone and other hormonal changes in men. The uniqueness of the programme lies in its application of traditional Chinese medicine techniques to accurately diagnose the underlying body imbalances leading to the disruption in hormonal systems and its integration of various traditional Oriental therapies such as Acupuncture, Cupping, Moxibustion, Tibetan Kuu Nye, Kundalini and Japanese Shiatsu. Phases such as menopause are also an emotional roller coaster for women, including symptoms of sadness, irritability, anxiety and mood changes. Ananda now offers emotional healing and therapy spearheaded by holistic experts drawing from fields of clinical psychology, energy therapy, hypnosis and NLP, which blend seamlessly into the programme to address emotional stress caused primarily by these hormonal imbalances.”
Himalayan wellness
Situated amid the picturesque Himalayas, The Khyber Spa by L’OCCITANE, located within the The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, provides an experience of provence in Gulmarg, along with stunning views, shares Vinit Chhabra, General Manager, The Khyber Himalayan Resort & Spa, Gulmarg, UT J&K. “With three single treatment rooms and two couple suites, each with its own private steam chamber, it is a place to unwind and be pampered, be it after an exhilarating ski session, or a leisurely walk in the dense woods or meadows, or at the beginning of your day. The spa brings to life the invigorating climate of Gulmarg. Be it spring, summer, autumn or winter, guests can choose from a repertoire of signature treatments specially crafted with home grown seasonal flora combined with original L’OCCITANE products and pure water from the springs in the Himalayas,” he added.
Desert rose
Emotional wellbeing is an integral pillar of the Raffles Udaipur, claims Puneet Dhawan, Senior Vice President Operations, Accor India and Sourth Asia. “At the Raffles Spa, an impeccable blend of healing techniques take guests on a revitalising journey of emotional well-being and provide a unique space for rejuvenation of the mind, body and soul. An element of uniqueness of the Raffles Spa lies in its personalised wellness offerings. Holistic personalised therapies are thoughtfully created through consultations with the guests at the Raffles Spa, to remedy any imbalances in the life-forces or doshas, while taking you on a journey of true relaxation,” he said.
Invigorating all senses
Jitendra Varshney, Spa & Wellness Director, Six Senses Fort Barwara, claims that they believe in extensive Ayurvedic and personalised wellness programmes based on the preventative principles of Eastern medicine and result-oriented Western influences.
“Transcendent Sound Journey is a 60-minute treatment and is offered in our sacred meditation hall using different sizes of crystal and metal singing bowls, ocean sound drum and gong. The healing sounds of the gong and singing bowls reverberate in your innermost self. It gives you an opportunity to experience your true, limitless nature,” he claimed.
Yoga amid mountains
Rajesh Rajpurohit General Manager, Radisson Blu Resort Dharamshala, shares that they have introduced a series of wellness as well as nature centric engagement activities for resident guests to elevate the entire stay experience. “Guided group yoga sessions are organised by the poolside every morning. The scenic backdrop of the Kangra valley, fresh mountain breeze and gentle yoga stretches set the tone for an active yet relaxing day of exploration ahead in Dharamshala,” he elaborated.
Promotions & engagements
When it comes to spreading the word about these unique therapies and treatments, hotels are adopting various methods.
“Ananda has been building awareness of these unique offerings through educational workshops to travel partners and our guests in residence, supplemented by direct communication and social media. The hugely positive response that our clients have shown post introduction of this programme has been amplified by word of mouth and references to their respective networks. Ananda’s team of doctors are available for online consultations,” shared Natarajan.
Chhabra revealed that they work closely with the travel trade community to promote The Khyber. “Other than the traditional marketing activities like print advertisement campaigns and using social media to build our brand, we use public relations very effectively to promote the property. And as we are promoting Gulmarg as a yearround destination, we have special packages for various seasons as well as special interest packages based on adventure sports, honeymoon, romance and long weekends,” he said.
Rajpurohit shared, “The group yoga sessions, along with a host of other engagement activities, are offered at no additional charge to all our in-house guests. We actively highlight and promote these through our social media channels to create awareness among prospective guests. The sales team
Ananda now offers emotional healing and therapy spearheaded by holistic experts
Be it spring, summer or winter, guests can choose from a repertoire of treatments
Transcendent Sound Journey is a 60-minute treatment and is offered in our sacred meditation hall
Wellness activities has been started for resident guests to elevate the entire stay experience
An element of uniqueness of the Raffles Spa lies in its personalised wellness offerings
also includes details on the activities to their sales pitching to B2B partners.”
At Six Senses Fort Barwara, it has been integrated as a welcome ritual for the guests arriving at the hotel. Varshney shares, “All the treatments and activities undertaken at the Six Senses Spas begin and finish with a spa specialist striking the singing bowls. The practice creates curiosity in guests' mind resulting in them immersing in a full session of sound journey. The practice is being promoted across the website and social media as part of the brand’s commitment to wellbeing. Also, we are engaging with the travel trade, which most of the time is done by our corporate sales and marketing team.”
Scandinavia is exemplary in its engagement and awareness of sustainability, where 65 per cent of travel businesses already have implemented a sustainability strategy, according to Euromonitor’s Voice of the Industry Sustainability Survey (July 2020).