Even when you want to escape from anglicisms, it is difficult in the sector not to talk about wellness as this term has, in recent years, replaced the more traditional notion of spa even in the French language. Not only has COVID profoundly disrupted society, and reinforced the need to take care of oneself, but more generally consumer habits have evolved and led to an awareness of the importance of taking care of the body and mind as a whole. Access to information, facilitated by the ultra-connected population, often makes customers more demanding and expecting holistic experiences. Treatment services in cabin are good, but they are no longer enough, especially in high-end hotels that have the possibility of pampering the customer in all aspects of the stay: accommodation, catering, etc.
The definitions and perimeters of wellness can vary, but it is generally considered that sleep, sport and nutrition contribute to it, in addition to care. And it is around these 4 pillars that the majority of wellness offers in dedicated places are now structured. We see this on a daily basis in our consulting assignments and the work on the programming of spas has evolved in this direction, to integrate, for example, in addition to the traditional cabins, a consultation space that allows the intervention of a naturopath, nutritionist, etc. for personalised assessments and advice to customers.
The fitness area must also be redesigned, between self-service machines, individual or group coaching and a selection of equipment which, thanks to technology, allow for better support and sessions that are both more fun and effective, aimed at strengthening coordination, and which solicit both the physical and the mental resources. The choice of disciplines offered is also evolving, with the desire to provide more original practices and sources of differentiation for the establishment (fly yoga vs. traditional yoga, etc.). Finally, more and more, sport is moving out of confined spaces to be practiced outdoors and promote reconnection with nature, a dimension that the wellness offer must not neglect.
As for sleep, it is widely recognized that it contributes to overall well-being. In hotel establishments, a lot of work is being done to promote rest in rooms with specific design constraints in lighting, soundproofing as well as the provision of new technologies or accessories for relaxation, breathing or meditation that can help you fall asleep. In the treatment menus, in spa or thalassotherapy, sleep is also a recurring theme with specific expert protocols and dedicated advice.
Finally, nutrition is an important element of wellness: from the choice of snack served after treatment, to the meals offered in restaurants when it comes to a hotel, or in the creation of very popular brunch & spa packages… Here again, it is a question of offering services that are consistent with the positioning of the place and that harmoniously complement the offer in a holistic approach.
Each project we support varies in its location, scale and history, and we adopt a tailor-made approach to deliver advice that is always specific, but these 4 key components that we have just mentioned: care, sport, sleep, and nutrition are the major axes in the creation of current wellness offers.
