January 16, 2020 View in browser

As more and more hotels begin to offer wellness perks to guests, it's becoming harder to stand out from the pack.

All the wellness claims can be a pain point for some hotels, especially those properties undergoing multimillion dollar renovations to appeal to the health-oriented travelers. After all, adding more green spaces, high-end air purifiers, and Peloton bikes comes at a price. Other hotels, meanwhile, may offer a one-off wellness bonus, like an essential oil at check-in, and declare themselves a wellness property.

So, to get credit for a big wellness investment, some hotels are now looking into the WELL Building Standard certification, as Skift contributor Laura Powell reports below. The question now is whether enough hotels will get on board — and pay up — to make the certification meaningful. The other big question: Will customers actually care? Some may appreciate the added layer of legitimacy and be more inclined to book with such properties. Others may not even notice — which is where good marketing must come in.

Speaking of hotel wellness perks, Hyatt is announcing an exclusive partnership with Headspace, giving guests access to meditation and mindfulness content via in-room TVs. We're watching as Hyatt and other companies pile on wellness perks for travelers — and waiting to see which go through with the certification process. Will the WELL Building Standard have the potential to impact wellness travel in a big way? We're leaning toward yes.

For feedback or news tips, reach out via email at lb@skift.com or tweet me @lesliebarrie.

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Leslie Barrie [lb@skift.com] curates the Skift Luxury & Wellness Travel Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Thursday.

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