Mindfulness, self-care, and mental wellbeing have always been important topics. But it’s only in recent years that people have started speaking openly and raising awareness about them.
People are prioritising their self-care and mindfulness in every aspect, and the travel industry is getting on board with it.
So in this article, we’ll first get familiar with the term ‘mindfulness’. We’ll explain what it actually means and how people are including it into their daily lives.
Then, we’ll go through some examples of how big hotels have become mindful. Finally, we’ll look at some simple ways you can add a dash of mindfulness to your guests’ stays.
What is mindfulness, and why does it matter?
According to Headspace, mindfulness is being fully present in whatever we are doing at the moment.
Here’s a very simple example – mindfulness is eating dinner and not watching TV or scrolling through social media. It’s focussing solely on the food – its flavours, smells, taste.
It’s a morning walk with your dog, watering your plants, enjoying a warm cup of tea on a rainy day. It’s really just focussing completely on whatever you are doing at the moment.
Many studies have found that practising mindfulness in some form has a positive impact on our general mental health. It helps with managing stress, reducing anxiety, improving focus and concentration.
In addition, people have reported that becoming more mindful has made them more relaxed and enthusiastic about their daily life.
More and more people are learning the importance of a healthy lifestyle. So, they are more conscious about the choices they make to support their well-being in a positive way. As a result, mindfulness is a big part of it, and thanks to its growing influence, it has penetrated into the travel industry as well.
Hotels are becoming more mindful
Hotels are finding ways to make their guests’ stays more mindful. Smaller, boutique hotels are leading the and prioritising their guests’ wellbeing. Here are some great examples:
Inhabitat: London’s first mindful boutique hotel
Air filtration systems, meditation pods, food-waste initiatives, banned single-use plastic, ethical furniture, plant-based oriented cuisine are some of the main features of Inhabitat hotel, which proudly claims to be the first mindful hotel in London.
Everything in this hotel is designed to encourage relaxation and a sense of peace. At the same time, it’s promoting sustainability and a lower environmental impact.
Guests can book various activities to boost their wellbeing – from ‘mindful nature walks’ to various yoga classes throughout the day.
Ecocirer: a healthy, mindful stay in a family-owned hotel in Mallorca
This small family-owned hotel situated in beautiful Mallorca has made its mission to be an “idyllic place to stay” by combining sustainability, art, ecology and healthy nutrition.
At Ecocirer, they make food using only home-grown ingredients, host various activities for their guests and offer unique local experiences like picking olives and oranges, going to the local market or baking traditional bread.
They encourage guests to practice mindfulness through healthy nutrition, connection with nature, and themed retreats they organise each month.
JW Marriott Nashville collaborates with Tune
JW Marriott identified audio as a great way to bring mindfulness to their experience. They teamed up with Tune, a bio-tuning company that combines music and vibration designed to make people completely relax.
Through this partnership, they are offering guests of JW Marriott Nashville access to Tune sessions, all in an effort to help their guests unwind and disconnect.
This is a good example of how hotels can work with service providers and offer simple, effective ways to improve their guest experience.
Novotel forms a partnership with Calm App
Novotel has also formed a partnership with one of the most popular mindfulness apps – Calm. Together they bring peace, relaxation and good sleep to their guests.
The partnership was launched in the UK, and they offer a 60-day pass to the Calm app for their guests. Guests can unwind with guided meditations, and mindfulness masterclasses and drift off to sleep with sleep stories.
This is a fantastic example of how hotels can add so much value to their guests – and become mindful – by simply using what already exists on the market.
Simple steps to make your hotel more mindful:
1. Put an effort in to reducing environmental impact
The first thing to do is lower your environmental impact. If you look at our examples, you’ll notice they all pride themselves on being sustainable. They are “mindful” of their impact on the environment and make constant efforts to lower it in any way they can.
There are various things you can do here – from recycling, and lowering water and electric usage to supporting local businesses by buying all the supplies you need locally.
I cover this topic in-depth in the article I have written for Hotel Speak. Give it a read here if you don’t know how to approach this subject.
2. Create a bespoke music playlist
Travellers are often out of their comfort zones, tired, and in need of good sleep.
Music and audio can be a great partner in these circumstances, taking the listener away from their immediate stresses. Whether it’s music for relaxation, for sleeping or for working, music with purpose can really lend a hand in these circumstances.
Carefully designed music and audio is simply a great way to communicate these positive messages with an audience, and to deliver a genuinely relaxing and pleasant experience.
Requiring minimal equipment and set-up, mood music can be a great way to differentiate from the competition, highlight desirable brand values and appeal directly to the current trend for all things well-being and mindful.
We highly recommend creating a bespoke music playlist for your hotel together with GBM Music. GBM Music is a UK-based label that creates music to help people achieve a specific mindset – whether it’s to relax, work, fall asleep or exercise.
3. Encourage mindfulness in the workspace
Making your hotel mindful isn’t just about offering meditation and yoga classes. It’s about the feeling your guests get as soon as they walk into reception.
A way to create that calming, relaxing environment is by creating a mindful workspace. Encourage your staff to practise mindfulness in any form. Support them to live a healthy lifestyle, and show you care about their wellbeing as much as you care about your guests.
Your staff are the ones who are in daily contact with your guests, and their mood and behaviour have a big impact on guests’ stay and experience at your hotel.
4. Form meaningful partnerships
You don’t need to completely rearrange your hotel and spend money to create a yoga studio, meditation pods… Adding more mindfulness to your hotel doesn’t have to involve wholesale changes.
A great option is to form partnerships with businesses in the mindfulness industry. Find local partners who are aligned with your brand, and form a mutually beneficial partnership.
For example, offer guests a day pass to a local gym or yoga studio.
Related articles:
Why are Brand Guidelines important for Travel and Hospitality businesses
How to create Brand Guidelines: the ultimate guide for Travel Businesses
Stay safe and healthy,
Until next time,
