Disclosure: Accommodation was provided free of charge by the Four Seasons, Red Mountain Resort, and Petit St. Vincent to the writer. All thoughts, opinions, and words are those of the writer and were not influenced or reviewed by the companies providing accommodations.
Historically, travel wellness has often been treated as an afterthought at hotels. Ask many hotels if they have a wellness program, and they will sheepishly point to the uninspiring gym.
But today, travelers want more than that. People are not only taking a more holistic approach to their health, they’re expecting to be able to maintain that approach when they travel.
That means hotels have the challenge of trying to meet these travel wellness goals across multiple different areas: fitness, food, spa treatments, and mental health, to name a few. Even specialized things like life coaching have become part of what we consider well-rounded health offering these days.
Hotels are responding with offerings like in-room yoga videos, healthier breakfast options with more detailed nutritional information, and a broader range of spa treatments that combine benefits for both the body and mind.
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4 hotels making travel wellness a priority in different ways
As frequent travelers, we’re all too familiar with symptoms like stress, tension, and lack of energy. It can be really difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle as we airport-hop around the world. These hotels are taking wellness seriously and offering just the right things to keep us healthy, happy travelers.
The Assemblage in New York
The Assemblage is more than a hotel. It’s a co-working, co-living, and community-driven space. Our Founder, Cristina Alcivar, visited this unique hub recently and is itching to go back. From serene design to a plethora of mental and physical wellness programs, The Assemblage feels like a sanctuary of calm in the middle of one of the busiest cities in the world.
“There is a Gamelatron in the entryway, and when you are ringing its supposed to align with your Hearts Center. The goal is meant to create intentions and a sense of peace.
The coworking spaces are an important part of many people’s stays, and if you are traveling for business and don’t have an NYC office, The Assemblage has all you need.
Instead of a hotel bar, they have an elixir bar that does not serve alcohol. Their elixir bar is based on the tradition of Herbal Alchemy, the process of connecting planetary energy to person and plant. I love this concept as you get to participate in the fun of a bar vibe but in a healthy way.
This hotel is a world apart when it comes to finding the right mental and physical space to be present and thrive. In the heart of such an unforgivingly busy city, The Assemblage takes your most essential needs very seriously and leaves you feeling ready to take it all on.” —Cristina Alcivar
Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto
I recently stayed at the Four Seasons in Toronto. For a relaxing breakfast in bed I ordered a spread of delicious, healthy items like an acai bowl, kale and quinoa salad, and fresh cold-pressed juices.
The spa is a well-designed oasis where they provide not just tea and coffee but healthy energy balls and date squares. But the thing I love most is the gratitude jar where you can write on a little card everything you’re grateful for and add it to the jar with everyone else’s gratitude notes. That small act put me in a positive mood and elevated my spa treatment and my whole stay.
Get the full review in our Toronto wellness city guide.
Red Mountain Resort in Utah
This summer I was lucky enough to visit Red Mountain Resort in Utah, where wellness is their raison d’être. The property blends into the majestic red dusty landscape, making you feel at one with your environment at every turn.
They offer retreat packages that make it easy to spend a weekend fully immersed in a multifaceted wellness experience. The essential retreat package includes three healthy meals daily, guided morning hikes, fitness classes, life classes, and personal discovery classes, and cooking demos.
They’ve got everything from tai chi on the rocks to ancient anasazi pottery making. One of my favorite features is the outdoor spiral labyrinth in the adjacent lava field, where walking meditations take place.
Petit St. Vincent in St. Vincent and the Grenadines
This secluded island is a 5-star resort that takes the unplugging trend very seriously. I had the opportunity to stay in a digital-free villa (no wifi, no TVs, no phones) where the way to communicate with the concierge was by raising a little flag: yellow for service, red for privacy.
Being completely removed from digital technology did wonder for both my mental and physical health. Add to that a restaurant serving some of the freshest seafood I’ve tasted and vast stretches of white sandy beaches all to myself. I’ve stayed in many different unique and impressive hotels around the world, but this is one of the most memorable for its authentic travel wellness approach.
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What hotels do you love for their wellness-focused programs? What would you like to see more of in the future? Let us know in the comments below, and don’t forget to tag us #ITravelWell with all your wellness hotel finds!
