Shifting trends in the wellness market

2023-02-20

Wild swimming isn’t the only big trend that wellness experts and analysts have their eyes on this year.

During the Global Wellness Summit’s media event here last month, Beth McGroarty, vice president of research and forecasting for GWS and sister organization Global Wellness Institute, predicted that 2023 would be the year that wellness shifts in a more social direction.

“The wellness market over the last decade-plus has been an avalanche of at-home products and digital wellness, [which has] kept us lonely on our endless journey of self-care,” said McGroarty. “The future of wellness is a move from solo to social self-care.”

Some hospitality players appear to already have sensed this shift, with wellness-focused brands like Aman and Canyon Ranch recently debuting social club-style concepts. The Aman New York, for example, offers a members-only Aman Club, while Canyon Ranch last year unveiled plans to launch a network of membership clubs.

Heightened interest in hot springs is also in the forecast for this year, with Jane Kitchen, editor at large for Spa Business, citing a wave of investment in the sector in the U.S. Among the more notable projects in the pipeline is Six Senses’ move to redevelop California’s Aetna Springs Resort, which will be reborn as the Six Senses Napa Valley in 2026.

Lastly, properties with robust fitness and sports-related amenities are expected to continue to be in high demand. Lisa Starr, principal for spa consulting and education group Wynne Business, said she expects to see more hotels following in the footsteps of New York’s Equinox Hotel, anchored by a 60,000-square-foot Equinox fitness club.

“You will be able to go to your hotel and work out better than you do at home, and recover better than you do at home,” said Starr.

Courtesy of Travel Weekly