Most of the major hotel companies have at least one
wellness-focused brand in their portfolio, sometimes two or three. It easily
could have been the same for Hyatt Hotels Corp. when it acquired resort and spa
brands Miraval and Exhale in 2017. Instead, Hyatt leveraged those brands'
expertise to infuse its entire organization and portfolio of brands with a
well-being mind-set. Hoplamazian said it wasn't so much a move to reposition
the branding on the broader Hyatt brand as it was a way to strengthen its own
statement of purpose: to care for people so they can be their best. About
two-thirds of Hyatt's customers stay for business versus leisure, so Hyatt had
to deliver on its purpose for the business travel segment. "The essential
insight really was recognizing that business travel can be really disruptive to
well-being," Hoplamazian said. "We wanted to turn that on its head
and really frame it as travel as an opportunity to enhance well-being."
Hyatt has been working directly with corporate customers,
including those from large consultancies and the Big Four accounting firms,
that have well-being officers in their C-suites. Together, they identify and
design programs that deliver on wellness, such as mindful meetings. An example:
on-demand fitness video content from Exhale also is available at Hyatt Place
select-service hotels. Another: World of Hyatt credit card holders earn rewards
for spending on fitness.
While pursuing the idea of well-being drives value for Hyatt's
customers and for the corporate brand, Hoplamazian also admits that it's a
promising growth area. "We knew that people were focused on this for their
own selves, but they also were spending more and more money on wellness and
well-being travel," Hoplamazian said. "The global wellness economy is
growing at twice the pace of the global economy at large." Hyatt also has
gained a foothold on wellness in the attractive Asia/Pacific market via its
Nov. 30 acquisition of hotel management company Two Roads Hospitality. That
deal gives Hyatt five lifestyle brands, but Hoplamazian said he's most eager
for the Alila brand, which "has a deep history of well-being and spa
operations."
The true tell of how influential Hyatt's moves
are will be when other brands copy its strategy; remember how many boutique
brands launched after InterContinental Hotels Group bought Kimpton? However,
Hoplamazian is confident that Hyatt's model will be difficult to replicate. Not
only has Hyatt committed to caring and wellness for its guests, but it has
infused those qualities across its own internal culture.