The Wellness in Hospitality Podcast

Today is a controversial episode . Here's the curveball I'd like to throw out there: When it comes to creating truly irresistible wellness offerings (that is offerings that your guests absolutely love), how important is it to have detailed market studies? Now, I'd like to clarify that I'm NOT saying that market studies do not have value and that we should not do them. They are...

🎉 🔊 Launching The Wellness Asset Academy! 🎉 🔊      It's the final countdown! I can't believe that in just 1 days' time (Monday 5th February 2024), I'll be going live with the round of my brand new online programme - The Wellness Asset Academy!         In this first round, my 3 key messages to all wellness leaders in hospitality are:         1. If we feel that we're hos...

Why Are Wellness Leaders Hospitality's Lowest Paid Specialist Leader? Have we wondered why our wellness leaders are paid less than other specialist leaders – for example: Directors of Finance, Sales & Marketing, People & Culture, Food & Beverage and Rooms? We could continue to play the ageold violin that wellness isn’t taken seriously in hotels. That traditionally, hoteliers treat...

What is the most essential skill every wellness leader must develop, particularly in the hospitality industry? No – it’s not finance skills.  No – it’s not having grand facilities, great teams, top brands and state-of-the-art equipment. And no – it’s not being the cat’s meow or dog’s bullocks of wellness. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that these skills aren’t important. Of course it is i...

As wellness professionals – experts in helping our clients solve their wellbeing-related problems - we would find it absurd if we saw our clients trying to treat the symptom instead of the root cause of their problem.   For example, if a guest came to us complaining of strong headaches, and after a detailed consultation we learned that the cause of their headaches was dehydration and not only the...

Why do less than 1% of wellness leaders actually make it to hotel GM?   Have you wondered why our wellness leaders have the crystal ceiling set so low when it comes to their growth?   I sometimes can't help but think about how the system - OUR wellness industry's growth trajectory system - is built in such a way that sets our wellness leaders up for failure before they even start their c...

Why are wellness leaders the lowest paid specialist leaders in hotels? Have you wondered why? If we look at what factors influence the decision of benchmarking what is considered a fair salary for a particular position, there are essentially 5 key factors when it comes to specialist leaders: Education & Experience Impact & Responsibility Craftsmanship & 'Superpowers' Passion...

“What gets measured get managed.” – Peter Drucker   Over the last 20+ years in the wellness industry, what I have found fascinating is how our performance dashboard has evolved – in other words, how we measure the performance of our dashboard.   I remember the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) we used to measure back then, and how over the years we kept introducing new ones, along with all the dif...

As a wellness leader, have you settled for good enough? Are you at the top of the ladder, have a few openings under your belt, plus the experience over a few continents and have a salary that only the top 5% of wellness leaders get paid around the world?   Then this episode is for you! This episode is also for you if you are someone who has reached to the very top of what you thought was possible...

Are you a wellness leader striving for excellence?    Then you this episode is for you! I delve into the 5 crucial pitfalls that every wellness leader must steer clear of to thrive in their role. The reason I know these pitfalls can be fatal is because I, myself, have fallen into the trap of each and every one of them, and on several occasions over my 20+ years in this industry. Why does it matter...

What sets the 3% of wellness directors that manage wellness offerings that represent more than 10% of total hotel revenue?     They do this ONE thing that goes over and above what the rest of the 97% of wellness directors who manage wellness offerings that represent a meagre 1-3% of total hotel revenue:   👉🏼 They STAY the course.   They go all in and they see their wellness concept past the fini...

The 3 reasons why 97% of wellness leaders in hospitality oversee wellness offerings that don't make more than 1-3% of total hotel revenue are the following:   1. We bet on the wrong horse (we saw this last week) We bet on the wrong wellness concept. And that is because we aren't taught how to write a concept, let alone create the right wellness concept for a particular hotel.   2. We the...

What is the biggest mistake we wellness leaders make with our wellness offering? We bet on the 'wrong horse'.    Two decades ago when I started off in the industry, I really didn't have a clue about what a wellness concept really was, let alone designing a coherent one.   And I wasn't the only one in that "clueless" boat. Very rarely are we wellness leaders taught how...

Today, I delve into the pivotal role of wellness within off-peak travel periods. As wellness leaders, we understand its significance in mitigating seasonal fluctuations for hotels in specific destinations. While travel trends evolve, the human desire for exploration and revitalisation remains constant.   In this enlightening conversation, I speak with Ged Brown, a wonderful person and incredibly e...

To say that 'Selling' is our Wellness Director's Achilles Heel would be an understatement.  We seem to always grapple with sales. We feel we don't the necessary support when it comes to the commercialisation of our wellness offering.  We are in this constant uphill struggle to reach budget (many times, unrealistic). So, yes. Selling seems this necessary chore - something we hav...

In today’s episode, I’d like to talk about the power of a one percentage point increase in the total revenue generated from your wellness offering.   Image this...   What if you increased the total revenue generated directly from your wellness offering by only one percentage point, from let's say 3% of total hotel revenue to 4%.   What impact would that have on your wellness profit and loss?...

In today’s episode, I’d like to talk about the four types of wellness leaders in hospitality, and these different leadership mindsets create very different results.   When it comes to creating wellness assets, I’ve observed that there are really four levels that we’ll see wellness leaders operating at: Traditionalists, Followers, Innovators and Visionaries.   Join me as we uncover the different ty...

In today’s episode, I’d like to talk about the last stage of my ESSENCE model – Engagement. Engagement is about how to create a committed and loyal client base that actively engages with your brand, not because you asked the guests you knew were happy with their stay to do so, but because they genuinely want to.   To recap from previous episodes on the different stages of the ESSENCE model, in the...

In today’s episode, I talk about the challenge most wellness leaders, that is, how to ensure our team consistently delivers remarkable experiences to our guests, each and every time. In today’s world, when hiring and retaining the right people is so tough, it adds a further strain on our operations to continuously train all the new team members that enter.    To recap from previous episodes on the...

ESG is a complex topic, more like fifty shades of green. In this session, we will explore how to set ESG goals and manage them effectively. What can realistically be achieved with smaller budgets? How do you prioritise what to focus on and where to spend your money? Join industry expert, Xenia zu Hohenlohe as we uncover practical strategies and actionable insights to navigate the ESG landscape and...

The leisure segment has been paving its way forward in the last couple of years. And a key element of this has been been traveller’s desire to look for experiences that enhance their overall wellbeing.   Today I’d like love to share an interview with a wonderful, seasoned and incredibly generous hotelier: Riaan Drever.   Just to give a little context on my very special guest, Riaan was one of the...

"Wellness is not an add-on; it's a crucial part of the overall hospitality experience. Hotels should find creative ways to bring wellness professionals into the main hotel space physically and digitally, including social media, websites, and PR efforts." - Maria Pajares. Today I’d like to talk about the role of PR and sales and marketing in the hospitality industry, specifically whe...

"Perhaps a complete regime is as much about giving back as you take out. And what does that equate to beyond just your standard spa?... There's a world of trends and movement happening out there, and that idea of cross-fertilisation and taking some of the ideas from innovative, dedicated, smaller brands in corollary sectors, and using that to create your own unique blend of health and we...

"The new generation of travellers seeks unique experiences, mental health, wellness and a positive environmental impact. This is the luxury they desire.” – Noelle Homsy Noelle was the first hotelier I had the pleasure to interview when I kicked-off my Wellness in Hospitality interview series in 2020 as part of my research for my book, The Wellness Asset, which was later published in 2021. For...

In today’s episode, I talk about the most difficult stage of your wellness business: staying the course.  In the first two stages, Expectation and Story, I showed you how to create the best wellness concept for your hotel, one that considers what you as a hotelier want to offer and what your clients want to experience. In System and Execution, I showed you how to implement your wellness concept in...