Skift Take
As the new decade begins, it’s becoming more apparent to the travel industry that the well-being of the individual is intrinsically tied to the well-being of the environment. That’s why we are starting to see hospitality companies looking into getting certified for wellness.
The concept of sustainability in the hotel industry during the past 30 years has progressed from programs designed to merely reuse towels to ones looking to ditch plastic bottles and reduce food waste. But the idea of sustainability in the hotel space is about more than just the environment, energy, and water efficiency, according to the Urban Land Institute's Sustainability in Hotels report. Properties that implement desirable health and wellness features will likely end up “personalizing the guest experience" and thereby "strengthening the overall value proposition and brand loyalty.”
But how do hotels measure their wellness value proposition? That’s where the WELL Building Standard comes in. It’s a performance-based system that measures, monitors, and certifies features of buildings that impact the well-being of the people who visit them. And if enough hotels buy in, the certification could change the wellness travel landscape in the years ahead.
The WELL Building Standard was pioneered by Delos, a wellness real estate company that also introduced a separate initiative, Stay Well hotel rooms, in 2014. Those are rooms that come packed with features like air purifiers, natural memory foam mattresses derived from plant extracts, and aromatherapy that appeal to wellness-focused travelers.
The program is now administered by the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) and third-party certified through a collaboration with Green Business Certification Inc. During its first itera
