There simply are no limitations in the way tourism and hospitality professionals want to showcase what they can offer for either a fraction of the cost price or for free. Those who are working in the industry know what I am talking about. When inspections, try-outs, and getting reacquainted with a product are etched in one’s calendar, the expectations to get it for free overrule adding a cost to the total invoice. Even when it is time for a reinvigorating break, the time of having free accommodation was something that came in abundance. I hardly had to bargain hard and heavy; it was offered without question and often one email/call away.
From my stint in the hospitality industry with a well-established hospitality brand as a sales director, FOC (Free-Of-Charge) rooms were budgeted anyway. It was no secret that the cost of complimentary services was baked into the property's monthly P&L. We were allowed to give out what we believed spiked our revenue, with a dash of common sense. I deliberately write 'common sense' as the choices made during my time were often not of a common-sense nature.
The real business happened when lunch and dinner time arrived. Slotted in with the executive management's agenda, it was the time when the papers got on the table, pencils were sharpened, and negotiations started. The impression to impress the client surpassed the need to dive deep into the commercial part of the meeting, and particularly making a lasting impression through food and beverages had more priority.
Bottles of the finest wines and beers; starters, main courses, and desserts, often intertwined with amuse-bouches and more snacks; and aperitifs with coffee/tea rounded off a well-spent time. There were countless times I felt slightly inebriated, as the desire to entertain me and/or our client was part of the relationship-building process.
These were not social events on an ad-hoc basis, but back-to-back events often spanning two weeks, three to four times per year. And refusing was often not up for discussion or was met with a slight tone of resentment. The rounds of inspections, contractual negotiations, and the catching up in the evenings with partners (food and drinks included) led to an immersion of calories we had to endure. And while being driven from meeting to meeting, there was little time to get moving after a full day of meetings as reports had to be written, emails answered, and more.
Once back in the office, a new round of hotel visits and chats about collaboration or a matter of building relationships to forge a bond of mutual interest. This was complemented with a box of cookies or chocolates, a cake, a bottle of wine, or something the executive chef had created. Sweetness overload - more than 95% of the edible gifts were loaded with sugar and high in processed ingredients.
I'll spare the stories of what filled my office before the Christmas holidays
Too many times, I've commented that this is not needed. However, without understanding how the mind works when food is in sight, we too often dig into what's given. And those who provide it ignore my plea for less food and more constructive chats.
I had no idea how the mouth-mind-body connection impacted not only my mental but also my physical health. And from what I've seen and heard, the trend of making conscious wellness decisions has yet to sink in for many hoteliers. Looking back and around, the same holds true for too many hoteliers and sales and marketing professionals.
Entertain, and you shall gain
During my 25+ years in the Asia Destination Management Industry, little changed in how Southeast Asian hoteliers tried to appease those with decision-making power through gastronomical gifts. We are regularly fed beyond the realm of satiety as a means to get a slice of your business. And in return, hoteliers themselves join with the same tenacity and indulgence as part of their ‘job description’.
Day in, day out, the majority of those servicing guests and trying to exceed expectations on a business level do have visible health issues: overweight and obesity traits, lack of mental clarity, brain fog, and struggles with staying on top of their own health.
As the market is more data-driven and executives are required to crunch more numbers, the amount of movement has decreased. Too many directors and managers are turning into “desk jockeys,” moving less and making decisions with the click of a button.
I myself was definitely one of those whose drive to get the job done was the norm.
With the rising awareness of wellness, the tide must turn to practice what one preaches.
Those closely monitoring the offers and deals post-pandemic from the endless amount of hotels and resorts in this part of the world know that there is a significant amount of greenwashing going around when the term ‘wellness’ is added to the marketing plan.
Hardly anyone in the hospitality industry fully embraces the concept of wellness, especially now. The larger chains and international names in the hotel and resort industry hire en masse “wellness” specialists, setting up wellness departments, and think they do all that’s needed to incorporate wellness into their operations. Or setting it up as part of the KPIs of a Human Resources department.
The truth is, unfortunately, far from it. Very far from it.
Thinking holistically with a sustainable, long-term effect that can be practiced anywhere is coming closer to the true definition of wellness. Because the portrayal of wellness by hoteliers between check-in and check-out is merely a meager slice of the proverbial wellness cake. It is a consistent process, a long-lasting chain of habitual events and practices that comes closer to the true meaning.
One spa treatment is not wellness. A healthy menu is not wellness. A pillow menu is not wellness. A yoga session at sunset is not wellness. All of these together, even when packaged, don't describe 10% of what wellness truly entails.
Hoteliers have to stop using wellness as a snapshot to bring in more business. This is like stopping the use of plastic water bottles in guest rooms while the kitchen still uses single-use plastic to cover the prepared buffet line.
The latter is not a sign you are sustainable. This is greenwashing. Wellness and single-use plastic are not two words that should be used as the damage done by microplastics to the human body is now proven.
And as I started the article with my own experience as a client at too many properties, wellness also includes being aware of how you present your wellness offers to your partners and, even more important, to your own team.
While it's important for your clients to see immediate benefits from your services, I strongly recommend establishing a consistent wellness system. This system would empower you to accurately educate and coach your clients, associates, and business partners.
And above all, your team and colleagues.
Through setups like loyalty programs and apps, anyone can receive daily reminders with simple tips connected to the core values of wellness. This approach ensures constant brand recognition paired with valuable education.
It's crucial to promote awareness of the comprehensive benefits wellness offers when implemented effectively. Furthermore, ensure wellness isn't a one-way street. It should be presented through channels beyond your immediate radar, reaching all stakeholders, including your supply chain and, of course, your team.
What we know is that travel operators should not take it at face value when a property sells itself with wellness in mind. They should be critical and ask questions. It's crucial that the term wellness is elaborated clearly and understood before making a move into more critical questions.
My suggestion is that properties should ditch the name "wellness" and start defining first what wellness means before throwing it out there in the online world. Hire a consultancy company that has ample experience in setting up wellness strategies in the hospitality industry.
Make it a serious topic—the market asks for it. However, if the supply chain only offers less than half-baked solutions (and I am being kind here), the industry is also guilty of greenwashing wellness practices.
To date, after my "health is wealth" mentality switched in 2018, there are only a handful of properties I consider close to being wellness-enriching. These properties have 3 things in common.
Wellness starts from within the company
As a leader in one's field of expertise, successfully navigating the scope of positive balances and gaining better market share are often overshadowed by the need to produce more. However, without one's health in check, ignoring that with the advances in technology may affect performance and the well-being of everyone in a company. Success lies when leaders step up and take wellness first and foremost inside their business. Pushing the boundaries through internal mechanisms for a better-performing team is too often ignored.
Education
We often forget that life is one big learning school, and this includes how wellness must be perceived. Even the most well-educated in the field of health and wellness consistently are brushing up on their knowledge about the latest findings but also require to stay on top of their game to keep practicing what they preach. Drifting off the path of success requires having a so-called growth mindset. People who have a growth mindset believe that even if they struggle with certain skills, their abilities aren't set in stone. They think that with work, their skills can improve over time.
Available resources to consistently advise their guests
Part of the success in wellness is consistency. There is no divine intervention available where one week of absorbing a slither of what wellness entails and consistently practice this without hesitation. The rise of modern technology in the form of an app - be it habit checkers or daily affirmations that are setting clients off on the right path - can be a powerful tool for hospitality professionals to regularly remind clients about the journey they are embarking upon for the years to come. Using specific software platforms or outsourced wellness coaches with tasks aligned to personal needs and challenges, and automating these, have shown to be a tremendous success to achieve a great sense of wellness.
Hardly any of the partners I worked closely with and have worked for directly take wellness seriously enough, and the surveys do say it. It is all driven to gain momentum and divert the client onto a path of ‘believing wellness is in the spotlight', and too many - clients, tour operators, and travel agencies - fall for it.
The Thrive Approach
Since 2021, The Thrive Approach specializes in results-driven performance and wellness programs for individuals, leaders, and companies through science-based tools.
The brainchild of a 25+ year travel and hospitality professional in Asia, the objectives are all based on results-driven needs to increase energy, performance, and conscious decisions through productivity, energy management, mindset, and mental acuity to shift behaviors, influence, and impact.
Founded on the basis that the fundamentals of health and wellness are a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week process, The Thrive Approach has designed workshops and seminars for leaders from leading companies in effectively raising wellness standards through easy-to-apply techniques.
Niels Steeman
Niels Steeman is the founder of The Thrive Approach, one of Thailand’s leading health, performance, and wellness companies. He provides holistic, science-based solutions and systems for both individuals and corporations. Born and raised in The Netherlands, Niels moved to Thailand in 1998 and has been an accomplished tourism and hospitality industry professional for over 30 years.
Since 2018, Niels made a decisive switch in his life to focus more on his health and well-being, leading to the foundation of his own health coaching company. Aside from conducting various seminars and workshops, Niels is also the author of his book, Thrive, which connects his story and is written for those ignoring their health for wealth.
