EHL Insights recently released its 2022 top 10 hospitality industry trends. Three of those trends cross over into the space I cover. Here are those three along with EHL Insights’ descriptions:
2. Holistic Hospitality, Health & Well-being
Preventative medicine and self-care are undisputedly trending right now due to the COVID pandemic. The wellness industry is transforming into a booming trillion-dollar market and hospitality venues are well positioned to take a large piece of the pie, especially those with existing spa facilities.
In addition to the usual beauty and relaxation spa offering, there is rapidly growing demand for health diagnostic technology and bespoke treatment plans delivered by experts who conduct personal or group sessions to develop vitality, healing, stress management, emotional balance, mindfulness and better sleep. Discover more spa trends for 2022 in this article.
8. Sustainability
A hospitality trend that is both current and a hallmark of recent years: “sustainability” once again assumes its position. A natural extension of avoiding disposable plastics, eliminating unnecessary paper consumption thanks to opt-in receipts, and reducing food waste, more far-reaching ethical and environmental considerations are shaping decisions made at the hospitality management level. Decisions about things as simple as which towel rails to install during renovations have disproportionate repercussions when implemented at scale. Simple eco-friendly switches include replacing miniature toiletries with larger, locally sourced dispensers, choosing ethically produced bedsheets made from organic materials and reducing energy consumption with smart bulbs, etc. Vegetarian and vegan options also harbor well-known environmental advantages.
10. Traveling Less (& Staycations)
Travel restrictions in 2020 and 2021 have facilitated the rise of the staycation. Even with international travel opening back up, between airline price hikes, Covid testing requirements and the complicated bureaucracy involved in going abroad now, many deem foreign travel either too expensive for a big family vacation or not worth the hassle for the weekend breaks of the past. Hence, opting in favor of the staycation trend instead, or simply travelling much less than pre-pandemic levels.
In fact, there is a multitude of reasons vacationers may also be choosing to stay closer to home, such as for environmental or budgeting reasons, with this year having seen a marked uptick in holidays spent more locally. Lucky for those who live in an already tourism-rich, picturesque country with a pleasant climate.
