FORT LAUDERDALE—The Garden Hotel & Resort continues to redefine wellness-forward hospitality in South Florida with the resort-wide implementation of the acclaimed CLEAR bathroom water ecosystem in every guestroom across the property, making it the first hotel in the world to introduce the system property-wide. While most hotels in Florida provide standard municipal water that is safe for showering, brushing teeth, and drinking, only a very limited number of hospitality properties go beyond traditional infrastructure by introducing advanced filtration systems throughout guest bathrooms. In most cases, hotels may offer filtered drinking water stations or bottled water amenities, but do not filter...

NATIONAL REPORT—Hotels are placing more emphasis on sleep quality as part of the guest experience. Many properties now promote upgraded bedding, pillow options, blackout shades, and other amenities to help travelers rest more easily away from home. But even a well-appointed room can fall short if exterior noise continues to enter through the windows. For hotels near busy roads, airports, rail lines, or active downtown areas, outside noise can follow guests into the room long after they have turned out the lights. In those situations, the problem is not the mattress, the linens, or the room design. It is the window...

TAMPA, FLA.—WITT (Wellness in Travel & Tourism), the leading global certification organization setting standards for wellness hotels and resorts worldwide, announced continued expansion across Asia as demand for wellness-focused travel accelerates across the region. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, Asia is expected to remain one of the fastest-growing regions for global travel demand through 2026 and beyond, reflecting sustained expansion in international tourism flows. The Asia-Pacific wellness tourism market is projected to reach approximately $204.2 billion in 2026, underscoring the region’s growing role in the global wellness travel economy. As this demand accelerates, hospitality groups across Asia are...

ST KITTS & NEVIS—The tourism authorities of Saint Kitts and Nevis successfully concluded participation in the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2026, where the twin-island federation showcased its latest tourism developments, strategic initiatives, and growing momentum to an audience of regional and international travel media, tour operators, travel advisors, airline partners, and industry stakeholders. Throughout the conference, both destinations participated in a series of strategic meetings, media engagements, and business appointments focused on strengthening regional and international partnerships, expanding destination visibility, and driving continued tourism growth. Hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) in collaboration with the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority,...

CHEVY CHASE, MD.—PM Hotel Group, a Top-15 hotel management company with nearly three decades of experience driving results for hotel owners, announced it has been selected as a 2025 Gold CareFirst Healthy Business award recipient. This recognition reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting employee well-being and fostering a healthy, people-first workplace culture. The CareFirst Healthy Business program recognizes employers who demonstrate a strong commitment to employee wellness through thoughtful strategy, meaningful programs, and everyday practices that support whole-person well-being. Organizations are evaluated across a range of criteria, including wellness initiatives, access to resources, and engagement efforts, with Gold-level recognition representing a comprehensive...

NEW YORK—Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand, announces the launch of Preferred Wellbeing, a new global designation program celebrating a curated collection of more than 50 member hotels and resorts that deliver exceptional, holistic wellness experiences. Designed to meet the evolving expectations of today’s luxury traveler, Preferred Wellbeing highlights properties that go beyond traditional spa offerings to create immersive journeys of renewal, vitality, and reconnection. From expansive spa sanctuaries and hydrothermal circuits to nature-based retreats and nutritionally driven culinary programs, the designation recognizes hotels that are shaping the future of wellness travel. The launch is informed by insights from the...

For lodging owners and operators, hidden stressors are becoming a design and operations question, not just a wellness talking point. Guests may not cite glare, echo, overheated patios, or poor air circulation as reasons they feel uncomfortable, but those conditions can shape the overall quality of the stay. Many green lodging projects begin with highly visible improvements, such as efficient lighting and water-saving fixtures. Those remain important, but how green hotels can reduce hidden stressors often comes down to the spaces between systems. A lobby with efficient lighting can still feel harsh if reflective surfaces create glare. A courtyard may support...

In the built environment, walls have long been treated as passive backdrops—surfaces to decorate, protect, or brand. But a quiet transformation is underway. As designers, manufacturers, and clients increasingly prioritize human well-being alongside environmental performance, wallcovering is being reimagined as an active contributor to health. At the center of this shift is salutogenic design—an approach rooted in the idea that spaces should support our capacity to thrive, not merely reduce harm. Originally developed by medical sociologist Aaron Antonovsky, salutogenesis reframes how we think about health. Instead of focusing on disease (a pathogenic model), it emphasizes the “origins of health”—the resources,...

AUSTIN, TEXAS—1 Hotels, the mission-driven luxury lifestyle brand founded by Barry Sternlicht, is now accepting reservations for 1 Hotel Austin, an urban sanctuary in the creative heartbeat of Texas. With an anticipated opening in August 2026, 1 Hotel Austin is set at the meeting point of Waller Creek and Lady Bird Lake and anchors the 74-story Waterline, the tallest tower in the state. Developed by Lincoln Property Company and Kairoi Residential, the extraordinary mixed-use development reconnects the city to its natural waterways and transforms a previously neglected area into a thriving corridor. Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) designed the building, with HKS Architects...

NATIONAL REPORT—New insights from transformative technology provider, Amadeus, have revealed modern travel is increasingly being used as a mental health reset, not just as a leisure activity. New research project, Travel Dreams 2026: From data to delight, finds many travelers are prioritizing having a “refreshed brain” alongside “finding a new version of themselves” and “greater confidence and independence”. Some 41 percent of the 6,000 travelers surveyed aspire to return from a trip with a calmer nervous system, while a third of them describe an ideal destination as one where they are inspired to digitally detox because the world around them...