SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ.—The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announced the launch of the WELL Performance Rating, a new rating that recognizes building owners and operators for achieving excellence in healthy building performance aimed to enhance the well-being and experience of the people inside. The announcement was made during the opening session of the WELL Summit, with IWBI leading partner organizations driving a movement for people-first places forward through application of WELL at scale. Developed in collaboration with a host of industry leaders in smart building technologies and with input from IWBI Performance Advisory, WELL Performance Testing Organizations (PTOs) and WELL Enterprise Providers (EPs), the...

In case you missed it, earlier this month, the Biden-Harris Administration released the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, a roadmap to move the country forward safely and continue to fight COVID-19 as Americans get back to their more normal routines. Of course, a big part of getting back to normal is improving air quality in whatever dwelling we happen to be in—hotels included. As part of its Preparedness Plan, on March 17, the Administration launched the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge. It calls on all building owners and operators to assess their indoor air quality and make ventilation and air filtration...

NATIONAL REPORT—A new survey reveals that 74 percent of North Americans feel anxious when entering spaces with poor indoor air quality. This heightened anxiety has led to a shift in priorities for many adults who work, learn, and operate in indoor spaces. The survey of 3,000 U.S. and Canadian adults discovered that 76 percent of North Americans would consider joining the great resignation if wellness factors such as work, life and health balance, indoor air quality, hygiene and cleanliness, mental health support and availability to green space or plants were not provided by their employers. “As we continue to struggle with consequences of...

SONOMA, CALIF.—Gene Kilgore, widely regarded as the world’s leading authority on ranch vacations, announces the launch of a new website dedicated to spa and wellness ranches: https://wellnessranches.com/. This website celebrates the multi-billion Mind, Body, Spirit phenomenon. “This is the perfect moment to highlight the wellness work that some innovative ranches are focusing on,” said Kilgore. His new website shines the spotlight on 11 such ranches in North America that are breaking new ground in the wellness movement. These properties in Arizona, British Columbia, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Montana and Wyoming represent the best of the best in both traditional ranch activities...

The wellness industry is transforming into a booming trillion-dollar market with plenty of potential for new entrants in the sector, be it new products or services. EHL has compiled a list of the top 10 global spa trends for 2022. The spa experience is no longer simply about pampering; spas are now required to offer an extensive menu of healing therapies for the mind, body, and soul. The COVID Impact on the Wellness Industry & Spa Trends Today, spas may answer most of the desires of an older generation expecting to be offered additional pampering services or a health and wellbeing...

MIAMI—The nonprofit Global Wellness Institute (GWI) has released “The Global Wellness Economy: Country Rankings,” the first research to measure the wellness economies of 150 nations. It is packed with information on national wellness markets from average wellness spend per capita to the wellness market’s contribution to each nation’s overall economy. The full report is here. The graphs are here. The report is a companion to GWI’s recently released “The Global Wellness Economy: Looking Beyond COVID,” a complete global update on all 11 sectors of the wellness market, finding that the world wellness economy is worth $4.4 trillion and forecast to...

MIAMI—The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) released its annual wellness trends report, the new directions in wellness that the organization believes will have the most meaningful impact on the industry and people worldwide. The 110-page report goes in-depth on the major shifts ahead in nutrition, wellness travel, wellness real estate, women’s health, men’s wellness, healthcare, technology, sustainability, and spas. The trends were unveiled at the first Global Wellness News media event in New York City. 10 Wellness Trends for 2022 Dirty Wellness: The health of the world’s soil—and the impact of soil exposure on human health—become far more important (Think: “soil-bathing”). Toxic Muscularity...

LAS VEGAS—The organizers of the HD Expo & Conference have announced the conference schedule. The overall event will take place April 26 to 28 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Numerous conference sessions will focus on either sustainability, wellness, or green design, and one will focus on Women in Design. The following is a summary of these sessions: Tuesday, April 26: Sustainability, Environment, Future—DesignWell Pavilion Session description: What does sustainability mean today? What are innovative best practices? How do we continue to push the envelope? Experts talk through thoughtful approaches to high-performance, sustainably driven solutions. Wednesday, April 27: HDAC Series: Holistic Wellbeing...

MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS.—The Healthy Handwashing Survey from Bradley Corp. has found handwashing frequency decreased 25 percent among adults compared to when the coronavirus first hit. Specifically, in the spring of 2020, Americans were washing their hands an average of 10.5 times per day. This January, that number dropped by one-fourth to 7.8 times per day. While the adult population may be shortchanging their handwashing routine, the survey found that 79 percent of parents take some sort of action to encourage their children to suds up. A total of 44 percent say they regularly ask their young ones to wash their hands, 26 percent...

SAN FRANCISCO—Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced a partnership with leading online behavioral health company, Talkspace, rolling out mental health services to its guests and to 4,000+ employees across the country. The KimptonxTalkspace partnership is the first of its kind to bring meaningful and accessible mental health support to hospitality employees, who have been front line workers throughout the pandemic, as well as to travelers managing everyday stresses on the road. According to a recent study, nine out of 10 therapists say the number of clients seeking care is on the rise, and most are experiencing a significant surge in calls for appointments, longer...