Health and well-being: healthy hotels for healthy bodies

What could be more beautiful than New York, Tokyo or Shanghai seen from above? However, concentrated on their running pace or bent over the elliptical bikes set up in their hotel fitness club, do mobile executives really have time to appreciate the sublime panorama before their eyes? Running. Always running. The day-to-day life of business travellers can sometimes be a bit like running. to a life as an athlete. And yet. Between marathon meetings and final negotiations, they still find time to relax.

And how? Quite simply: by... running! Because, like everyone else, business travellers succumb to the urge to run. the running crazeA more fashionable name than the jogging of yesteryear. It's a sport that emerged in the United States in the 1970s, following in the footsteps of the libertarian movement, and is growing phenomenally. The French Athletics Federation and SL Events counted twelve million runners in 2016, compared with only half that number at the beginning of 2000.

Healthy body, healthy mind: it's a saying that's been around since the Romans. But this maxim is taking on an increasingly contemporary meaning as amateur sportsmen and women stride up and down the streets of major cities. And that's not to mention the flourishing of fitness centres, Pilates studios, specialist coaches and, on the dietary side, all the organic and gluten-free restaurants popping up in the upmarket districts of business metropolises. Gone are the days when Alain Souchon sang "we're screwed, we're eating too much"... Especially since digital technology is adding to all this, contributing to the vitality of the health business with its connected scales and bracelets analysing every metre walked, tracking down the slightest superfluous gram.

Whether it's a case of pushing yourself to the limit or clearing your head, business travellers like to doze off on endorphins whenever they can, taking advantage of the early hours of the morning to get the day off to a flying start before going about their business. And there is a positive side to this. In fact, business travel is not particularly recommended by the faculty for its 'healthy' side. According to a global study conducted last year by StudyLogic in partnership with the Westin hotel chain, 65% of executives say they take less exercise when they travel.

So there's no such thing as a healthy life for those who cross the world at 10,000 feet, moving from meeting rooms to top-of-the-range restaurants. Ankylosed legs after a long flightIn the evening, they often find it hard to resist the local specialities, which may be part of the pleasures of the trip, but are not exactly a diet...

A survey conducted for the Extended Stay chain showed that 86 % of travellers took more than 500 grams in a week far from home. With this in mind, it's easy to imagine what this could mean over a whole year, with all the health risks that entails, including diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

To limit the damage, most hotels have for a long time made the following services available to their guests vast fitness areas. But over and above gyms and swimming pools, some hotel chains have gone one step further by creating real concepts focused on well-being and health. Logically, this trend emerged in the United States in the 2000s, a country more aware than any other of the problem of excess weight.

Fairmont, Kimpton, Westin, Tryp by Wyndham, Hilton Garden Inn, Hyatt and many others: all have taken the problem head on, with rooms equipped with treadmills or elliptical bikes, for example, at Tryp by Wyndham or Westin with its Workout rooms. For its part, Hilton Garden Inn has started distributing at reception Stay Fit" kits where sporty customers can find an elastic band for Pilates, a yoga mat, a dumbbell and a body-building rope. For its part, Fairmont lends Reebok exercise clothing and sports shoes to members of its loyalty programme on request. As for Kimpton, another pioneer, in addition to yoga mats in all its rooms, its hotels lend bicycles to all its guests. And even kayaks in Boston, for paddling down the Charles River!

Fitness in your room

Faster, higher, stronger: in 2014, the British group IHG created a brand entirely dedicated to health and well-being. Called Even, it is now present in New York and soon in Auckland, and its idea is based around four themes: exercise, with an in-room fitness area; rest, with ultra-comfortable mattresses; work, with ergonomic office areas; and finally food, with The Cork & Kale Market and Bar restaurant concept, whose dietetic and sustainable dimension is symbolised by a 'signature' kale salad, the new star of detox menus.

Because, as well as physical activity, 'healthy' establishments naturally include a dietary component. Designed to boost energy with the help of smoothies and high-vitamin juices, the menus promote the overall well-being of travellers. "Eating the right foods can have a significant effect on sleep qualitysaid David Stern, Associate Director of SuperFoodsRx, a partner of the Westin brand. Tryptophan, magnesium, potassium and serotonin work together to prevent insomnia and restore sleep cycles, giving customers the chance to feel refreshed in the morning."

Despite the advantages of this approach, it has to be said that, until now, the healthy hotel trend is mainly confined to American hoteliers, even though, thanks to their worldwide coverage, these chains have exported their concepts to many major business metropolises. The European urban hotel industry - whether epicureans at heart or followers of the Churchill regime of "above all no sport" - is still timid in this area.

However, and this could be the start of something new, Pullman, the AccorHotels business brand, is preparing to launch an international programme based on four pillars - sleep, diet, sport and spa - designed by Sarah Hoey, the brand's wellness coach. "For years, we have concentrated on our core business, the hotel industry, and consolidated all the services expected in top-of-the-range hotels. Recently, we are seeing a change in customer expectations in terms of well-being It is with this in mind that we have redesigned our offerings to take a more global approach.It's all about well-being", explains Aldina Duarte Ramos, well-being director for the Sofitel, Swissôtel and Pullman brands. As a result, mobile executives should soon be able to find dairy-free, sugar-free and gluten-free breakfasts in hotels, as well as fitness bags so that they can exercise in their rooms by following the advice given in a series of videos, aimed in particular at awakening the body or relaxing to release the tension accumulated during the day.

Healthy torture

Recent developments show that the niche is both promising and, above all, topical. Last May, the Hilton brand presented its "Five Feet to Fitness" room concept, which is being rolled out in the United States. "Guests will realise that we have gone much further than simply placing fitness equipment in the room."says Ryan Crabbe, Hilton's Group Wellness Director. With the Wattbike indoor bike, the Gym Rax workout station and a host of accessories, the whole package is a real pleasure to use. the most sophisticated of all when it comes to instruments of - healthy - torture. All this is organised by the Fitness Kiosk, a touch screen where customers can follow workouts guided by 200 videos covering everything from endurance and strength to cycling and yoga.

Thanks to new technologies, hoteliers can now rely on virtual coaches to give their guests personalised advice. Since last year, Westin has been a partner of Fitbit, a specialist in connected bracelets. Through the FitStar Personal Trainer application, guests are offered programmes tailored to their level of fitness designed by leading figures in the fitness world. In the same vein, Element long-stay establishments offer their residents a Your Trainer app. "When they check in, they receive a training card with a three-digit code to define their profile in the app.explains Toni Stoeckl, Vice-President, Distinctive Select Brands. This gives them access to personalised exercises that are either extremely physical, energising or relaxing."

Basic trend

There's no end in sight to the race for 'healthy' hotels. So much so that Equinox, one of the hottest names in fitness clubs in the United States, is about to move into the hotel business, with its first designer hotel due to open in New York in 2018, while also considering other destinations such as London, Los Angeles and Miami. And perhaps it's no coincidence that this summer Hyatt bought Exhale, a fitness and spa brand that is both urban and boutique, to beef up its wellness offering...

The fact remains that physical activity is not confined to the bedroom or the gym. It is also, and above all, practised in broad daylight. And for this, sports executives can count on hotel staff to encourage them to exercise. At Kimpton's Hotel Monaco in Washington, even the General Manager, Ed Virtue, takes guests on a tour of the hotel. bike tours of the town every Wednesday. The rest of the time, this experienced cyclist has recorded 25 routes on a GPS that residents can follow at their leisure. In other cities, the managers themselves guide the jogging sessions, the most original being the one organised at the Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia. Called 'Rocky Run', it takes guests on a journey in the footsteps of Rocky Balboa, ending with a climb up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with arms raised in the style of the hero played by Sylvester Stallone.

This same commitment to supporting fitness-conscious executives is shared by Westin with its global RunWestin programme, launched in 2014. In the brand's 200 hotels, Run Concierges organise group races on request or distribute route maps to more solitary long-distance runners. "Around the world, we've really seen a shift in the way today's travellers integrate wellness into their work and travel habits. And this ranges from millennials, who approach fitness activities more socially than competitively, to business travellers who now prefer to belong to running clubs rather than private sports clubs."says Brian Povinelli, senior vice-president in charge of Westin, Le Méridien, Renaissance, Autograph, Tribute and Design Hotels within the Marriott group.

Last year, the brand decided to extend the field of action of these concierges to skiing, cycling, tennis and golf. And surfing too: at the Westin Los Angeles Airport, located just a few kilometres from the sea, a Surf Concierge, Jenny, provides information about the best spots where to catch the right wave. The name of his favourite beach: Manhattan Beach. Far, far away from Wall Street, Midtown and the hustle and bustle of business.