Running along Chicago’s lakefront; health-conscious hotels now provide running maps (photo: Wikipedia)
Over the past year, Ive spotted a trend: High-end hotels offering healthy lifestyle amenities to lure health-conscious travelers. Some of this has been going on for years, of course. But Im not talking just aromatherapy products in the bathroom or a well-equipped gym or spa down the hall. These are rooms specially outfitted to help guests stay healthy.
Some of these new health-oriented hotel rooms are redesigned from the floor up, with features such as air and water filters, ionizers, and hypoallergenic bedding. Others are on a specially designated hall or floor with round-the-clock spa and gym access.
Still others come with special programs designed to help business and other travelers follow a healthy lifestyle plan during their stay. Here are five hotels around the country that stand out for their serious commitment to helping their guests stick to their health resolutions away from home.
1. Stay Well Suites, MGM Grand Hotel, Las Vegas
From the moment you open the door to your Stay Well[1] themed room at the MGM Grand, you cant help but notice that somethings different. Its the lighting, which has been specially designed to regulate the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, which can help prevent jet lag and ease fatigue. (Need to wake up? Theres also the option of a pulsed blue wake up light therapy in the bath room and an alarm clock that rouses you with light rather than sound.)
Take a shower, and youll feel another difference; the water is infused with vitamin C, giving it a zingy, tingly feeling that wakes up your skin. Turn on the in-room entertainment system, and theres wellness guru Deepak Chopra, MD, offering health tips and pointing you towards all the rooms special features, which also include a fitness and nutrition program developed by the Cleveland Clinic. Designed by wellness pioneer Delos Living[2], the Stay Well amenities[3] also include water filters and HEPA-quality air purification great for anyone, but a huge boon to allergy and asthma sufferers.
Blue “wake up” lighting in the bathroom of a Stay Well room at the MGM Grand
2. EVEN Hotels from InterContinental
This ones not a program, its a whole new brand. Unveiled by InterContinental Hotel Group in August, the EVEN brand[4] is still in the early stage, so there isnt an actual property to check out yet. (Although reports are that the first property will open in New York City[5] in 2014.) But listen to a presentation, as I did, or follow the take a peek link on their website and the innovations theyre planning sure look cool. A few of the most tempting details:
- Hypoallergenic linens
- Coat racks that double as pull-up bars (great for a sore back, as well as strong arms)
- Luggage racks that function as workout benches (complete with foot bars)
- An array of fitness equipment you can check out library style and take to your room
- Free signature waters on tap whenever youre thirsty
- Natural cleaning products used in the rooms
- Extra floor room for working out
Plans are to launch or rebrand 100 EVEN hotels within the next five years in cities known for their health-conscious culture such as San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C.
3. Trump Wellness
One of the most comprehensive roll-outs of an across-brand wellness program comes from Trump, which offers three different wellness programs that target nutrition and fitness while on the road. The Trump Wellness[6] programs, unveiled in June, are clearly designed for the time-strapped business and luxury traveler who doesnt want to let his fitness routine slip while away from home. The three components of the program are:
- Nourish: A menu revamp of Trumps dining room cuisine highlighting vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free dishes and listing nutrition data for each dish. Items on the Nourish menu also prioritize locally sourced and certified-organic ingredients.
- Healthy Bites: A menu of nutritious low-calorie room service options that can be at your door in 15 minutes or less. As part of the Nourish program, in-room minibars will also be stocked with a healthier array of snack choices.
- Travel Fit: My favorite of the programs, this one is uber-practical. First off, free workout gear – including shoes and clothes from Under Armour is available for those all-too-frequent times when you forget your own. (Or cant fit them in carry-on luggage.) The program also provides yoga mats, weights, and stretch bands for your room, to be used along with instruction cards for simple Technogym training routines. And each participating hotel has helped design a nearby running path for which a map is provided.
Note: Trump is not the only brand to offer free workout gear to executive travelers. In fact, this appears to be a hot new trend. Westin recently partnered with New Balance in the Gear Lending[7] program which provides New Balance shoes and workout clothes to their guests, while Fairmont has the Fairmont Fit[8] program, a similar deal with Adidas exclusive to its Presidents Club members.
If you have favorite health-friendly hotel recommendations, please share.
For more travel-related health coverage, see these tips on how to keep up your health, fitness and diet routines[9] while traveling. And for more health news, follow me here onForbes.com[10], on Twitter,@MelanieHaiken,[11]and subscribe to my posts onFacebook[12].
References
- ^ Stay Well (www.mgmgrand.com)
- ^ Delos Living (delosliving.com)
- ^ Stay Well amenities (www.mgmgrand.com)
- ^ EVEN brand (evenhotels.com)
- ^ New York City (www.hotelmanagement.net)
- ^ Trump Wellness (www.trumphotelcollection.com)
- ^ Gear Lending (www.westinessence.com)
- ^ Fairmont Fit (www.fairmont.com)
- ^ ow to keep up your health, fitness and diet routines (www.health-conscious-travel.com)
- ^ Forbes.com (www.forbes.com)
- ^ @MelanieHaiken, (twitter.com)
- ^ Facebook (www.facebook.com)
Resources:
Be Well On Your Way: Journey to a More Authentic You (Paperback) tagged “healthy lifestyle” 88 times
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How Can I Keep Up My Healthy Lifestyle Over Easter? I have been trying to keep a healthy lifestyle, build fitness and lose a little fat. But I am surrounded by Easter treats, mum has been baking loads, have Easter eggs from family and my bf wants to get me an Easter egg too. Don’t get me wrong, I love how sweet everyone is being, but all of this will just make me I’ll. What should I do?
If you’d like me to be honest, I think that the healthiest lifestyles include enjoying things. So every now and then, let go of the fact that “something will make me fat” and enjoy it. I think that often as people we give up a large part of living just to stay skinny. I used to be that way, and as much as I told myself it was worth it, it really wasn’t. Enjoy it, and don’t go on a guilt trip over it.
That being said, there are several things you can do to avoid extra treats. Stay away from the kitchen as much as possible, as well as where things are being served. When you get things, get just a small bit. I’ve noticed that with a lot of sweetbreads and cakes and such, a very thin slice takes just as long to eat as a thick one and is usually just as satisfying. If not, you can even get a second (which, sliced thinly enough, is still smaller than the thick slices would be). Another trick I’ve learned is “sharing”–if it is a roll or whatever, just eat half of it and “share” the other half with someone else (maybe someone else who either just wants half, or someone who wants more than one).
Enjoy Easter!