Hotels might just be caring for your health as much as you do for yourself. For an upcharge of about $30 a night, select Marriott and MGM Grand hotels in America are offering "Stay Well" hotel rooms decked out with vitamin C-infused showers (for healthier hair and skin), organic mattresses and anti-microbial countertops so you can supposedly breathe easier.
The suites also contain spa amenities like air purifiers, circadian mood lighting and aromatherapy. Foxnews.com says that guests can also use the Stay Well app, which has a meditation-training podcast. These aren't the first wellness-focused hotels. In 2012, InterContinental Hotels Group launched a health-conscious hospitality chain called Even, which provides nutritious menu items and boutique gym-style workout classes.
According to travel.usnews.com, all EVEN rooms feature a fitness area with a stability ball, yoga mat and block, strength bands, standing desks and fitness videos on demand. "The brand was designed to offer a consistent, holistic wellness experience to meet the needs of our target wellness-minded traveler, and unlike other hotel brands whose health and wellness programs offer limited or add-on services, all EVEN properties are built solely with the wellness of our guests in mind," says Heather Balsley, SVP, Americas Brand Management, IHG.
Jim Kaese, CEO of Athletic-Minded Traveler who consulted with IHG on the creation of EVEN, explains that the hotel's "core is wellness so everything flows and fits from the athletic studio to the staff training." According to Kaese, "The hotel is not comprised of a patchwork of amenities that whimsically change with the latest fad."
While most hotels have not centered their amenities entirely around health- and wellness-focused amenities and services, many are beginning to offer select rooms with a healthy theme, including fitness and exercise. Other hotels are offering wellness rooms and suites, which offer space for spa treatments, aromatherapy and room for meditation with access to special concierges and wellness experts.