Hotels putting emphasis on health
By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Staff Writer
Westin Maui Resort & Spa employee Laurie Iwamasa has perhaps the strongest motivation to run 3.2 miles two mornings a week along Ka'anapali Parkway.
Halekulani photo
It's part of her job.
The Halekulani will expand its complimentary yoga programs and offer Pilates as part of its regular amenities in the fall. The hotel is also working to add more routes to its walking/running guide maps.
Iwamasa, who takes spa reservations at the resort, also leads hotel guests on a free morning run. The resort began the new program, called RunWESTIN, a couple of months ago and is also working with Runner's World magazine to design maps with running and walking routes in the vicinity.
It's all part of a growing health and wellness trend in the tourism industry as people seek more ways to take care of themselves while they're away from home.
"I've been at the spa for four years and I've noticed that people are a lot more health-conscious than before," said Iwamasa. "Our spa is really busy. We have been busy every single day. ... Our workout room is normally jam-packed at around six o'clock, 6:30 (a.m.) when we first open."
Health-related amenities and spas are becoming a standard, particularly for upscale hotels, said Joseph McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.
"People are into health these days, and we see that more and more," he said. Hotels "are trying to make it easy for their guest who's into fitness."
"The spas and the health stuff are definitely for the leisure traveler, but you see it coming more and more to the business traveler. You have to have it for (at least the upscale) leisure traveler, especially if you're in a resort destination like Hawai'i. And on the business side, you have to have it if you're going to be an upscale hotel to compete."
Such amenities are part of a series of changes hotel companies have been making to their properties in an effort to help customers feel more at home, McInerney said.
In addition to offering guided runs, the Westin Maui also recently opened two individual, private exercise guest rooms.
The resort this year also began offering programs such as aqua yoga (in the pool) and 30-minute beach meditations.
The Westin has gone from 12 to more than 30 employees and practitioners for its spa and fitness offerings and spends more than $3 million annually for those programs, resort officials said.
Other Hawai'i hotels have also taken steps to provide more health and fitness options for their guests.
Late last year Marriott's hotels in Hawai'i began offering guests carb-conscious, low-fat and low-cholesterol menus.
The Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa recently launched a new "Eat Right" food menu featuring fruit salad, oat bran pancakes and edamame stew. A few months ago the hotel also began offering complimentary "Travel Well Fit Kits" — including a yoga mat, hand weights and an exercise booklet — to guests.
The health and wellness trend has already caught the attention of the Hawai'i Tourism Authority, which is doing research on the market and how it relates to Hawai'i, said Frank Haas, HTA director of tourism marketing. The agency is also looking to market Hawai'i as a wellness destination.
"We're trying to find out who is actually motivated to take a trip where the purpose of the trip is to get a better grip on your own health," Haas said. "There are some people who just go on a trip to be entirely self-indulgent — 'This is a time to eat dessert.' There are other people who take a trip and say, 'This is the time to get my body straight.' "
The work is part of the state's strategy to identify markets that represent higher spending, more active visitors, he said.
"We want to attract people to come here to do things, like go to spas, take advantage of treatments or cultural practices that would give them a better outlook on life," he said.
Halekulani, which recently hired a chef from Kuakini Health System with a nutrition background, has over the past six months eliminated trans fats from its dishes and is researching how to air-bake french fries, said Peter Shaindlin, chief operating officer of Halekulani Corp. In the fall Halekulani hotel and its sister property, the Waikiki Parc, will also feature menu items designated as purely organic, he said.
Shaindlin said he ordered the changes after doing research on younger markets, including those belonging to Generation X and Y. These people are concerned about eating healthy dishes and are choosing organic foods and products, he said.
Starting today the Waikiki Parc will offer classes on yoga, Pilates and "hulacise" — a mix of hula and aerobics — at $15 per session. The Halekulani will expand its complimentary yoga programs and offer pilates as part of its regular amenities in the fall. The hotel is also working to add more routes to its walking/running guide maps.
"This is the way these people live at home, so we would like to be able to offer them the greatest possible comfort in terms of continuity in their lifestyle experience," Shaindlin said. "So if, for example, someone does this at home regularly, and then they come to a hotel that doesn't have these offerings, it turns into a negative experience.
"It's a lifestyle standard."
Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or at 535-2470.
