WELL TECH TRENDS

Thanks goes to the women of Well & Good and The Global Wellness Summit as they always deliver information on cutting edge trends. As part of our Trends compilation we believe these trends have some merit.

HOME TECH 

More and more early adopters are looking to technology to empower wellness in their homes and lives. People are turning to home tech to get to the bottom of all their wellness woes. In the next few years, systems within the house will respond to requests by not just providing us with information, but acting on it. For example, if your sleep monitor identifies that unrestful sleep patterns are associated with bright lights before bed, the lighting could be automatically adjusted for warmer tones and less lumens to better mimic evening light. In the kitchen, sensors would not only track your consumption of food and automatically place it on your grocery list, but also could automatically order groceries and have them delivered to your home.

MIND MANAGEMENT 

Mind management and meditation exercises are becoming sought-after therapies to help counter a constant flow of stressors and anxiety. From unstable politics to climate change, people are seeking ways to train their minds and emotions, whether with meditation apps or breath work guides.

SLEEP SCIENCE 

2018 will be the year technology is welcomed into the bedroom to improve sleep quality. “The appetite for products designed to improve sleep is very high,” confirms tech news site UKTN, which is why both funding and sleep-tech innovation in this category are taking off.

MICROBIOME PAIRING 

What’s the best match for my microbiome? That’s the question we will be increasingly asking, as the microbiome and its bacterial makeup is an indicator of our health and future wellness. Companies like U-Biome will help us track our microbiome history and forecast its future based on foods, environments and activities that are good for our microbial profile.

HUMAN PERFORMANCE TECHNOLOGY

Technologies used to enhance human performance, such as brainwave-altering headsets, are gaining a foothold among athletes and the sports industry. 

WEARABLE THERAPY

The growth of biometrics — the tracking of steps, heart rates and other bio-data — will be used to diagnose mental and emotional issues. We will use wearables to treat our relationships issues and other emotional concerns in place of traditional therapies. 

THE TRANSFORMATION ECONOMY

The world of luxury is changing. Global consciousness is growing and consumers want to be moved, engaged, inspired and fulfilled. 

There is growing recognition that  hospitality needs to reach the next level of evolution. People feel increasingly drawn to live their lives in concord with their values. Material is no longer enough.

The definition of luxury today is becoming less typical. In short,  ‘luxury status’ is revolving less around things and more significantly around how we feel, from a myriad of perspectives.

In the recent ‘Experience Economy’ businesses and brands curated memorable encounters, thus the ‘experience’ became the product. 

With the next evolution, referred to as the ‘Transformation Economy,’ consumers seek more than the mere experience. They crave something authentic and meaningful — an experience that is in some way transformative, resulting in the improvement of physical or emotional well-being.  

Brands that can offer a meaningful route to soulful luxury will be the ones that stay ahead of the game. Consumers want to be moved, engaged, inspired and fulfilled. They want to undergo an actual sense of transformation.

Brands need to deliver an emotional experience that will enhance the lives of their customers. It’s no longer enough to offer a product or service; brands must frame their offer within the idea of enhancement.

In the future consumers will choose products and services based on how they will transform:

• their appearance, health and fitness 

• their lives - relationships, work life or wellbeing

• their ways of thinking - politically, socially, morally and self

Wellness travel will see a shift from a consumptive to a contribution mindset.

Smart businesses realise that they are the catalyst for something profound.

This content was gathered through online research and in particular credit goes to Soul Luxury Consulting.

A GUIDE TO ECO CERTIFICATIONS

Wellness lifestyle real estate is poised for growth that is faster than the overall real estate sector over the next decade, driven by many factors ranging from ageing societies to the changing desires of younger generations, and the need to protect the environment and open space. 

Here are some eco-certifications that you might want to pursue when developing your project.

WELL CERTIFICATION : https://www.wellcertified.com

WELL works in conjunction with global green building ring systems like LEED, BREEAM. GreenStar and Living Building Challenge to enhance building performance for human health and the environment. 

LEED CERTIFICATION : http://www.usgbc.org/leed

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is the most widely used third-party verification for green buildings globally. Projects pursuing LEED certification earn points across several areas that address sustainability issues. Based on the number of points achieved, a project then receives one of four LEED rating levels: Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. LEED-certified buildings are resource efficient. They use less water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As an added bonus, they save money.

BREEAM CERTIFICATION : http://www.breeam.com

BREEAM is the world's leading sustainability assessment method for masterplanning projects, infrastructure and buildings. BREEAM inspires developers and creators to excel, innovate and make effective use of resources. The focus on sustainable value and efficiency makes BREEAM certified developments attractive property investments and generates sustainable environments that enhance the well-being of the people who live and work in them. BREEAM measures sustainable value in a series of categories, ranging from energy to ecology. Each of these categories addresses the most influential factors, including low impact design and carbon emissions reduction; design durability and resilience; adaption to climate change; and ecological value and biodiversity protection. Within every category, developments score points – called credits – for achieving targets, and their final total determines their rating.

LIVING BUILDING CHALLENGE : https://living-future.org

The Living Building Challenge is the world’s most rigorous proven performance standard for buildings. People from around the world use our regenerative design framework to create spaces that, like a flower, give more than they take.

GREEN GLOBE CERTIFICATION : https://greenglobe.com

Green Globe is the global certification for sustainable tourism. It is a structured assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners. The Green Globe Standard includes 44 core criteria supported by over 380 compliance indicators. The applicable indicators vary by type of certification, geographical area as well as local factors.

GREEN STAR CERTIFICATION : http://new.gbca.org.au/about/

Green Star is an internationally-recognised sustainability rating system. There are four Green Star rating tools available for certification of design, construction and operation of buildings, fitouts and communities. Green Star certification is a formal process during which a building, fitout, or precinct is awarded a rating by an independent, third party assessment panel of sustainable development experts through a documentation-based assessment. A Green Star certified rating provides independent verification that a building or community project is sustainable.

WELLNESS AS A STATUS SYMBOL

The Global Wellness Institute have now released their trends for 2018, which are very conceptual and a little difficult to grasp at the 'grass roots' operational level. However, the trends below presented by Euromonitor struck a chord with me and I thought they were definitely worth sharing. 

LONGEVITY ECONOMY - In 2018, almost a quarter of everyone on the planet will be over the age of 50, a record number. It is being suggested brands focus less on millennials and more on customers over the age of 50. The growing population over 50 represents a fast-growing contingent of active, productive people who are working longer and taking the economy in new directions. Women over fifty want to be represented by the media.

AUTHENTICITY - is a standout consumer value in 2018. Visual communication is inspired by flawed images drawing on wabi-sabi as its founding principles, advocating that beauty is to be found in imperfection, impermanence and the authentic. 

REAL WORLD HOLIDAY - Due to digital dependency and the difficulty of uninterrupted reflection, several tour operators, cruise lines and resorts are now promoting unplugged vacations (Digital Detox Trips). Participants pledge to leave digital devices behind while the Intrepid Travel tour leader emails updates to their loved ones. Urban hotels helping guests switch off include Renaissance Pittsburgh hotel, offering a family digital detox package letting guests exchange their devices for traditional board games. 

EXPERIENTIAL LUXURY - high-end personalisation is thriving due to demand for “experiential luxury”, the shift from “having to being”. 

POST-PURCHASE CONTACT - with the company’s representatives, the medium and the tone of the response are also critical parts of the customer journey, shaping their view of the business. 

STATUS SYMBOL - The desire to be fitter and healthier seems to be almost universal. Healthy living is becoming a status symbol, as more consumers opt to flaunt their passion for wellness through paying for boutique fitness sessions, “athleisure” clothing, food with health-giving properties and upscale health and wellness holidays. The spectacle of those willing to throw money at their quest for spiritual improvement is seen via the frequent consumer Instagram posts of retreat experiences posing against scenic backdrops. Consuming “stuff”, was once an indicator of wealth, but is now being replaced with the lack of things, lack of excess fat, and even a lack of wayward thoughts, which now defines aspiration and is at the heart of the consumer interest in wellness.

WEARABLE DEVICES - now offer to track mental wellbeing as well as physical fitness. 

BOUTIQUE HEALTH - The consumer interest in staying well sees them combining wellbeing activities with cathartic physical activity. This is reflected in a thriving menu of more esoteric, boutique fitness workout choices in urban hubs and spas. Some unlikely combinations have emerged, including BoxingYoga, BootyYoga etc

SLEEP - Many consumers are increasingly interested in products that promote healthy sleep, urged by professionals not to view sleep as a lifestyle choice, but to respect it as they do diet and exercise, as a core health building block. An estimated three million people are listening to sleep playlists on Spotify, making it one of their most popular genres. The above-mentioned sleep monitoring machine Sense has sustained its consumer appeal with the addition of new sounds to sleep to and greater accessibility

WELLNESS HOLIDAYS - Promote the idea that consumers can take some time out, transform themselves and return a better, happier person. Activity holidays for physical and mental health are a growth sector. Money is no object when it comes to top-of-the range luxury pampering and rejuvenation treatments in hotel spas and dedicated wellness centres.

So as I step into my 2018 spa and wellness projects I will certainly be considering how these trends might apply to any given project. 

GLOBAL WELLNESS SUMMIT

This year I had the fantastic experience of attending the Global Wellness Summit, which has held at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida. The professionals that attend this amazing event are at the forefront of the global wellness movement across a wide array of industries. The speeches, presentations and forums were of the highest calibre, with future thinking, ground breaking technology and what is happening across the planet being discussed and discovered. We had glamorous evening events to attend, round table lunches and the opportunity to meet the best in the spa and wellness industry. Inspiring on all levels! 

The eight wellness trends that emerged this year were the most left of field I have ever seen and can be found on the GWS website, so if you are reading this blog I will let you discover those for yourself. My personal favourite take homes were as follows;

Healthy Building Design: Why It’s a Smart Decision for Businesses and Investors - Delos presented research on guest satisfaction, loyalty and behaviours related to staying in hotels that offered a wellness environment via the stay well rooms. The results were very impressive and should certainly have hotels considering this approach.

Millennials are not Wellness Newbies: Presented by Good & Well - This was a fantastic presentation on the trends and behaviours of millennials in regards to wellness. Influencers have a major impact on a business having millennials as followers and are more likely to attract attendees to their retreats.  

Other Interesting Points Learned at GWS were;

Energy is 4 dimensional - Physically energised, spiritually aligned, mentally focused, emotionally connected

Energy expenditure has to be balanced with energy recovery 

Depression and anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion dollars in lost work days 

People actually become happier as they age

Technology opens up Wellness and mental support to all people 

Eyes are direct connection to the brain and if we can stimulate the brain through the power of nature it will have a positive affect

Hotels need to integrate authenticity and sustainability 

When sustainability is only an economic drive the intention is upside down 

Equanimity within and compassion without are the core of living a well life 

Anytime we judge someone new we are judging them on... high warmth and high competence 

Move away from anti-ageing to age embracing 

We are sinking in data but starving in wisdom 

Fear is not a sustainable motivator to change. What is sustainable is fun, freedom, pleasure and love

Hot spring tourism has been emerging and developing rapidly over the past 20 years

There is great potential for virtual reality to be brought into the wellness space

The 2018 GWS will be held at Technogym HQ in Italy so a little sojourn to Europe may be on the cards.