Exclusive Feature: Thirty years ago, the age of wellness arrived with the spa, if your hotel had a pool, offered massages, facials and body wraps, alongside low-fat, low calorie morsels, it was leading edge; 

Enter the year 2015 - While spa experiences are critical, they just aren’t enough to woo the health-conscious traveler.

Those living a wellness lifestyle are well-informed about nutrition and expect more from their hotel’s food and beverage offerings. 

Low-fat is out.  Nutrient-dense foods are in. To stay leading edge, your food and beverage programming must keep abreast of health and nutrition trends.  It must accommodate guests that view healthful eating as essential to their overall wellness. 

According to The Global Spa & Economy Monitor for 2014 (SRI International), healthy eating, nutrition and weight loss is a $574 billion industry.  Want a piece of that revenue?  Why not integrate wellness into your food and beverage offerings?   

Travelers that eat healthy at home want to do so when away from home.  Results don’t lie. In response to a 2012 TripAdvisor health and fitness on vacation survey of 1400 US travelers, 69% of respondents revealed that healthy eating is important to them while travelling.

To capture and retain the wellness traveler, hotels must give priority to helping guests eat for wellness. 

Here are three hotels putting wellness at the heart of food and beverage:

1. Westin Hotels and Resorts:

To find out what “well-being” is worth, in February 2014, Westin Hotels and Resorts partnered with SurveyLogic LLC and interviewed 6,402 business travelers from 5 different countries.  It discovered that “well-being” is today’s status symbol.  Global travelers more than ever, are interested in improving their overall well-being, and nearly half (49%) of travelers are willing to pay a premium for fresh, locally sourced food options.

As part of its global Well-being Movement, launched in March 2014, Westin introduced SuperfoodsRx menus offered at its hotels and resorts world-wide.  Imagine you’re staying at a Westin.  Want to enjoy a healthy breakfast at leisure? You’re covered.  Just dine at one of the Hotels’ restaurants and order from the SuperfoodsRX items.  At Westin Harbour Castle Toronto, breakfast at Mizzen restaurant might include the Organic Pastel Egg White and All Natural Turkey Omelet �" laced with arugula, cheddar, tomato and avocado salad. Don’t feel like eggs?  How about Steel Cut Cinnamon Scented Oatmeal served with green apples, walnuts, and honey drizzle?

Whatever the choice, guests can leave breakfast feeling good about their selection.

2. Chicago Marriott O’Hare:

Chicago Marriott O’Hare has been testing an innovative way to deliver healthy food options to travelers at all hours of the day.  In partnership with Farmer’s Fridge (a healthy vending machine and catering company based in Chicago), the Hotel has installed a healthy food kiosk in its lobby.

Staying at Chicago Marriott O’Hare? There’s no issue if you’re super-rushed, yet hungry for a healthy lunch.  Simply head for the Hotel’s lobby vending machine and choose The Detox Salad (also known as the Junk Food Eraser).  It’s made with organic Kale and Quinoa fortified with fennel, fruits and beans, served in a white balsamico vinaigrette.  Want some extra protein? It’s a cinch.  Just select the Lemon Pepper Chicken.  It’s humanely raised without the use of antibiotics�"just lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper

Lunch done.  No guilt.

3. Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village:

Eating well has never been easier if you’re a guest at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, California. In partnership with the California Health and Longevity Institute, the Hotel has created Sustained Living menus and a Wellness Kitchen.

At the helm of both the Sustained Living menus and the Wellness Kitchen is Paulette Lambert, Director of Nutrition, R.D., CDE of California Health and Longevity Institute.  Lambert, is not only a registered dietician, but an accomplished chef.  She and Executive Chef Alexander La Motte have crafted mouth-watering food choices based on Lambert’s plant-based nutrition approach: consume a controlled amount of carbohydrates, small amounts of lean protein, and let fruit and vegetables shine.

Take a seat at the Lobby Lounge Restaurant and enjoy Sustained Living menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  What can you expect for lunch?  Start off with Chilled Thai Coconut Carrot Soup with Pine Nut and Citrus Relish, or perhaps, the Red Lentil Walnut Spread with Heirloom Carrot daubed onto 9-Grain Crostini.  Take your pick.  Want to squeeze even more fruits and vegetables in your meal?  Try the Scarborough Farms Greens �" Toybox Tomato, Shaved Market Vegetable Crudités misted with a Champagne & Herb Vinaigrette.  Entrees continue the plant-based, lean protein theme.

At the Wellness Kitchen, you can spend time in a sunlit interactive kitchen and learn about healthy eating from Nutritionists-Chefs.  Classes and private group events cover menu planning, shopping, cooking techniques, and practical tips for those already living a wellness lifestyle or those on-the-road to a healthier diet.  Both classes and private group events centre on eating well and helping you continue these habits when you return home.

Will your hotel create food and beverage programming allowing guests to keep their wellness routine?  If so, rewards will follow.

So, start by crafting menus centred on genuine wellness offerings.  Balance this with high quality food and beverage programming.  Provide customized food and beverage choices that address key diet lifestyles (e.g. wheat-free, vegan, clean eating, etc.).  By doing this, you will strengthen your relationship with your customer, enhance your hotel’s ability to drive the average rate, compete in the market for RevPAR share and maintain these new captures. 

Isn’t that what every hotelier wants? 

This is strictly an exclusive feature, reprints of this article in any shape or form without prior written approval from 4Hoteliers.com is not permitted.

Eleni Tzotzis is a writer and consultant whose love affair with food was passed on to her by her father, a former chef at a Toronto hotel. She writes about food, wellness, and hotels. Eleni is a regular contributor to Travel to Wellness magazine. Reach out to her through LinkedIn: ca.linkedin.com/in/elenitzotzis or by email: writetoet@gmail.com