Hotel spas range widely in their offerings depending on the type of hotel and its location. Full service spas in resorts offer a full-immersion spa experience that include so called “all-inclusive programs” that provide fitness activities, spa cuisine, therapeutic spa and body treatments, educational classes, and often mind-body-spirit offerings that purport to help jump-start a new, more “healthful” lifestyle. The New York Times reports on the increasingly widespread trend among hotels to situate an in-house spa. But beyond the somewhat expected clamour for langourous massages, hotels are taking note of the primary comfort that guests seek – sleep, particularly, sleep that has been thrown out of whack by travel. Rather than offer services as set times of the day, spas in hotels are responding to guests’ body clocks. The article quotes Susan Ellis of Spa finders as saying “Spas always talk about nutrition and fitness, and I think you’ll see them talk a bit more about sleep”.
The interesting questions is whether this “trend” is likely to percolate down the line as offerings among the more limited service hotels. The short answer is yes. And as has been the case with most other “amenities” from fitness rooms to wireless internet access to breakfast, they will offer a scaled down version for free starting with, perhaps, by replacing the in-room chair/couch with a massage chair. Hotel owners will likely shudder at the thought of more expense but it seems likely to become de-rigueur before long.