Accor’s Emlyn Brown tells HCM Summit that wellness and fitness is now an integral part of the luxury hotel experience

Accor, which has 5,200 hotels globally, is shifting from being a room-based organisation – built for sleeping – to being built for living, says SVP Wellbeing, Emlyn Brown.

“My role is to bring wellbeing out of the spa and fitness areas and into the rooms, design and nutrition. Wellness for us is the aspiration creator which puts heads on beds,” he says.

Brown says 80 per cent of Accor’s guests are taking daily steps to improve their wellbeing and 35 per cent of those who visit luxury hotels are super healthy and want services to maintain this. Wellness travelers spend 60 per cent more than leisure travelers and return more.

“Our luxury market is changing considerably; previously it was pitched towards Baby Boomers, but now we’re starting to look at younger demographics,” he says. “There is also a growth segment of people going to luxury hotels and demanding three-day programmes, for example around detoxing.”

Brown is excited about the surging trend around bathing, which he says offers a more democratic and accessible way to deliver wellness that can be deployed in a number of fun and exciting ways.

One of the things he is addressing is improving the fitness experience in hotels beyond lining cardio machines up in front of a window. “Fitness used to be an amenity, now we’re talking about membership and community,” he says.

He acknowledges that the hospitality business has the service element, but not the commercialisation. Accor is open to learning more around this and potentially partnering with an operator.

Still to come at the HCM Summit is MD of leisure, health and wellbeing at Places Leisure, Belinda Steward at 4.30pm; followed by Third Space CEO, Colin Waggett and CEO Alchemist and Adventurer, Keith Burnet.