Hilton Launches New Wellness Focused Hotel Chain

VIRGINIA, United States — Hilton has unveiled a brand new hotel chain to compete within the $639 billion wellness tourism market and address the future of travel.

Tempo by Hilton, a lifestyle brand which the hotelier says has been curated ‘to serve a growing segment of “modern achievers” seeking a hotel experience that reflects their ambition’, comes in response to a survey of 10,000 Hilton guests who identify as wellness-focused travellers. The concept features guided meditations, sustainably-sourced food, premium non-alcoholic drink options and state of the art fitness facilities.

“Tempo by Hilton is the latest example of our unique ability to anticipate what our guests are looking for and deliver unmatched value for customers and owners alike,” explained Christopher J. Nassetta, President & CEO, Hilton.

“We’re thrilled to welcome this new brand to our Hilton family and look forward to building on our legacy of innovation.”

The concept has already been confirmed for 30 locations across the US, including New York, Maui, Boston, Los Angeles, Lexington, Nashville, San Diego, Charlotte, Washington D.C., Houston and Atlanta, with an additional 30 deals also in various stages of development.

Guided by market research, each Tempo by Hilton property will feature elements designed to help health-conscious guests continue their journey without disrupting their everyday routines.

Guests can expect curated assortments of morning and bedtime rituals created in partnership with Arianna Huffington’s Thrive Global, shared spaces and amenities designed to encourage them to look up from their daily grind and take a moment for themselves and healthy food and beverage offerings to boost energy and focus.

With sustainable travel another trend gaining traction, each property will address the demand for businesses to demonstrate their commitment to decreasing their environmental impact by implementing practices such as food waste programs, responsible seafood sourcing, hydration stations to replace single-use plastic bottles and full-size bath amenity dispensers to reduce disposable plastics.

In this new era of wellness tourism, in which wellness is an increasingly important part of the travel experience, a holistic and integrated offering such as this is becoming more and more commonplace. And, says Jon Witter, chief customer officer at Hilton, it’s a need that a rising demographic of ambitious and highly discerning travellers felt wasn’t being met by Hilton’s existing properties.

“With Tempo by Hilton, we are able to reach these influential consumers through a new, elevated yet approachable class of hotels designed to surpass expectations of both customers and owners in truly meaningful ways,” he explained.

According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness tourism category is set to reach $919 billion in value by 2022, with additional GWI data showing that wellness travel has been growing at twice the speed of general tourism.

Not wanting to risk missing out on the enormous opportunities to be found within the sector, travel operators across the board have been doubling down on wellness in a bid to gain a foothold on the market.

Just last week, Hyatt, which has been aggressively overhauling its wellness strategy over the past few years through various acquisitions and collaborations, announced another new partnership with meditation app Headspace.

The initiative will see Headspace bring mindfulness exercises, guided meditations and sleep content to millions of employees, corporate customers and guests. Elsewhere, Airbnb has also been making its move into the segment via the launch of wellness-focused and transformational travel experiences, while the launch of premium fitness brand Equinox’ hotel in New York points to a future where elements of wellness aren’t just integrated into properties but underpin their very existence.

Tempo by Hilton is the latest concept to join the slew of options currently available to wellness travellers, and like its competitors, the brand is banking on the concept being enough to capture the imagination of this increasingly discerning and demanding demographic.