WELLNESS and the hotel & spa industry of the future.
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Monday, January 30, 2012
WELLNESS
WELLNESS and the hotel & spa industry of the future.
What is “Wellness” and how are spas and the hotel industry incorporating this?
Wikipedia states that “Wellness” is a balance of mind, body, and spirit, leading to an overall feeling of wellbeing; a constant conscious pursuit of living life to its full potential.
Every person has a “Hierarchy of Values” – a list of what’s most important to him/her, down to what’s least important, and this is how they filter THEIR world and when they do – they miss things! They filter things that only support them and don’t see things as they are and therefore see only part of the world instead of the whole. There will be order and discipline in the highest values and chaos and disorder in the lowest values. Your highest values are where you are most inspired and spend most of your time, and no one has to get you up in the morning to do them. On the other hand, outside motivation is required for your lowest priorities/values.
TRUE WELLNESS, therefore, is the integration of body, mind, and spirit and it would be wise to inspire leaders in the wellness industry to take command of the new concepts of “order without” and “order within”, and not to subordinate to the old paradigm, but to be willing to see things as they actually are and not project our own realities on to them.
By means of asking the right questions and using the Demartini Method®, people will be able to see ALL of what’s around them which previously seemed imbalanced and apparently chaotic – but which they then realise has a hidden order allowing them to love and reach their full potential and wellness. Instead of continuing to ask “Why did this happen to me?”, they can ask “How can this serve me?”.
THIS is what will bring wellness instead of illness! A person’s perfectly balanced mind breeds gratitude, and gratitude is the key to opening the heart. Inside every heart is love, but their mind blocks it on the outside and puts ingratitude in its place.
Most people don’t even know what their own “Values” are - even though that is what your life is demonstrating every day!! It’s what you love in life and what revitalises you, and where your highest discipline, reliability and focus is.
It is vital, therefore, for each person to understand their own and also those of their colleagues, managers etc, and in particular their GUESTS! If you support someone’s values – ie a guest’s, they will treat you nicely too and will leave feeling even better than when they arrive. If you challenge their values, however, they will be rude or mean. Learning to identify other people’s values will bring you success at work (and in the home too!). It reduces conflict and enables you to be truly caring. Doing things for people is NOT caring. Doing things that they value is caring! Take the scenario of a couple arriving at a resort. He is a keen golfer and his wife loves beauty and fitness. If there is a golf course he will feel his needs are being met to some extent. If, however, there is a major golf championship taking place somewhere in the world and he is unable to watch it on tv because they don’t carry sports channels on tv – then he will feel upset and will leave feeling worse than when he arrived!
In order for the guest to leave feeling better than when he arrived, therefore, in addition to all the usual things a hotel offers – ie eye contact, smile, greeting, guest name, escorting them wherever possible, resolving guest problems, having a positive attitude, using guest names, and being proactive and knowledgeable etc – it is also important for them to feel their needs and values have been met.
For the employee to really give even more service to a guest too – it is of paramount importance that he/she also knows how each guest is fulfilling THEIR own highest values too!! Initially they may not see this but if the right questions are asked, to link how the hotel guest IS fulfilling their values and they can come up with more and more answers until there is actually a tear of gratitude as to why they are working there in the first place (because no one goes to work for a company! They go to work to fulfil their values); - then they will be more inspired to give a better service to clients who will then feel their values have been met also, and will again leave feeling better than when they arrived. This will also ensure maximum wellness among employees. When an employee sees the link between how his work fulfils his values again, and again, and again – and he can’t wait to get up in the morning and do what it is he loves to do, then the guest can’t wait to get that service!
If the employees are taught the Demartini Method® (a method which some companies are now making compulsory for their staff to know and use) – it will improve performance at work, neutralise emotional charges (perhaps towards a guest, or another staff member), balance mental and physical reactions, reduce stress and resolve conflict, and thereby increase overall wellness of the employee.
Emotional wellness is also being grateful for what you already DO have in your life. If you’re not grateful for what you already have – why would the universe want to give you anything else? With regard to this point as far as maximum wellness of the employee is concerned – how much do the employees actually appreciate and are grateful for their jobs, and how much does the company really appreciate them? When employees feel valued – they are inspired, and when a person is inspired with what they are doing and enthusiastic working – it rubs off and creates a ripple effect and clients can feel it, go away feeling better and want to return also. When employees don’t feel inspired, however, it weighs the company down and costs them their life and health because anyone doing something they don’t love is affecting their physiology and creating symptoms and disease, which also has a knock-on effect with relationships. If their manager is not enthused, has no vitality and is not inspired either – then how can a company expect him to inspire his employees?!!
Another way to ensuring maximum wellness amongst employees is to empower them in the fundamentals of living health. What is the most important thing to know about health? Most people think it is diet. What if I asked you, however : “How long can you live without food?.... How long can you live without water?........ How long can you live without oxygen?”!!
Oxygen is the source of all energy in the body. If someone is feeling tired – more often than not it’s because there is not enough oxygen being pumped around the body. Physical movement and exercise would therefore help in the overall wellness of the employees. The key to health is energy and all energy comes from cells which only have energy if they have enough oxygen, nutrients, and avenues to eliminate waste. In order to maintain wellness in employees, therefore, and a body in balance – encourage them to eat nutritional foods moderately, foods that are more alkaline than acidic, and drink water as water is the largest single component of the body and our brains are approximately 80% water.
In conclusion, therefore, in order to ensure maximum wellness among employees :
- Ensure they feel their values are being met by doing the job they are doing, that they are appreciated at work, and that they are thankful and grateful for their positions:
- Ensure they know how to use the Demartini Method® to diffuse any potential stresses, conflicts, or perceived challenges, and insist each employees use it on each other also so as not to infatuate with or resent - guests, managers, or colleagues;
- Ensure they know the “heart coherence” method which results in less wear and tear on the nervous system and also changes the body’s biochemical mix into one that is more beneficial to health and wellbeing;
- Ensure they are aware of healthy lifestyles (breath, water, food, aerobic power and physical movement).
As you can see, wellness is not just the food you eat, the exercises you do, or the spa treatments you have. It also includes your perceptions, emotions (which can age you if not in balance), and your lifestyle.
It may be wise, therefore, for the hotel and spa industry to begin introducing and incorporating methods to not only nurture and balance their guests and employees’ bodies, but also their minds.
