Andrew Gibson: Integrating ‘imperceptible wellness’ through design is more important than ever

by Jane Kitchen | 25 Jan 2016

Andrew Gibson, vice president of spa & wellness for FRHI – parent company of hotel brands Swissotel, Raffles and Fairmont – has said wellness in hotels is beginning to move beyond the confines of spa.

Speaking last week at the London Health Show about design trends in the spa industry, Gibson highlighted how everything from air quality to lighting to building materials can affect the experience of guests.

“This is a rapidly changing market,” said Gibson. “Wellness is no longer a basement operation – the whole hotel is about wellness. Wellness is not just treatments and services you provide to guests.

"If you can deliver an experience that gives a positive effect on all five of the senses, then you get that sixth sense of harmony and balance, where everything feels right just walking in, and there’s a positive energy in the hotel.”

Because of this, said Gibson, more and more of his work is helping design departments integrate wellness throughout the hotel through what he calls “imperceptible wellness.”

With Swissotel, Gibson said the focus is on wellness through fitness, while with Raffles, it’s the “overall feeling” of the hotel, and Fairmont stresses the socialisation aspect of wellness.

“You can walk out feeling more healthy than when you walked in,” he explained.