PCH Hotels & Resorts

Taylor Fields

Taylor Fields, Corporate Director of Spa at PCH Hotels & Resorts, transformed a spa attendant role into a dynamic leadership career, driving guest satisfaction and award-winning spa performance across multiple properties while promoting wellness, innovation, and operational excellence in hospitality.

Driving Wellness across PCH Resorts

Wellness travel is no longer confined to the spa. Today’s luxury guests are seeking restorative experiences that extend far beyond massage tables and facials. The most forward-thinking resorts are shifting their perspective, looking past the treatment room and into the guest room. This evolution in hospitality represents a meaningful opportunity: not just to enhance the guest experience, but to increase profitability.

One of the most impactful yet often overlooked wellness touch points is quality sleep. Time and again, wellness travel trends point to sleep as a foundational element of a truly restorative stay. It’s also one of the most measurable: improved sleep directly correlates with higher guest satisfaction scores and repeat visitation.

Luxury properties are leaning into this insight with thoughtful, targeted enhancements. Sleep-balancing mattresses, blackout drapery, and aromatherapy features like eucalyptus or lavender showers can transform a standard room into a sanctuary of rest. These subtle shifts don’t require a full renovation, yet they dramatically elevate the overall guest experience. This is where wellness design becomes a strategic asset.

“Wellness doesn’t end at the treatment room door, it lives in every corner of the guest experience”

Some destinations are taking it a step further by introducing wellness suites, specially curated accommodations with features such as air purifiers, circadian lighting, yoga props, meditation corners, or in-room sound therapy. These spaces speak directly to the wellness-minded traveler, offering the comfort and tools they need to maintain their personal routines while away from home.

More importantly for hoteliers, wellness suites often command a higher Average Daily Rate (ADR), and the return on investment can be swift. Studies show that wellness and spa customers spend 170% more than the average transient traveler. In essence, these guests are not just looking for a place to stay, they’re looking for a place to restore. If you can attract them, they will spend.

From Attendant to Spa Leader

One of our most successful initiatives at PCH Hotels & Resorts has been optimizing our existing spa customer’s guests who are already committed to our brand and demonstrate wellness-focused behavior. These guests don’t require the heavy incentives typically needed to book higher-tier accommodations. They’re already engaged; all you need to do is offer the right room experience that aligns with their values.

A particularly effective strategy is to drive transient room nights through targeted wellness suite offers. Because the spa guest is already on property and emotionally invested in their wellness journey, upgrading them to a wellness suite becomes a natural extension not a sales pitch. This simple shift in positioning has not only increased ADR, but also contributed to stronger guest loyalty and improved overall satisfaction.

However, deploying wellness offerings into guestrooms is not a “set it and forget it” operation. Maintaining these wellness features requires a new layer of operational awareness. It’s crucial to ensure that all technology integrations like signage or smart bed technology remain connected and functional. Aromatherapy shower sprays need to be refilled and cleaned. Signage and wellness collateral should be in place and in good condition. Housekeeping and engineering teams must be trained to maintain the integrity of these special touches, as any misstep can quickly diminish the perceived value.

Understanding your customer is another vital piece of this puzzle. Not every wellness traveler is the same. Some are deeply committed to health and mindfulness, while others are simply looking for a more relaxing and restorative escape. Creating room packages or experiences that cater to different levels of wellness engagement allows properties to attract a broader audience without diluting the brand promise. Data from spa bookings, purchase history, and past stay patterns can be invaluable in targeting the right customer with the right wellness room offering.

Ultimately, integrating wellness into the luxury guest experience isn’t just about adding products or services it’s about aligning your strategy with the evolving expectations of today’s traveler. It means treating the guest room as an extension of the spa, and recognizing that wellness doesn’t end at the treatment room door.

The modern luxury traveler is seeking more than indulgence they’re seeking balance, rest, and rejuvenation in every corner of their stay. By embracing wellness as a core design and operational philosophy, resorts have the opportunity to both delight their guests and drive significant revenue growth.

Because when wellness becomes part of the room experience, everybody wins.