From Magpies to Babysitters: Cheat Sheet to Wellness Innovation in Hospitality

Does innovation always need to be technology-based? Also in wellness, or in hospitality? This question comes up often during discussions with hospitality, wellness or spa colleagues. Being intrigued by the issue did a quick Google search: almost every page of the top hits Google found was referring to some sort of technological innovation.

Working together with hospitality clients and running simulations with master students I believe this should not be the case.

Being somewhat pedantic about the actual meaning of innovation it is insightful to see how Slone compared innovation, invention and creativity:

Creativity is the capability or act of conceiving something original or unusual
Invention is the creation of something that has never been made before and is recognized as the product of some unique insight.
Innovation is the implementation of something new.

The innovation process starts with some ideas. New ideas may or may not be turned to inventions, inventions may or may not be turned to innovations, and above all, not every idea is creative!

Being Creative in Wellness

Creativity has been integral part of human development and growth. Creative thinkers have been looking for new things and ways of doing things in a different way. They are curious and this curiosity often leads to creativity, which is manifested in three different ways:

Thinking Differently– The cognitive or thinking aspect of creativity refers to the generation of new ideas. For example thinking differently about how relaxation, e.g. moving away from passive massages to approaches that actively involve the guests in the quest for relaxation, e.g. (self) guided meditative walks in the desert

Feeling Differently– The affective or emotional aspect of creativity represents the way one sees the world. Such creative approach may be represented in how ‘luxury’ in wellness is translated and consequently perceived. This can mean moving away from focusing on the tangible attributes, e.g. 24 carat Gold facials to approaches that put more focus on the intangible attributes, e.g. having a mud treatment out in the salt-planes whilst listening to seagulls, gazing at the clouds, and letting the mud dry naturally in the sun. Many guests will be perceiving such natural experience as utmost luxury. But of course, not all.

Focusing Differently– The conative or effort-based aspect of creativity represents the willpower. The conative form of creativity is not easy to be translated. For many wellness modalities guests are expected to show significant willpower or effort, e.g. to participate in a 7-day silent meditation retreat. Although most guests assume that would have the needed willpower, many may experience some degree of failure, e.g. they may break the silence early because of the emotional overload.

Invention vs Innovation

The most important difference between innovation and invention is the manifestation of the fundamental idea:

The invention process requires the creation of an idea, whereas
Innovation assumes that the idea can be turned into something real and consequently this new idea finds its way to the public as a product or as service.

To make it simple the inventor comes up with the idea, whereas the innovator turns it into business and implements it.

Inventing may be easier than innovation. Ideas could easily appear to be creative and suggest great outcomes and financial results. During the innovation process, however, most of these ideas may not be survive the reality check phase, e.g. could be too expensive to be implemented or to be offered on a permanent basis.

Let us think no further than the favourite cartoon characters, Wallace & Gromit, and Wallace’s endless inventions ! He is an inventor but none of the seemingly great ideas found their ways to implementation. However funny they were!

The term innovation appears to be used a little too often both in PR articles or in website blurbs. Several hospitality brands or properties refer to their latest treatment or service as wellness innovation. Theoretically innovations require new ideas and creativity and then successful implementation. Just because a new massage bed, a new blend of essential oils or a well-established yet seemingly exotic holistic ritual is introduced to a property or to a brand that does not automatically makes it innovative.

Wellness has been always part of every practices. May not have even been called wellness. People have been incorporating all sort of practices to their everyday life aiming at happiness, health, harmony, reassurance or personal growth! Most of these practices and rituals are rather simple from fasting to chanting. Other communities could easy find these practices as exotic, creative or innovative. Does this sound familiar? It is not unheard of that many of the recent rediscoveries of these traditions labelled as innovations.

Creativity is based on novelty. Still, we need to keep in mind that for a baby every is new! What is traditional or well established in one community could be perceived as very creative and new in another. The discovery of the new is one of the key drivers of travel and therefore essential to hospitality, too.

For example, the sauna ceremony or ritual as a product is being introduced to the North American market as a great innovation. Still, such ceremonies are staple components of any hot spring/thermal bath in every German-speaking country for many-many years. It was invented in Germany, and copied in other countries as innovation.

The Flow of InnovationInnovation is a popular topic both for industry thinkers and academic researchers. I was specially inspired by Max McKeown ’s work on innovation. Based on his approach the below Cheat Sheet for Wellness-focused Innovation in Hospitality was created. The innovation process and the composition of required characteristics at every stage is something hospitality developers and operators should all take note of.

The Magpies

As we know magpies are intrinsically curious birds. They go close, check and learn. Often pick up the subject of curiosity and add that to their collection. Innovation needs strong roots in curiosity. Ideas may be collected from any domain, industry, practice or tradition. In the innovation process Magpies have an essential role. They can collect seemingly not-wellness related ideas from the arts, from the IT sector and from different cultures, etc.

The key characteristic of a Magpie is the capacity of noticing ideas that may have future potential. Magpies need to be creative, intuitive, empathetic and foresighted.

The Magicians

The second step of the innovation process is what magicians can do. After collecting ideas with potential, the Magician transforms those ideas to something that could actually be feasible and check the idea’s elasticity. Future implementation of the Magie’s idea may require further adaptations and modification(s) to best fit the location, the brand or the market. Cultural attributes of guests, critical geographical settings or set brand characteristics can all require some degree of elasticity during the implementation process.

The key characteristics of Magicians are the capacity and skills of linking ideas with the real world. Magicians are creative as well grounded, flexible and practical.

The Explorers

During the next step of innovation, the Explorers investigate the potential application alternatives. They search for alternatives that can actually make a difference in terms of market presence and/or guest value generation. The idea may need to be checked in terms of its value added.

The key characteristic of an Explorer is the superior understanding and anticipation of existing and latent expectations, needs and wants of various market segments. at the same time they need to be fully aware of what the hotel/resort can actually implement. The need to know the property’s and/or brand’s limits. Explorers are realistic, driven and result orientated.

The Babysitters

A good babysitter in wellness innovation lets the implemented idea grow. Do not forget that growth may not actually mean exponential and/or material growth. It could mean a more mature, streamlined, tested, crystallized version of the idea, but not necessarily more of the idea.

The key characteristic of the Babysitter is having superb oversight of how the idea performs, how the organization copes with the delivery and what the idea contributes to the bottom line, to the brand or to the guests’ wellbeing. Babysitters are patient, understanding, as well as flexible and problem solving.

Let’s Innovate!

Let’s take the example of contrast therapies, i.e. using hot and cold modalities, e.g. saunas and steam combined with cold plunges and ice rooms. Is this a new idea in any way or form? Not really. Potentially relevant to hotels and resorts? Yes, they are. What would the Magpie, Magician, Explorer and Babysitter need to do to turn this idea innovation? Let’s see some of the key tasks and questions our four innovators need to complete in a situation where the management does not want to invest in technology and equipment but wants to upgrade wellness services with something that is popular.

Idea:

Building on contrast(s) in wellness offering at hotel setting

Magpie:

Existing contrast-based approaches from thermalism to cryochambers?

What does contrast mean in other domains, e.g. in arts, music, food? What is ‘thermal taster status ’?

The Magpie’s suggestion: Explore the combination of contrasting drinks with hot/cold provision.

Magician:

What contrasting options may be relevant complementing existing wellness offers and infrastructure?

Can the ‘thermal taster status’ help with creating matching F&B to wellness provision?

Magician’s suggestion: Thermal tasters provide drinks offered at different temperatures aiming at different tastes and sensation.

Explorer:

Which foods/drinks may complement and perfect existing therapies and hot/cold room sessions?

Which other departments may be involved in wellness provision based on contrasts?

What is the initial reaction to the test users?

Explorer’s suggestion: F&B creates not only colt, but also cold drinks that compliment wet spaces/thermal circuit and are offered at certain times of the day, i.e. turning a visit to the circuit a special event

Babysitter:

How does the protocol look like? Does it comply with brand standards?

How can staff implement the protocol?

Is there a seasonal variation option?

Babysitter’s suggestion: Offering upto 3 different cold drinks with sauna and steam room sessions, and 1 hot drink after cold plunges/cold rooms at 4 different times of the day

The Bottomline

Wellness at hospitality setting can come in all that many ways and forms. Innovation may mean the introduction of a new wellness equipment, the creation of a signature treatment but also can mean a whole ritual that may take several hours, or even days.

The results of the innovation process should be evaluated beyond financial results. This realisation is critical. In wellness it is ill advised to measure everything in numbers, e.g. TrevPARs, ADRs or other well established measures in hospitality. Whereas numerical measures would be part of KPIs, OKRs, i.e. Objectives and Key Results can shed light on rather different aspects of the results.

Wellness is not easily measure by numerical variables since it is based on perceptions, feelings and emotions. Every role in the innovation process needs to understand this very nature of wellness, otherwise they would focus on something that may be important but not essential.

Hospitality, wellness or spa operators tend to expect their staff to come up with innovative ideas. This expectation, however, may represent an unwelcome burden to staff. They are highly skilled professionals, but their mindset may not be geared to fit any of the four innovation roles.

Make sure that in your team tasked for innovation you have a Magpie, a Magician, an Explorer as well as a Babysitter. The smallest and the simplest idea can become a well-received innovation in hospitality. Do not assume that innovation must be based on expensive technology. It may, or may not. Talk to your Magpie first, and check what shiny thing they collected!

Reprinted from the Hotel Business Review with permission from www.HotelExecutive.com.