How to Find Your Wellness Property's Real Point of Difference
Last week I went to a tourism business networking event. I walked around and spoke to a few different places - in particular, a few different Ayurvedic resorts, hearing about what they do, how they operate, and the different opportunities they have. These weren't just spaces with a world-class health and wellness programme built personalised to each person. It also contained activities to places across the island, connecting to nature and other aspects of our wellbeing too.
After a couple of these conversations, I sat down with my third Ayurvedic resort. They started their pitch, showing me the beautiful property, and then said, “what makes us unique”, and explained the reason they were unique. But what struck me was that the reason they believed made them unique, was also available at every other space I'd spoken to that night. It was a great offer, but it couldn’t genuinely help them stand out.
What I took away from this (and you should to…) is that whenever you're positioning your space in the market, it's essential you're saying something that actually makes you unique, that makes you stand out, that shows people why you're different and why you're the right space for them. Not doing the same things everyone else does. That difference can live in the story itself, in the way you speak about your space and communicate it to people.
How to Find What Makes Your Hotel, Boutique Accommodation, Wellness Studio, Experience or Spa Unique
Think about the vision you have for this space. What’s the transformation you want guests to experience? There might be other transformations sitting alongside it, sure, but what's the core one underneath them all? What’s the one feeling you want people to leave with?
And how does that translate into the story that shows people why your space is unique? What are the cultural elements? What are the environmental elements? What is it about your wellness modalities and your wellness programme specifically that sets you apart from everyone else?
There are so many elements to wellness (some of which aren’t even unpacked by wellness spaces), and knowing exactly which ones you want to be part of you space, is what makes the difference. Aspects of wellness so often get missed from spaces, because the focus stays on mind, body, and soul. It's your connection to the environment. Your connection to people. And one that matters more than most: the ability to actually experience fun, just for the sake of fun, not for any other reason, just for that. All of the things that contain so much opportunity to make your space unique and yet so often missed.
Where to Start
Take 15 minutes today and write down the answer to this: what's the one feeling you want every guest to leave with, and what's the one story about your space that only you could tell, because it comes from something true about your place, your people, or your history, not from a service anyone else could offer too.
If you want to work through this, and test whether it holds up across your guest experience, programming, and marketing, book a free call so we can start mapping the unique story and experience you want for your guests.