Jimmy & Kathleen LeSage, Owners of New Life Hiking Spa
Requirements being implemented to be able to be considered a WellHotel® will only help the wellness tourism industry and have it grow in quality of service provided, not just quantity of hotels and spas that simply state they are wellness focused.
Mendon, Vermont (PRWEB) April 19, 2016
Founded in 1978, New Life Hiking Spa has been a pioneer in destination spas which is now considered “Wellness Tourism”. New Life has become internationally recognized in this flourishing industry as an authentic, all-inclusive, affordable and award-winning wellness vacation over the past four decades and it is fitting that it is the first WellHotel® in America. There are currently 13 WellHotel® Certified hotels in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory.
Travel Weekly recently focused on the wellness travel boom. Baby Boomers accelerated the wellness travel growth, but GenXers and Millennials are fast becoming the growing consumers. According to a recent industry survey, they are all looking for vacation options that include activities like hiking and weight loss programming.
New Life Hiking Spa was founded by Jimmy LeSage, M.S., who has been at the helm of New Life as the Director for almost forty years. New Life’s early days consisted of guests primarily from New York City and Boston who wanted a health spa vacation. The business has more than doubled in the past decade due to substantial recognition in a variety of top media outlets and industry awards. New Life’s combination of impeccable wellness programming, outstanding customer service and the ability to use Vermont’s beautiful landscape for outdoor exercise, garners this esteemed spa a return guest ratio of over 40%. It welcomes over 750 guests a year from around the globe.
Within the past decade, Health Magazine touted New Life Hiking Spa as one of America’s Four Great Weight Loss Spas and the Huffington Post, SELF Magazine, AARP, Travel + Leisure and Rand McNally have all listed New Life as one of the top health and wellness vacations. New Life was the winner of a 2015 Wellness Travel Award by SpaFinder Wellness 365® and has been the #1 ranked spa on the annual Top 100 Spas listing by Spas of America for 2014 & 2015.
“With such rapid growth in wellness tourism, it represents some challenges in the industry,” states Kathleen LeSage, President of New Life Hiking Spa. “It is outstanding that wellness is now at the forefront of people’s minds when planning vacations. However, with that growth, also comes the need to have a certification process and complete wellness training in place. Hotels, resorts and spa retreats need to do more than just offer a yoga class, there needs to be training on how to truly take care of the unique needs of the wellness tourist and a litmus test on the company history. We are extremely pleased to be the first WellHotel® in the country and look forward to seeing the growth of this industry. Requirements being implemented to be able to be considered a WellHotel® will only help the wellness tourism industry and have it grow in quality of service provided, not just quantity of hotels and spas that simply state they are wellness focused”, Mrs. LeSage went on to say.
About New Life Hiking Spa
New Life is open each year from mid-May through the beginning of October when hiking is at its peak. Known for its exhilarating hiking program, a world renowned weight loss retreat, delicious healthy meals and a comfortable atmosphere, New Life Hiking Spa offers the chance to experience the peace of the outdoors in a down-to-earth, country inn environment. It is ideally suited for small groups, couples or individuals trying to improve their wellness level and healthy habits. New Life is open each year in the Mendon/Killington area and offers a variety of vacation options including a 2-4 day mini-getaway, a 5-10 day Jump Start Program and an 11-day or longer Weight Loss Retreat.
About the WellHotel® Certification Program
WellHotel® Certification, developed exclusively for the hospitality industry, was designed to enhance the operations of hospitality related businesses: Hotels, Resorts and Spas. This designation certifies that hotels have the proper infrastructure in place to cater to the unique needs of health & wellness tourists, or guests that may engage in wellness services while traveling. The WellHotel® Certification Program was developed by the Medical Tourism Association®, the first membership-based international nonprofit trade organization for the medical tourism and healthcare industries.
