Noel Asmar

Sustainability is an issue dominating the global spa industry. Being in the textile industry, I’m only too aware of the complexities affecting its negative carbon footprint – which is more than all international flights and commercial shipping combined – and the daily truckloads of material sent to landfills.

It isn’t a simple task to recycle the high volume of uniforms, robes, towels and sheets used in hotels and spas. The durability of mixed fibres (used to withstand repeat wear and washings) and notions such as bare zippers, buttons and accessories all need to be managed, removed and sorted.

Over the past couple of years, my team and I have taken steps to manage our own textile waste and started asking operators what they do and it became clear that no established policies are in place.

That’s why we’ve launched Hospitality Lifecycle, an initiative to provide hotels and spas – regardless of whom they purchase their textiles from – access to practical, cost-effective solutions to safely and securely manage their textiles through global recycling experts.

Gone are the days when you can dump product in landfills or simply donate without environmental and financial costs.

Ian Bell

Having recently spent quite a bit of time in Ecuador, I’m struck by how much potential it has for spa and wellness development. The country has close to 300 spas and attracts up to 1 million wellness tourists each year, according to the 2018 Global Wellness Economy Monitor. This puts it on a par with Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic which are both smaller countries but which have much more established markets.

During our research, most spas we visited were very busy. Yet, they lacked intelligent and intuitive design (especially when it came to wet areas). The second missing factor was an authentic Ecuadorian spa concept, as nearly all of them focused on traditional European spas with an Asian twist.

Ecuador is not only incredibly rich in natural resources, it’s also steeped in ancient healing traditions – from shamen and curanderos (local healers) to fregadoras (traditional masseurs) and yerbateros (herbalists) – that already form a strong foundation to promote wellness in all its facets. Everything needed is there. It’s just waiting to be tapped into to unleash its potential.