How Hilton is Turning Corporate Travel Into Wellness Retreats

It used to be that attending a conference or traveling for a business meeting meant clocking long hours inside windowless rooms. But one hospitality brand is looking to change that. According to Hilton’s 2025 Trends Report, 25 percent of global respondents plan to travel more this year for “bleisure,” or the combination of business and leisure trips.

“Whether it’s tacking on a few days to unwind after a big meeting or weaving in moments of wellness between work commitments, today’s travelers are seeking stays that blend both productivity and downtime to make the most of their time on the road,” says Amanda Al-Masri, vice president of wellness, Hilton.

Photo: Conrad, Orlando. Courtesy of Hilton

This means designing more purposeful itineraries that include time between meetings for a workout or mindfulness session and a greater focus on rest, recovery, and overall well-being. In fact, the same report found that two in five global travelers select their hotel based on where they think they’ll get better sleep—a determining factor that Hilton has taken to heart.

Rest, Recharge and Repeat

“Sleep is a top priority, especially for business travelers who want to feel sharp and energized during the day and truly unwind in the evenings. But it goes beyond that, too,” says Al-Masri. “Today’s guests are looking for wellness experiences that are intuitive and accessible and help them maintain a sense of balance.”

Photo: Conrad, Orlando. Courtesy of Hilton

One way Hilton is investing in guests’ health and well-being is with their Wellness Rooms, which include thoughtful touches such as air purifiers, blackout curtains, aromatherapy, and recovery tools—all of which are intended to support a good night’s rest. Beyond sleep, the Wellness Rooms at Signia by Hilton Atlanta include fitness mats and meditation cushions, which pair well with the Calm and Peloton apps available through Hilton’s Connected Room Experience on in-room TVs.

At Hilton’s Conrad Orlando, guests who decide to stay in the Wellness Rooms are treated to curated tools such as Loftie sleep tech, Technogym kits, Normatec recovery systems, and aromatherapy showers—plus private lanai access to the spa’s Water Garden for hydrotherapy inspired-by Florida’s natural springs.

Wellness at Work

But the attention to rest and recovery extends beyond the guest rooms. Today’s event and conference organizers are also integrating Wellness Breaks throughout the entire meeting and event experience—whether it’s a group sound bath before the day gets started, specialty mocktails with adaptogens, aura cleansing and flower essences, mini-facials, mineral muscle treatments or a seated chair massage in between sessions.

Photo: Conrad, Orlando. Courtesy of Hilton

“We know that burnout is a serious problem for employers,” acknowledges Lindsay Neely, director of spa, wellness & retail at Conrad Orlando. “Meetings are often filled with long days and packed agendas for employees who may be both attending their conference and balancing work back at home, which actively contributes to burnout.”

To combat this problem, some groups even opt for Wellness Break Rooms for attendees, which are available to them at any time throughout the programming and serve as a place to “step away, reset and reconnect before rejoining their meeting,” she continues.

The Conrad Orlando also offers a variety of services tailored to travelers who are short on time but still want to incorporate wellness into their stays. In the spa, guests can take advantage of 20- or 50-minute Harmonic Wellness Lounger sessions involving a guided meditative state with vibroacoustic accompaniment. Each person selects their own meditation journey from a tablet and wears noise-canceling headphones during the experience.

Normatec air compression, LED light therapy, and/or marine eye patches can be added to sessions to customize the experience. The spa also offers a 30-minute Foot & Leg Rejuvenation Treatment using Medicine Springs magnesium oil to help relieve cramping, swelling, and fatigue.

Fitness Priorities

For remote-first companies that are looking to facilitate team building and make the most of their in-person time together, the Conrad Orlando offers group fitness classes, such as spin, yoga, and boot camps, as well as Beach Olympics, where teams compete in Olympic-inspired events, as well as the Build-A-Bike Challenge where teams go on a property-wide scavenger hunt in order to assemble a bike, which is then donated to a local family in need.

Photo: Courtesy of Dylan Calluy / Unsplash

“Creating spaces for meeting attendees to take a break and spend time on their personal wellness can play an important role in maximizing focus, engagement, and performance,” says Neely. “Employers who set aside time and space for their attendees to engage in wellness activations like meditation, yoga, spa services, and fitness classes share with us that they see it as a necessary way to reduce stress, improve mental focus, and increase positive feelings of attendees, which benefits both the organization and their employees.”