Technogym
Technogym
Technogym

The last word

Mia Kyricos

Hyatt Hotels Corporation has committed to developing wellbeing initiatives for both guests and the people it employs. Its global head of wellbeing explains why Well Home matters


As someone who’s worked in wellness for the last two decades, I can’t help but think that we’re living in amazing times.

Wellness is no longer a fad which is dictated to us on the cover of a magazine. It’s a global movement which the hands of time have no chance of turning back.

It’s about a shared desire to live healthier, longer and more fulfilling lives than those before us. It spans multiple generations, and fortunately, is fueled by a greater awareness and understanding of the science behind it.

I’ve been watching this shift for quite some time. Earlier in my career, I was focused on the luxuries of travel, including the development and operation of spa facilities around the world.

It was there I learned about health and wellness and began to contemplate what the implications might be for all of us, if only we had access to the same support.

Later I gained insights into the health and wellness of sedentary people, partnering with the executive teams of corporations who were driven by the desire to reduce employee healthcare costs.

Our focus was on the nutritional, physical, emotional and mental health of each individual, but we paid less heed to the environments within which people worked and lived.

Fast forward to 2013 when I had the privilege to work alongside a small group of individuals at the Global Wellness Institute who identified and defined “wellness tourism” – travel associated with maintaining or enhancing your personal wellbeing – as a sector of the economy that was growing twice as fast as global tourism.

While this was a great moment in time for those of us who worked in travel, I began to wonder what would happen if we shifted our focus from where people would only visit, to where they call home.

Now, years later, we’ve started to look at the houses, buildings, and communities within which we all live, and as it turns out, I haven’t been the only one thinking along these lines.

For years, I’ve watched the team behind Well Home bring magazines to market and the forefront of our industry that have been professionally and personally meaningful to me – from spa and wellness and health and fitness to architecture and design. I’ve looked to them to help make sound business sense from advancements in these fields, complemented by changes in society at large. Today is no different.

Well Home has been designed to showcase and explain what it means to live well, with care for the environment that surrounds us and respect for the fact that how we move, fuel, play and think are not the only things that affect our wellbeing.

We’re now smart enough to know that it’s the environments we choose to surround ourselves with that impact our health and wellness, and thanks again to our friends at Leisure Media, who will now help to teach us how.

So sit back, grab a healthy beverage and enjoy the magazine. And let’s toast to a well world together.

Mia Kyricos is senior vice president and global head of wellbeing for Hyatt Hotels Corporation and founding chair of the Wellness Communities Initiative for the Global Wellness Institute.

Mia has also served as Senior Leader and strategic advisor for wellness-driven hospitality, tourism, travel and healthy lifestyle companies globally.

Follow her on Twitter @mkyricos

featured supplier
Featured Supplier: CSI Design Expo Americas 2024 announces new Attractions & Entertainment Technology Zone
Cruise Ship Interiors (CSI) invites cruise lines, shipyards, design studios, outfitters, and suppliers to take part in CSI Design Expo Americas in Miami, Florida, the region’s only event dedicated to cruise ship interior design.
company profile
Company profile: bbspa_Group
In an extremely competitive world where clients have ever increasing demands, creating a successful wellness and spa project is more and more complex. To help you differentiate yourself and protect your investments, we founded bbspa_Group, a global consulting company dedicated to wellness and spa projects, which puts the focus on your success.
Try cladmag for free!
Sign up with CLAD to receive our regular ezine, instant news alerts, free digital subscriptions to CLADweek, CLADmag and CLADbook and to request a free sample of the next issue of CLADmag.
sign up
features
Euphoria Retreat
"Come to Euphoria Retreat if you’re looking for a full health-boost, you’ll leave feeling completely rejuvenated"

Wellbeing Escapes and Well Home have partnered to bring you this special offer for the Euphoria Retreat in Greece

The Gilder Center’s curved interior walls
Jeanne Gang studied at the University of Illinois and Harvard Graduate School of Design
"Understanding science is so important. People are denying climate change. It’s a crisis"

The architect behind the American Museum of Natural History’s major new wing on idealism and the potential of design

The towers’ punched window openings reference the area’s historic industrial buildings
Thomas Christoffersen
"We were rooted in the traditions of Danish design, but inspired by what was happening elsewhere."

On the journey from being Bjarke Ingels' first intern to BIG partner

Catalogue Gallery
Click on a catalogue to view it online
To advertise in our catalogue gallery: call +44(0)1462 431385
features
The i360 opened in August following 11 years of development
Julia Barfield and David Marks also designed the London Eye
"This is the first of these towers, but it might not be the last"

The challenges of designing Brighton's i360

The double height living and dining room provides a space for the whole family to gather
"If you look closely at the walls, they almost look like layers of the Grand Canyon. When you use rammed earth, you get wavy lines where the material has been compacted"

Well building guru Jason McLennan opens his home and shares his thoughts about environmental design with Well Home

Target Fields is easily accessible on foot and by public transport – an important part of the brief
Earl Santee
"I spend a tremendous amount of time in the towns and cities I work in. I try to experience them like the people who live there do"

A well-designed sports stadium can completely transform a community, but it’s vital to ensure it feels authentic, says Populous principal Earl Santee

features
Mike Davies with the original competition model of the Pompidou Centre from the 1970s
"The building concept was radical, the construction was radical and the design detail was unlike anything else seen in France"

As the Pompidou Centre turns 40, one of its designers looks back on a radical age

Ingels at the launch of Kaspar Astrup Schroder’s BIG Time documentary earlier this year
“If BIG had been founded for one project, it would have been Lego House,” says Ingels
"We want to take responsibility and initiative in giving form to our future"

The BIG founder talks about Lego House Mars Science City and the role of his team in BIG’s success

The group designed a high-tech space for Omnia at Caesar’s Palace
David Rockwell
"For me it’s about constantly recreating an environment in which you’re willing to not know the answer"

From Nobu Restaurants and Ian Schrager’s latest hotel to Imagination Playgrounds and the set design for The Rocky Horror Show, US architect and designer David Rockwell always keeps it fresh. He tells us the secrets of his creativity

cladkit product news
Eco Resort Network conference to convene in Mauritius this May
The event will be hosted in the Mauritius in 2024
Megan Whitby
Hospitality industry event Eco Resort Network is set to take place at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel, Turtle Bay, Mauritius, from ...
Alberto Apostoli and Newform collaborate to launch the A.Zeta showerhead
The showerhead offers two modes; rainfall or waterfall
Megan Whitby
Italian architect Alberto Apostoli has renewed his partnership with Newform – an Italian wellness company – and designed A.Zeta. A.Zeta ...
Siminetti unveils iridescent decorative panelling range inspired by plants
The Clematis design
Megan Whitby
The Botanicals is Siminetti’s newest Mother of Pearl decorative panelling collection, inspired by the distinctive patterns found in botany and ...
cladkit product news
Koto Design introduces wood-fired hot tub
Koto is known for crafting modular, energy-neutral cabins and homes
Katie Barnes
A striking wood-fired hot tub has been unveiled by Koto, an architecture and design studio which has a passion for ...
Mather & Co and ITV unite to create Coronation Street Experience
Mather & Co has transformed the visitor centre into the ultimate haven for ardent Coronation Street viewers
Magali Robathan
Experience designers, Mather & Co, have orchestrated a remarkable collaboration with ITV to unveil the new Coronation Street Experience, a ...
Jaffe Holden helps bring Academy Museum of Motion Pictures alive
Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics for the Academy Museum
Magali Robathan
Acoustical consulting firm Jaffe Holden provided architectural acoustics and audio/video design services for the recently opened Academy Museum of Motion ...
cladkit product news
Codelocks develops new glass door smart lock
The new lock model allows facilities and building managers to create and manage access via an app or online portal
Megan Whitby
Codelocks has launched its first glass door smart lock to bring intelligent access control to modern spa, leisure, fitness and ...
Eden project uses drones to spell out climate change warning
Magali Robathan
Almost 300 drones were used to signal an environmental message above the Eden Project’s biomes, during the UN Climate Change ...
Alberto Apostoli designs tech-forward Wellness Therapy furniture collection for Varaschin
The furniture collection draws on absolute geometries, pure lines, neutral colours and strong references to nature
Megan Whitby
Furniture manufacturer Varaschin has unveiled the new Wellness Therapy range, designed by Italian spa and wellness architect and designer Alberto ...
Technogym
Technogym