We spoke with Paul Hawco, Executive Global Director of Integrated Wellbeing at Banyan Group, about wellness philosophy, future plans, and evolving preferences in luxury travel.
Paul Hawco is a globally recognized leader in the wellness and hospitality industry, currently serving as Executive Global Director of Integrated Wellbeing at Banyan Group. In this role, he spearheads the development and implementation of innovative wellness strategies across Banyan Group’s diverse portfolio of luxury resorts, spas, and wellbeing experiences.
With three decades of experience in the international spa and wellness sector, Mr. Hawco has built a reputation for driving transformative wellness concepts. He is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the global wellness space. Prior to joining Banyan Group, he held senior leadership roles at Rosewood, Fairmont, and Jumeirah Group. His expertise spans spa operations, integrative wellness programming, and strategic brand development, making him a key figure in shaping the future of hospitality-driven wellbeing.
We spoke with Paul Hawco and Banyan Group about wellness philosophy, future plans, and evolving preferences in luxury travel.
Please talk about your career and the path that led you to what you are doing today.
Paul Hawco (PH): I have been in hospitality for three decades and it has been my entire career. I came from a background in massage therapy and fitness training, starting out in hotel spas, progressing from Therapist to Director, and eventually took on group level roles to drive corporate wellbeing programmes for a number of global hospitality companies.
Please talk about your role and what it entails.
PH: As Director of Integrated Wellbeing, I lead the strategic vision and execution of the Group’s wellbeing portfolio. This includes our hotel spa operations as well as standalone and third-party spa management contracts, the Banyan Spa & Wellbeing Academy, as well as the overall wellbeing initiatives, programmes, and experiences for our guests and associates.
Banyan Group has big plans for 2025. What can you tell us about these?
PH: 2025 is shaping up to be an incredibly exciting year, with multiple projects and touchpoints that will amplify our commitment to wellbeing. This includes enhancements to the wellbeing journey for our flagship Banyan Tree brand (which will be revealed in a few months), the wellbeing-centric guest journeys across our portfolio, the international expansion of the Banyan Spa & Wellbeing Academy, as well as the continuous innovation and pioneering of new wellbeing concepts and approaches. We are particularly excited to introduce new programmes that will be available for our guests to book across selected resorts.
What is Banyan’s wellness philosophy?
PH: We believe that we are all interconnected, through our relationship with ourselves, with others, and with nature. This philosophy is woven into the very fabric of Banyan Group’s wellbeing offerings, which are designed to foster connection and rejuvenation. Each journey is carefully crafted around our proprietary 8 key pillars — Rest, Groundedness, Connection, Movement, Nourishment, Purpose, Vitality, and Mindfulness — which serve as a holistic framework for our guests’ wellbeing, while always staying true to our ethos of authenticity and sustainability. Our benefit-oriented treatments are designed to nurture holistic wellbeing at every stage, ensuring that guests’ journeys extend beyond their stay.
How does Banyan Group go beyond traditional spa services to create a holistic wellness experience?
PH: Banyan Group goes beyond traditional spa services by integrating spa experiences with a broader approach to wellbeing. Our mission is to guide guests on their wellbeing journey, helping them achieve their goals and inspire lasting change. From immersive wellbeing programmes to nature-based therapies, we are committed to inspiring a deeper connection to self, others, and the world around us. We offer a variety of modalities, including hot and cold therapies, rainforest treatments, movement classes, and mindfulness practices, ensuring that the integration of Spa and Wellbeing provides a transformative experience. By combining diverse therapies with the natural environment, we create a comprehensive approach to wellbeing that nurtures and balances every aspect of the individual.
Are there any unique wellness programs or treatments that Banyan Group has introduced recently that you’re particularly excited about?
PH: Wellbeing is one of Banyan Group’s core pillars. It is ingrained in our culture and operations, and is woven into the guest experience across our portfolio of brands.
First launched in 2020, the Banyan Tree Wellbeing Sanctuary is a villa category within selected Banyan Tree hotels and resorts that come with additional wellbeing offerings, such as personalized activities, spa treatments, and curated dining, allowing guests to integrate wellbeing into their stay while also enjoying the broader resort offerings.
As the notion of wellbeing becomes increasingly integrated in our everyday lives, we see that guests also seek out more value-aligned experiences and appreciate when they can continue their habits and routines during their holidays. The Wellbeing Sanctuary will remain one of Banyan Tree’s signature experiences and, I am particularly excited about the plans we have to progressively roll out more of them across Banyan Tree hotels and resorts globally.
Can you talk about the new affluent traveler and how the market is changing? How has Banyan Group adapted to meet changing guest expectations?
Banyan Group (BG): We continue to see rising demand and evolving preferences in luxury travel.
Countries like China and Japan are experiencing a resurgence in luxury tourism, particularly among younger, affluent travelers. As younger demographics enter the luxury market, they are reshaping expectations. They value authenticity, eco-consciousness, and experiential stays over traditional luxury markers. They are seeking travel options that better align with their lifestyle preferences and values (e.g. wellbeing and sustainability-focused).
The Middle East also continues to be a growth engine, with increased interest in immersive, wellbeing-focused experiences from both local and international travelers.
Our pioneering spirit, rooted in the core pillars of wellbeing and sustainability, drives us to continuously develop and refine design-led experiences that encourage new ways for travelers to connect with the world, and cater to evolving guest expectations.
What role does technology play in your guest experience?
BG: We embrace technology and integrate it thoughtfully to enhance service delivery. For example, our digital concierge and online customer service streamline guest services, offering personalized recommendations and quick responses, while always allowing room for human interaction.
We recognize that while technology can help reshape parts of the guest experience (with enhanced efficiency and personalization), the human touch remains essential. And our associates remain central to the guest experience, ensuring the technology supports rather than replaces genuine connections.
Embracing technology while maintaining a service philosophy that is rooted in empathy, mindful attention and active listening, ensures that we remain both efficient and authentic, honouring our commitment to being truly present with every guest.
What strategies has Banyan Group employed to diversify revenue streams, and how important are wellness and ancillary revenue to the overall business model?
BG: Overall revenue streams include hotel investments, fee-based services (inclusive of hotel management, spa, wellbeing and gallery, design and other services), as well as residences segments. Diversification has been vital to the Group’s resilience – in offerings and market mix. We have been able to expand our key feeder markets in tandem with the diversification of brand offerings and operating footprint.
PH: On Spa and Wellbeing operations, we are expanding our offerings and consequently, revenue, with the increased focus on offering wellbeing programmes and experiences to meet guest demands across the portfolio.
We are also growing our global wellbeing practitioner teams to elevate our holistic wellbeing offerings with specialised classes, workshops and dedicated retreats as part of the stay experience that guests can book.
To further diversify, the Banyan Spa and Wellbeing Academy has also developed guest-facing classes and workshops provided for groups, private events, and as an offering within our hotel’s activities calendar.
We know sustainability is important at Banyan Group. Can you share a specific example of a sustainability initiative at Banyan Group that has had a measurable impact?
Banyan Group’s founding ethos of ‘Embracing the Environment, Empowering People’ aligns with global travellers who are increasingly seeking more meaningful and authentic experiences, while our ‘Brand for Good’ framework ensures that the organisation is aligned in our commitment to making meaningful impact and driving sustainable development.
Understanding that sustainability is about cultivating a shared future that protects our planet and makes a real difference in the lives of people, the Group’s range of initiatives and commitment to our founding ethos sets us apart as a pioneer of sustainable hospitality. (For more information on Banyan Group’s sustainabililty efforts and to view the 2023 Sustainability Report click here.)
What are you excited about for the industry as a whole?
PH: I am most excited to see our guests’ increasing interest in their personal wellbeing, and the influence that our wellbeing philosophies have on their lifestyle long after they leave our resorts and spas. Wellbeing-focused concepts are becoming a mainstay in hospitality and I am also very excited about the possibilities and opportunities for those working in the industry, as well as the evolution of experiences that guests will benefit from.
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