Wellness at meetings is moving beyond the fitness center and becoming part of the attendee experience.
In this episode of Smart Start Radio, Smart Meetings Multimedia Editor Eming Piansay speaks with Dan Shaughnessy, director of sales and marketing at Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina, about how planners can support the whole attendee. They explore floating sound baths, sleep kits, resilience rooms, puppy play breaks, coloring stations, outdoor activities and zero-proof cocktails.
Shaughnessy also discusses how quiet spaces, thoughtful communication, sustainable practices and neuroinclusive programming can help attendees rest, recharge and return ready to participate. Plus, he shares how the hotel’s 60,000 rooftop honeybees could become part of a future guest experience.
Further Resources
Global Wellness Institute’s Top 10 Trends
Marriott’s Meet with Momentum Dazzles with San Diego’s Event Magic
Wellness Tourism Association Releases Responsible Retreats Framework
Eming Piansay What if the most productive part of your next meeting was not another session, but a chance to float through a sound bath, color for a few minutes or play with puppies at Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina? Wellness is moving beyond the fitness center and becoming part of the meeting experience itself. From sleep kits and resilience rooms to zero-proof cocktails and rooftop honeybees, the hotel is exploring new ways to help attendees rest, recharge and return to the room ready to participate. Today on Smart Start Radio, I am speaking with Dan Shaughnessy, director of sales and marketing, about what meeting wellness can look like when planners start caring for the whole attendee.
[Smart Start Radio theme music]
EP Dan, thank you so much for being here today.
Dan Shaughnessy Thank you. It is good to be back. Thanks for the invitation. I appreciate it.
EP One thing I wanted to speak with you about is how meetings are becoming more thoughtful about health and wellness. When I visited, I heard about several ideas that were still in the pipeline. What has happened since then? How are you making meetings more thoughtful in that respect?
DS It is a trend that has gained a lot more traction over the past five years, and I think it will continue to grow. We are seeing wellness incorporated more often into meetings and events. It is also top of mind for leisure stays and for business travelers outside the meeting itself. We have a variety of offerings for individual stays through our amenities program, along with fitness opportunities. One example is a floating sound bath that is open to hotel guests.
EP That is one of the things I heard about. I really wanted to see it.
DS We recently hosted our first one, and it was very successful. We scheduled another, and it was almost sold out. We love it and want to do more. We also have a state-of-the-art fitness center with newly renovated equipment, but that is almost the price of entry for hotels now. When it comes to meetings and events, some wellness options require additional budget, while others can be incorporated into programming, often through food and beverage. We have leaned into wellness for both groups and individual guests.
EP Why is it important to expand beyond the traditional fitness center?
DS Hotels always have to evolve. We may already be serving food, setting rooms and providing audiovisual support well, but wellness is something we are hearing more requests for. It started largely with menu planning, including awareness of gluten-free and vegetarian needs. It has since expanded into what can happen during the program and what is available to attendees while they are here so they can recharge before returning to the meeting.
DS We quickly realized these offerings need to be available whether every guest uses them or not. Dietary considerations are now part of standard practice. When we create menus, we automatically consider gluten-free and vegetarian options, and we clearly label gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian selections. Ten years ago, that was not a routine part of chef planning. We want to stay ahead of these requests rather than play catch-up.
EP The food was especially good when I visited. I remember thinking I wanted to come back just for the food.
DS Thank you.
EP The hotel is very open, and the water is right there. It feels like a place where you can think beyond the event room itself. How do you use the indoor and outdoor environment as part of the experience?
DS We sit directly on San Diego Bay, and there is a beautiful boardwalk along the water. All day, you see people walking, biking, running and spending time outdoors. We try to lean into that. The floating sound baths take place in the pool area. We have hosted yoga on our marina terrace next to the bay, and we have another terrace on the third floor where we are considering yoga or another wellness activity. We have even discussed hosting pickleball there.
DS Wellness fits the Southern California culture and our San Diego location. Alongside other bookable hotel experiences, such as wine dinners, we make sure to include wellness experiences. We have hosted a roller rink, offered yoga and continued exploring new options. The location and weather give us the benefit of being able to do these things nearly year-round.
EP I think I brought the fog when I visited. I remember thinking, ‘I thought it was usually sunny in San Diego.’
DS You can definitely get some marine layer here, but it has been hot and sunny lately.
EP When people are hosting events, do they usually ask about wellness offerings? How much does that become part of the planning process?
DS It varies, and a lot depends on the attendee profile. Who is coming? What is the demographic? Are they fitness-oriented? Are they likely to stay out late and skip a 7 a.m. yoga class? Planners who know their attendees well and understand the need are usually the ones asking us to elevate what we can offer during the program or what guests can use during their downtime.
EP I saw that you offer sleep kits and other options to help guests recharge. What can planners incorporate if they want to support wellness without making it the entire focus of the event?
DS Sleep is at the top of the list for a healthy lifestyle. It helps the body recover, allows the brain to recharge and clears your mental state. We offer sleep kits for individual purchase with amenities such as eye masks and calming scents. During the day, planners can also provide quiet zones or other opportunities for downtime.
DS A planner could include sleep-related items in a welcome kit or make them available at a small attendee store or display. Many people do not sleep well in hotels, even if they are normally good sleepers. A few inexpensive items can show attendees that you care about their sleep quality.
EP I also read about something called a resilience room. What is that?
DS The resilience room is an option created through our destination management company, Hello! Destination Management. It is especially useful for a hotel without a full spa. A planner can use an extra meeting room or breakout room to create a soothing, quiet space. It might include weighted blankets, massage chairs, compression boots, puppy play breaks, coloring tables and bath salts or other small takeaways.
DS It can also be expanded with red light therapy, acupressure or chair massage. I like the base concept because it is open to everyone. Someone who is sensitive to spending a lot of time around people may need a break but may not have time to return to their guest room. They can go into the resilience room, put on headphones and decompress. It feels similar to the relaxation area at a high-end spa, built into the meeting program.
EP I need to circle back to the puppies. Where are the puppies, where do they live and how do they get there? Our office has at least three dogs, so we are very curious.
DS We do not have puppies stored at the hotel. Our destination management company works with a company that brings them in. They can do puppy yoga, where the puppies run around during the class, or puppy play breaks where attendees can enter a pen and spend time with them.
DS For many people, that is very recharging. They stop thinking about the meeting content and focus completely on the puppies. It changes their demeanor almost instantly. It may not sound like a traditional relaxation activity, but it is one for many people.
EP That is real. When dogs are running around our office, everyone takes a mental break and focuses on the dog. Are puppy experiences scheduled as part of events?
DS Yes. They are scheduled on demand, usually as a fun addition to a morning or afternoon break or as an activity before the meeting.
EP You also offer coloring. I can spend hours coloring, so I love that idea. Why did you decide to include it?
DS It is similar to the puppies because you focus on the activity and your mind clears. Even 15 minutes of listening to music or freeing your mind can help you return to the day feeling recharged. Coloring also has another benefit It can stimulate creativity.
DS When attendees are in sessions that require collaboration or creative thinking, coloring can have a spillover effect. It helps people relax, and they may return to the session more prepared to think creatively. Coloring tables can be placed inside a resilience room or in a foyer during a break. Adult coloring is fun and relaxing.
EP Are there other things people are asking for more frequently now than they did five or 10 years ago?
DS It is less about completely new requests and more about how frequently certain things are being requested. Sustainability is one of the biggest areas, and I see it as connected to wellness. Planners ask whether we have refillable water stations, what happens to leftover banquet food, where food is sourced and whether it is local.
DS Those questions are becoming more prevalent during preplanning and even site selection. We talk about sustainability and the fact that our ballrooms are LEED certified. Attendees want to understand the carbon footprint of a program, how emissions can be lowered and what the hotel is doing to help.
DS Marriott also has a global business-to-business offer through which planners may be able to receive additional Bonvoy points or have the carbon footprint of their event tracked and receive statistics afterward. That shows how much this area is growing. What you eat, where it comes from, hydration and reducing single-use water bottles all have ripple effects on wellness.
EP Since I last visited, are there ideas you hope to introduce in the near future?
DS Food and beverage is always evolving because generations and attendee bases are changing. Zero-proof cocktails are very popular, and younger generations are not drinking as much. Hotels and planners have to respond to that.
DS One unusual experience we hope to expand involves the 60,000 honeybees on our roof. We harvest about six gallons of honey every year and use it throughout the hotel, including on charcuterie, in honey walnut shrimp and in honey salmon. At one point, we even had a honey-infused beer made with honey from our bees.
DS We would like to make that program more visible and possibly create an experience where guests can put on a bee suit, see the hives or help extract honey. That is something we are excited to explore because it is unusual for a hotel.
EP I also want to mention that the mocktails were very good when I visited. They tasted amazing, and I was feeling very happy.
EP Is there anything I did not ask that you want to share with the Smart Meetings universe?
DS One additional area is planning for people who are neurosensitive. If an event has a broad attendee profile, planners need to think about how they communicate before the event and how they provide different ways for people to participate.
DS During the program, that might mean quiet rooms, spaces where attendees can step away or a livestreaming option for someone who wants to stay engaged but cannot remain with the larger group. It is about accommodating every attendee, just as we now account for gluten-free and vegan needs in food and beverage. The goal is to create an inclusive experience and give each person the best opportunity to participate in the way that works for them.
EP For people who want to host an event with you, where can they find more information?
DS The easiest option is to visit the hotel website. There is a meetings page where planners can submit requests. They can also call the hotel and ask for the sales department. We would be happy to assist.
EP Thank you so much, Dan. I really appreciate you being on the show.
DS My pleasure. It is always good to see you.
[Smart Start Radio theme music]
EP You have been listening to Smart Start Radio, a Smart Meetings production. Interested in being our next guest? Connect with us at [email protected].
