Nutrition on the Go: Helping Guests Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle When Traveling

Whether hitting the road on a new adventure or jetting off for a business venture, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a priority that many of today’s travelers carry with them on their trips. One of the biggest focuses of these health-conscious travelers is nutrition. By understanding traveler preferences, hoteliers can help their guests maintain their healthy habits when traveling—improving satisfaction scores and building loyalty.

Health is a driving force behind travel decisions.

The “wellness wave” made headlines as one of four driving forces behind global traveler behaviors in American Express Travel’s 2023 Global Travel Trends Report. More than 7 in 10 travelers are planning vacations to better their mental, physical, and emotional health in 2023, according to the report. This is true for younger generations, in particular. Among Gen Z and Millennial respondents surveyed for the American Express Travel report, 61 percent are prioritizing travel plans that focus on personal wellness versus 48 percent of respondents overall. The upcoming holiday season is no exception—a focus on personal health and wellness is motivating 23 percent of Gen Z and 17 percent of Millennial respondents to travel over the holidays, according to Deloitte’s 2023 Holiday Travel Survey.

Nutrition is important to health-minded guests.

In a 2022 BCD Travel report, business travelers ranked healthy eating as a preferred way to maintain their wellbeing while on a work trip—second only to communicating with family members and more popular than sleeping well and exercising. Most business travelers (60 percent) agreed that healthy food options are a hotel amenity that is important to their wellbeing and overall guest experience. In fact, healthy F&B options matter to most travelers across the globe—whether they’re on a business, leisure, or blended “bleisure” trip. In a 2023 SSP Group study, 67 percent of global travelers said that healthy F&B options are important to them when traveling.

Eating healthy on the road remains a challenge.

On-the-go lifestyles can make it difficult to eat balanced meals throughout the day. Consumers around the world are increasingly replacing meals with snacks to satisfy their hunger; 71 percent snack at least twice a day, according to a 2021 report by The Harris Poll, and more than half of households make a meal out of snacks on a weekly basis. Nutrition still matters to these consumers; the vast majority (68 percent) check nutrition labels on snacks before buying them. For busy guests pressed for time and unable to sit down to enjoy a full meal, providing convenient, nutritious, and portable snacks as meal alternatives can help them maintain their healthy lifestyles during their stay.

Snack bars provide nutritious meal alternatives.

The demand for foods that can be prepared quickly is growing, according to a 2021 Straits Research market report, and this has prompted the rise of a promising meal alternative: snack bars. Consumers favor nutritious bars for their portability and nutritional benefits; they are easy to enjoy on the go and help control hunger by providing a convenient source of energy, according to Straits Research. What’s more, many consumers view snack bars as a nutritious option that supports their health holistically; in a 2023 Circana study, 30 percent said they buy snack bars to help support their mental wellbeing, 35 percent said they help strengthen their immune system, and 34 percent said they help support a healthy digestive system. The variety of snack bar products on the market—including high-protein and vegan options—means that this category can cater to each consumer’s individual dietary needs and preferences.

Demand for snack bars is taking off, and as such, the global snack bar market is projected to reach $47.17 billion by 2030—up from $24.4 billion in 2021, according to Straits Research. Hoteliers can tap into this trend by offering a variety of relevant products across their minibars and grab-and-go marketplaces to satisfy guest demand for healthy options—and their hunger.