Retreatmi.com was founded by Stacey Elizabeth Sharp, a STOTT Pilates teacher and nutritionist, with the aim of making wellness travel more accessible. Passionate about leading a healthy lifestyle, not only day-to-day, but specifically while travelling, she strives to make wellness travel less intimidating.
Bringing together unique locations, verified instructors and a variety of added services including massages, beauty treatments, culinary experiences, sport, fitness and plenty more, visitors can search RetreatMi.com to design, select and book their own custom wellness holiday or choose existing retreats around the world, all on a single website.
Tell us more about the concept behind RetreatMi.com.
RetreatMi is an innovative wellness travel platform that aims to encourage everyone to travel well. It appreciates that one size does not fit all. We focus on connecting small local businesses and professionals, pairing them with properties and additional services, so that you can curate your own wellness getaway and choose the activities and budget of your choice.
How do you partner with hotels? What are some of the properties you’re currently working with?
We like to partner with unique locations, whether that’s private properties, boutique hotels or hotels with specialist facilities. Our aim is to allow people to search properties by the wellness facilities they desire, whether it be yoga shalas, local activities, etc.
With years spent working in the wellness field, the Retreatmi.com team pay attention to the smaller details that make all the difference, ensuring you return feeling happier and healthier. While the site has options all over the globe that are handpicked by our expert in-house team, we also provide a wealth of UAE-based staycations allowing exploration without having to board a flight.
We’re also conscious of every budget and requirement, including family and pet-friendly options, plus catering to intolerances and allergies – so that the best and most carefully curated recommendations are generated in seconds.
How has demand for wellness increased? What sort of specific requests are you seeing in the market?
Wellness travel was on the rise before Covid-19 and now we’re seeing even more of an increase for domestic wellness travel. Customised and budget options seem to be the pattern these days, as well as a steady increase in more outdoor activities, rather than the usual popular spa breaks.
The Global Wellness Institute has the wellness travel sector estimated at $639 billion, with a growth rate of 6.5 per cent a year; that’s more than twice the growth rate of tourism overall. This year’s seismic shift in day-to-day life has greatly impacted how we view personal wellness, and now more than ever before, consumers are focused on their emotional, mental and physical health.
How are you competing with membership programmes, which offer easy access to wellness programming?
Retreatmi.com is a valuable solution as the world’s first custom-made retreat builder. We offer tools for people to find wellness providers within the travel market. The online platform is really a healthy adventure hub that makes planning wellness holidays and retreats across the globe hassle-free.
By bringing together unique locations, excellent instructors and a variety of added services such as massage and beauty treatments, culinary experiences, sport and fitness, and more, RetreatMi.com allows the traveller to search, curate, select and book a bespoke wellness holiday. Alternatively, you can choose from beautiful retreats around the world that suit you and your needs.
Has the shift to digital post-Covid inspired you to launch the website
No, we launched in November last year with our prototype. It was working for many years with clients of all different calibres and specialist needs that inspired RetreatMi.
The days of one-size-fits-all wellness travel are long gone. People now want more than just a cookie-cutter approach, as they have developed more personal ideas of what wellness means to them.
What’s in the pipeline?
Oh, lots to come, and it’ll all be up on our site. Think goal-driven trips that push urbanites out of their comfort zones, back to nature retreats that nourish the soul, and solo micro breaks that transform and engage through physical exploration.
Retreatmi.com gives people the chance to enjoy their break by exploring their talents, getting fit, detoxing, learning something new, or simply relaxing. As a comprehensive virtual hub, the site is also building on more news, information and expert advice from leaders in health, wellness and tourism across the globe.