After hours spent vacation planning, Robin Ruiz's wellness-oriented parents arrived at their resort and headed to the gym for a workout.
Robin Ruiz
But instead of the array of fitness amenities the property had marketed, they found a single, dusty treadmill from the 1980s.
"That really does not speak to an authentic wellness property," said Ruiz, founder and CEO of certification organization Wellness in Travel & Tourism (WITT).
She said her parents' misadventure led her to "do some research on whether there was a governing body holding benchmarks for the industry."
The problem she identified was "wellness-washing," hotels misrepresenting themselves as wellness-focused without meeting basic standards. It prompted her to launch WITT in 2022.
The organization debuted its WITT Certified seal, billed as the industry's first wellness certification for hotels and resorts, in 2024. Last year, the organization joined forces with the Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) to further refine its benchmarks, with the pair rolling out their Core Wellness Standards for Hotels. (Ruiz also serves as president and CEO of the WTA, a trade group that relaunched as a for-profit entity in 2025.)
The standards establish 12 fundamental requirements across five pillars: healthy eating, holistic healing, nature integration, movement opportunities and local impact.
Properties applying for WITT certification complete a self-assessment form, then move to an audit and evaluation phase if they qualify. Application costs include a $750 flat fee as well as a membership fee that varies depending on room count.
Certification lasts three years before properties must undergo a re-audit. WITT uses a tiered system, and properties maintain a "WITT Certified" designation for the first three years, then advance to Gold (years four through six), Platinum (years seven through nine) and Diamond (10-plus years) upon successful recertification.
Properties are evaluated based on type and location, and the standards are designed to accommodate various property types and price points, from rustic eco-retreats to ultraluxe destination spas.
"We wanted to ensure that travelers at every socioeconomic stage could effectively travel for wellness," Ruiz said, adding that properties don't necessarily need top scores across all five pillars but must excel in at least several areas. "We're comparing apples to apples as best as possible."
The WITT Certified directory currently lists more than 150 properties globally, including the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge and AutoCamp Catskills in New York, Carillon Miami Wellness Resort in Florida, The Ranch Malibu in California, W Punta Mita in Mexico and Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai.
This month, WITT took its mission a step further with the launch of the WITT Accredited Professional credential, which the group said is the first global wellness accreditation created for hospitality professionals. According to Ruiz, the credential emerged from feedback WITT received while certifying properties over the past several years.
"The feedback that we were often getting from hoteliers was that they really wanted to do this," Ruiz said. "They wanted to immerse into the wellness travel space, but they didn't know how."
Wellness in Travel & Tourism's WITT Accredited Professional credential logo. Photo Credit: Wellness in Travel & Tourism
The $499, self-paced online program takes approximately 15 hours to complete and features modules, quizzes and community forums. Participants earn a digital badge, certificate and listing in a directory upon completion.
The program is targeted toward hotel and resort leadership, spa and wellness directors, operations teams, food and beverage staff, meetings planners, hospitality consultants, developers and architects.
Ruiz added that the credential has drawn particular interest from architects and designers, who view it as complementary to building-focused certifications like LEED and WELL.
"For designers and architects, wellness can't be an afterthought," she said. "Space for wellness amenities and programs must be intentionally planned and embedded into the property's ethos from the earliest design stages."
And while the WTA offers its own wellness travel specialist course that provides broader industry education, travel advisors focused on wellness travel could also benefit from WITT Accredited Professional certification, Ruiz added.
"This is an opportunity for those travel advisors who don't just want to book travel for their clients but really want to become almost like a coach," she said.