Ooh la la LeSpa

zoom

Five years ago, as director of marketing, tourism and leisure products for French hospitality group Accor, Alain Masazza introduced the first spa concept into the Group's Sofitel hotel chain at its resort properties in Marrakech, Morocco and in Mauritius.

"When you have a resort, you have to have a spa," says Masazza, who is based in Paris, France. "We had a lot of success with the first spas, and from there we started to develop an urban spa for the hotel business, setting up a special spa department three years ago."

Masazza has since developed the concept to create the LeSpa brand, and as Sofitel has grown so too has LeSpa, with spa becoming more and more crucial to the overall hotel offer.

Around 60% of Sofitels have a spa and there are now 32 LeSpas worldwide, including the recently-opened LeSpa at The Palace, The Old Town, in Dubai, UAE - the first LeSpa in the Middle East.

"There are also spas managed by the owner or outsourced," says Masazza.

Now as director of spa for Sofitel, Masazza is committed to opening one spa a month as the chain embarks on a global brand relaunch and expansion. This involves the repositioning of the hotels under three new premium brands: Sofitel Legend, Sofitel and So.

"We have more than 50 spas in renovation or construction within the Sofitel network worldwide. They will be open between now and the end of 2009. Almost every week we get a new project; we are just opening so many Sofitels," says Masazza.

The expansion will increase Sofitel's presence in the Middle East, with openings planned for Zallaq in Bahrain, Doha in Qatar, Al Khobar in Saudi Arabia and Muscat in Oman, as well as a second Dubai property on The Palm, Jumeirah.

So, how will the LeSpa brand fit into this new market?

"We have a very simple philosophy. We are not there to cure or resolve any sort of problem. What we want to give you, when you come into our spa, is one or two hours of relaxation; a chance to let down all your problems and enjoy yourself.

"So for one or two hours, you are not in charge; we are in charge. We just want to give pleasure and make people feel much better," explains Masazza.

"We also have a very simple positioning. When people go on holiday, their desire is to discover the tradition of that country.

"So, we want to bring the tradition of the country we are operating in through to each spa," says Masazza.

"And of course, beauty is a key. French beauty and elegance is part of the idiom of Sofitel," he adds.

As a result of the incorporation of national traditions, each LeSpa is very different.

Los Angles Sofitel is very luxurious for example and the spa in Paris is more contemporary, while in French Polynesia there is a spa on the beach and a spa over water, explains Masazza.

LeSpa at The Palace in Dubai, which is located on two levels of the west wing of the hotel to enable it to cater separately to male and female guests, has a luxurious and contemporary feel with Arabic influences.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

USER COMMENTS (0 COMMENTS)

POST A COMMENT

CLICK HERE TO POST A COMMENT

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.