Fit for purpose...

The jury's out as to whether spa will be another discretionary purchase that falls foul of the credit crunch, however, there is no doubt it has become a must-have at all top hotels. Kathi Everden looks at the appeal of wrap -and-rub culture.

The region's industry professionals are cautiously optimistic that spa is a brand that sells ... and if a hotel is to be considered ‘quality', its spa is among the reasons why.

According to John Felix, senior vice president Emirates Holidays, a spa has become almost essential as part of a holiday package. "Many properties spend a lot of time marketing their spa facilities and the trade should be aware of these promotions and the type of spa on offer," he says.

Alpha Holidays product manager John Flower said the company had seen a ‘little more' interest in spa holidays, with travellers booking a holiday based on whether or not a resort has a spa. "I think it has become so that if a resort or hotel does not provide spa facilities, travellers will question the overall quality of standard of that property," says Flower.

For Dnata Holidays, product development manager Tim White agrees that the availability of spa facilities is a real ‘make or break' for customers when choosing a hotel, with preferred spa destinations including Maldives, Mauritius, Jordan, Thailand, Bali, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.

"We have definitely witnessed an increase in the demand for spa holidays, and preferred hotel brands here include W, Six Senses, Chiva Som, Banyan Tree, Kempinski and Aman Resorts," he says.

The bonus for the trade is that spa is global, with more than 72,000 worldwide; demand can cover short regional breaks, intensive wellness packages; spa at sea; spa country retreats; spa and sport, and even spa and family combos, and if that's not enough, travellers can also spa on the run(way) with airport bolt holes increasingly winning fans.

SpaFinder, the portal that documents all spa related development, recently announced its Top Ten spa trends for 2009, and reported that spas were moving on from pure pampering to a role in wellness and healthcare, while hospitals too were evolving spa-like offering.

Other predictions were for more global brands; online bookings; discounts to counter the financial downturn; more ‘green' initiatives; casino spas; alternative therapies such as Reiki and chakra balancing; in-transit spa expansion, and more and more quirky products to attract a younger clientele - think iPods during massage or lounges where clients can bury themselves in heated pebbles.

And, while agents need not know details of doshas, hot stones and deep tissue, there is a case for sustained research into spa developments to deliver appropriate travel advice for potential holiday makers.

Destination marketing

For some, the spa is the holiday and here a destination spa tends to be the preferred choice, but even so, there are essential differences from resort to resort.

Doyen of the crop is Chiva Som at Hua Hin, a 15-year-old institution offering extensive services delivered with Thai style where healthy habits are taught for life-changing results. "Generally, resort spas offer pampering treatments but not in the integrated manner of Chiva Som," says director of sales & marketing, Claire Leslie.

"Guest numbers from the Middle East doubled in 2008 over the previous year, and included both Arab national and expat couples from all around the Gulf."

What these visitors are looking for is results from what is essentially a ‘health resort', whether this is increased fitness, weight loss, detox, or even relaxation through pampering, and Leslie anticipates sustained business this year as people face stress in the economic crisis and look to bring back balance in their lifestyles - new packages introduced this year include a Yoga Retreat and Spa Cuisine for Life.

Variations on a theme are available at Ananda in the Himalayas, India's only destination spa several times voted the top destination spa worldwide, as well as its newer sister in Mauritius, Shanti Ananda.

In the former, Ayurvedic principles underline many of the treatment packages, themed along with restorative healthy dining said vice president marketing Mahesh Natarajan. "We follow these principles to promote and maintain a healthy lifestyle, while offering guests a blissful setting overlooking the mountains and forests of the Himalayas, where they can be at one with nature and indulge in a total stress-free environment."

But, while guests can immerse themselves in the Ayurvedic lifestyle among the 27 treatment rooms, there are other diversions for partner pleasure including a nine-hole golf course, outdoor amphitheatre, cooking lessons, river-rafting and fishing, as well as chauffeur drive tours and 360 º mountain views.

Likewise, in Mauritius, Shanti Ananda offers all the destination spa resources, with the added bonus of children's programmes for family holidays, beach and tennis activities and local sightseeing, while in Thailand, Six Senses has opened its first destination spa on an island just off Phuket offering a holistic menu of opportunities for both wellness and activity seekers.

According to Six Senses Destination Spas managing director Ana Maria Tavares, the resort's appeal to a wide audience comes from the flexibility inherent in its package programmes. "Guests can opt for a standard package with healthy cuisine, spa treatments, fitness programmes and some special interest activities, or take part in a specific spa retreat, or tailor make their own experiences," she says, citing anti-ageing, detox, energise, fitness booster and inner-peace themes.

Attracting couples, individuals as well as groups of friends, both male and female, from the Middle East, the resort does have appeal beyond the spa, and with its Six Senses credentials, offers private pool villas, secluded beaches, four spas with Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Thai treatments, plus activities such as private island picnics, cultural sightseeing, kayaking, yachting, water sports, cycling and more.

Around the region

But while spa is becoming an integral part of their principal holiday for many, there is also potential to use its pulling power to promote regional breaks as the standard of facilities is upgraded in the Gulf and wider Middle East.

"During Dnata's Holidays recent Great Escape Sale, short-hop spa breaks sold extremely well with strong demand for Oman and the Dead Sea in Jordan," says White.

"We also saw an increase in bookings from other GCC countries for hotels with spa facilities in Dubai," he adds.

The choice is widening; as well as CHI at the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah and the 2009 top Middle East spa winner, Chedi in Muscat, there's Banyan Tree's lavish Bahrain property where pool villas combine with the region's most lavish spa facilities, including a hydrothermal garden and hammam, or the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi whose Anantara spa offers Natura Bisse's Diamond Experience Ritual using real diamond dust, among a range of other treatments.

Dubai offers Angsana, Per Aquum, Mandara and Givenchy brands, as well as superior own brand spas at Madinat Jumeirah, Park Hyatt and Grand Hyatt, Westin for instance, while Jordan's Dead Sea attraction is enhanced by excellent spa facilities with Anantara at the Ishtar Kempinski, as well as Movenpick and Marriott.

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