Opening the floodgates

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PAVLOVA: The idea of a spa being an added luxury is no longer current.

“If you don’t complete the whole experience of the spa,” she continues, “you’re going to lose it, even before its starts.”

The perfect scenario, adds Risenius, is to “do the background and research and create a pre-concept and design before the architects start, because that’s how everything can be tied together.”

Competitive advantage

Given the increased competition between operators in the region, hotel spas must go out of their way to make sure their facilities stand out from their competitors’. Conventional designs and treatments will do little to persuade guests spoilt for spa choice, says spa manager of Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa Claudia Pitsch. “A comfortable design, rather than one that’s just new and posh, really makes a difference. If you have 55 spas all being designed in the same way, there will be no attraction for the guest.” Hotel operators, continues Rietveld, should thoroughly assess their competition before starting the design on their own spa. “If I have a hotel, I’m going to look at neighbouring hotels to see what they’re offering and how I’m going to compete with them. I shouldn’t have the same kind of spas they do; I have to do something different, something better.”

Those who do not recognise the hotel spa as a profit centre in its own right, akin to food and beverage outlets, will miss out on considerable revenues, says Ritz Carlton Doha spa director Tina Pavlova. “I think the old concept of a hotel spa being just an added luxury for the guest is no longer current in this market; it’s always a point of difference and it’s always a way in which the hotel can define itself.

“I find it hard to believe that there are hoteliers who don’t understand the importance of a spa and the profit they are able to generate. If you look at hotels these days, spa is discussed and promoted as one of its key areas.”

Health and wellness

While hotel spas have not been spared the impact of the financial crisis, the downturn has created new opportunities for enterprising spas to differentiate themselves.

“Looking at the current economic situation,” continues Pavlova, “you have to be really innovative and see how you can create an experience and treatments where guests can see the results. If you’re not able to provide these kinds of services, then you’re not going to have loyal guests.”

Specifically, adds Pitsch, spa guests should be able to see and feel the medical benefits of their visit. A detailed consultation before the treatment, she continues, is as important as the treatment itself. “The whole thing is getting a bit more intense, it’s going into more detail. It’s no longer a case of saying ‘ok, I have back pain, now let me go and have a Swedish massage.’ That’s not actually doing any good, because we have to look at the whole person. It’s more like a lifestyle consultation more than anything else.”

“We try not to have our guests in for just one treatment,” she continues. “What we do is create a package for them, which includes nutrition, exercise and a detoxification programme. We’re not trying to cover just one symptom, we’re actually trying to fix the problem.”

Spas regularly neglect wellness in favour of luxury and pampering, especially in their wet areas, says Rietveld. “Spa therapists don’t explain what a sauna does and how. They say ‘well, here’s the wet area, see you later.’ Nobody explains the health benefits, the reasons why a wet area is good. Nothing bad really happens, of course, but if you don’t use it correctly, if you don’t get any benefit, what’s the point?”

Retail

The health benefits of a spa can also be passed on to guests through its retail offerings, says Pavlova. “For us, retail is not about upselling — we look at it as part of the homecare package that guests take with them, to let them continue with their treatments when they’re not here.”

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