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Do you have a strong opinion, or disagree with somebody
else’s point of view on topics related to the spa industry? If so,
Spa Business would love to hear from you. Email your letters,
thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]
Sustainability Should Be More Than Just a CSR Statement
André Russ, vice president of sales, EC3 Global It’s been 21 years since the Rio Earth Summit. The first major global call to address sustainable development.
In 2013, we have a clear understanding of the sustainability challenges facing tourism. We also have the tools, know-how and technology to make a difference. The issue the spa industry faces, however, is its inability to take comprehensive and collective action.
We need to keep the sustainability message simple and achievable and not over complicate what is a straightforward concept. Keeping it simple means taking incremental steps to reduce the amount of energy, water and waste we create and learning to protect and respect the social settings in which we operate. The outcome is about delivering clean, safe, prosperous and healthy destinations to visit, live, work and play.
Sustainability must underpin everything we do as an industry. It should be more than just a marketing initiative or corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement. It should be a core part of a business where we move from treating it as a reporting requirement to a core part of our brand message.
To address sustainability, it’s important to focus on sound measurement and metrics. If you can’t measure it, you can’t track your performance overtime or manage it.
I urge spa operators and owners to commit to a plan of action with bold statements and stretch targets. Simply committing to the current state of play is not good enough.
The InterContinental Moorea resort in French Polynesia has achieved an EC3 gold certification for sustainability
BABTAC Strongly Opposes Habia Therapist Register Carolyne Cross, chairman, BABTAC & CIBTAC The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC) read about Habia’s plans to launch a professional register for the spa, nails and beauty industries (see SB13/2 p14) with dissatisfaction and distrust.
The register, which involves therapists paying an annual fee of £35 (US$56, €41), has the potential to undermine the industry and could be viewed as a simple money-making scheme.
Our association has identified a number of concerns including a conflict of interest with existing services offered by Habia which, as the UK’s sector skills body, is responsible for the standard-setting of UK qualifications and training, as well as maintaining its national occupational standards.
Introducing a fee-paying register has the potential to negatively impact on standards – in the worst case scenario there’s a small risk that Habia could reduce standards so more people are eligible for the register and so it earns more money. At this stage, no outlines have been given for the policing of either the standards or the registers, and this is where our concerns lie.
Another worry is that the registers have been established with little or no consultation from the wider industry. This suggests a vested interest in the financial status of the registers and not in the development of a sustainable and progressive industry standard.
Finally, we feel the registers lack credibility – the checks advocated are actually less than those carried out by other major membership organisations including BABTAC – and add nothing to the industry. We are not against a register in principle and actively encourage a form of regulation, but the body which oversees it should be 100 per cent independent and transparent, neither of which Habia is in this instance.
The 16th edition of the esteemed international spa and hospitality industry event, Forum
HOTel&SPA, is rapidly approaching, promising an immersive experience for attendees. [more...]
Do you have a strong opinion, or disagree with somebody
else’s point of view on topics related to the spa industry? If so,
Spa Business would love to hear from you. Email your letters,
thoughts and suggestions to [email protected]
Sustainability Should Be More Than Just a CSR Statement
André Russ, vice president of sales, EC3 Global It’s been 21 years since the Rio Earth Summit. The first major global call to address sustainable development.
In 2013, we have a clear understanding of the sustainability challenges facing tourism. We also have the tools, know-how and technology to make a difference. The issue the spa industry faces, however, is its inability to take comprehensive and collective action.
We need to keep the sustainability message simple and achievable and not over complicate what is a straightforward concept. Keeping it simple means taking incremental steps to reduce the amount of energy, water and waste we create and learning to protect and respect the social settings in which we operate. The outcome is about delivering clean, safe, prosperous and healthy destinations to visit, live, work and play.
Sustainability must underpin everything we do as an industry. It should be more than just a marketing initiative or corporate social responsibility (CSR) statement. It should be a core part of a business where we move from treating it as a reporting requirement to a core part of our brand message.
To address sustainability, it’s important to focus on sound measurement and metrics. If you can’t measure it, you can’t track your performance overtime or manage it.
I urge spa operators and owners to commit to a plan of action with bold statements and stretch targets. Simply committing to the current state of play is not good enough.
The InterContinental Moorea resort in French Polynesia has achieved an EC3 gold certification for sustainability
BABTAC Strongly Opposes Habia Therapist Register Carolyne Cross, chairman, BABTAC & CIBTAC The British Association of Beauty Therapy and Cosmetology (BABTAC) read about Habia’s plans to launch a professional register for the spa, nails and beauty industries (see SB13/2 p14) with dissatisfaction and distrust.
The register, which involves therapists paying an annual fee of £35 (US$56, €41), has the potential to undermine the industry and could be viewed as a simple money-making scheme.
Our association has identified a number of concerns including a conflict of interest with existing services offered by Habia which, as the UK’s sector skills body, is responsible for the standard-setting of UK qualifications and training, as well as maintaining its national occupational standards.
Introducing a fee-paying register has the potential to negatively impact on standards – in the worst case scenario there’s a small risk that Habia could reduce standards so more people are eligible for the register and so it earns more money. At this stage, no outlines have been given for the policing of either the standards or the registers, and this is where our concerns lie.
Another worry is that the registers have been established with little or no consultation from the wider industry. This suggests a vested interest in the financial status of the registers and not in the development of a sustainable and progressive industry standard.
Finally, we feel the registers lack credibility – the checks advocated are actually less than those carried out by other major membership organisations including BABTAC – and add nothing to the industry. We are not against a register in principle and actively encourage a form of regulation, but the body which oversees it should be 100 per cent independent and transparent, neither of which Habia is in this instance.
Remedy Place, a US-based social wellness club brand, is poised for steady expansion in the
coming years, with plans to open two new clubs annually moving forward.
Swiss longevity brand Clinique La Prairie (CLP) has inked a deal with Montara Hospitality
Group
to operate a resort at Tri Vananda – a purpose-built wellness community in Phuket,
Thailand.
Basic-Fit has signed up to trial the Wellhub network across its recently expanded Spanish
network, giving access to subscribers and enabling them to use all 152 of its Spanish clubs.
Having redefined the model of public-private collaboration in Spain, Go Fit is now expanding
into Italy and has ambitious plans to grow its estate, memberships and profits.
Recovery, social wellness and longevity were talking points at the
recent PerformX Live, tipped by many
speakers as upcoming trends, while the exhibition halls featured infrared
saunas, compression
therapy and ice baths.
A new study by UCLA Health found Kundalini yoga provided several benefits to cognition and
memory for older women at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Luxury lakeside retreat The Ritz-Carlton-Reynolds, Lake Oconee in Georgia, US, is gearing up to
unveil its new-look destination spa this May following a comprehensive makeover.
Europe’s first Evian Spa has opened at the five-star Hôtel Royal in Evian-les-Bains, France – the birthplace
of the Danone-owned mineral water brand Evian.
A boutique safari and wellness escape will open in Botswana’s wildlife-rich Okavango Delta this
May, marking the latest venture from Ibiza's Atzaró Group.
The 16th edition of the esteemed international spa and hospitality industry event, Forum
HOTel&SPA, is rapidly approaching, promising an immersive experience for attendees. [more...]
