My company has designed more than 180 resorts (all of which have spas) in 30 countries but right now, for us, it’s all about China. The fact that there are two billion affluent Chinese people who are going to travel and see everything new the hotel industry has to offer is exciting. And as more people around the world begin to travel internationally, I think that there will be an increasing need for spa staff to speak many languages.

Half of our work is happening in China – we’re designing hotels and spas for Ritz-Carlton in Lijiang and Hainan, and for Capella in Guangzhou and the Himalayas, to name a few. Most of my projects have very healthy budgets and each of these resorts will have a spa more fabulous than the next.

The challenge for spa design, however, will be avoiding repetition – long gone are the days of scented candles and floating flowers and spas as we know them will fade away. Everyday, when I’m at home in Bangkok, I have a two-hour massage and use that time to think. I’m having a massage as I write this and I’m thinking that spas need to be designed more like home – with lots of collections of books, art and sculptures. The key will be to keep raising the bar and to create newer, more diverse experiences.

Contact Bill Bensley
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +66 2 381 6305

I agree with Anne McCall Wilson’s appeal to the global spa community to more fully embrace benchmarking (see SB14/2 p14). Spas cannot manage what they cannot measure and, regardless of their individual performance indicators, operators should commit to measuring key metrics such as revenue per available treatment hour (RevPATH) or the treatment room utilisation rate which are included in the Spa STAR system by Smith Travel Research.

Barriers to enrolling on benchmarking schemes may stem from the fact that spas are seen simply as an amenity without a profit purpose. Spa managers may not be interested in financial performance as long as guests are happy. Or maybe no one is willing to invest in training, so managers are left to learn themselves about what metrics matter most to upper management, owners and investors.

Perhaps hotel groups which take spa revenues seriously could pilot and lead regional spa benchmarking programmes with input from other operators in the area. Although, if they did this, they’d need to consider competitive set information, as what resort operators find valuable may not be helpful for day spas. Or those who already use the Spa STAR scheme could lead multiple training or familiarisation programmes in local markets so that other operators become more aware of spa data collection and the benefits.

Global spa businesses are overdue being taken seriously, so by fully embracing consistent benchmarking our businesses will be seen as more than just an amenity.

Contact Mary Darling
Twitter: @maryldarling

I love spa conferences! 

They’re a fantastic way to catch up with colleagues, trade war stories and gather market intel. But with the cost of attending them and the sheer number of events each year, many are becoming outmoded.

Connections and information are at our fingertips thanks to a flatter world and a global industry that’s matured significantly in the last decade. And yes, we have spa conferences to thank for that.

While there’s still a need for exhibitions to connect brands with potential distributors and buyers, this is increasingly only relevant in emerging markets.

The content of conferences is debatable too. A decade ago, we never questioned the experts put in front of us. I pity guest speakers now as they’re bound to be talking to an audience that’s as knowledgeable, if not more informed, than they are.

We’ve become more discerning and demanding about information and connections. We only want to be dealing with the decision makers and more often than not, it’s not a challenge for us to find out who they are and how to get to them. We want fresh insights that have never been heard, published or shared. We want to be entertained, inspired and moved.

The likes of Global Spa & Wellness Summit understand this acutely. That’s why the organisers continually endeavour to introduce out-of-the-box thought leaders/speakers and transferable case studies to its annual summit.

Simply put, for conferences to be viable, they have to be several steps ahead of the industry. Ultimately, they have to not only connect, but challenge and change us.

Contact Jeff Matthews
Email: [email protected]
Tel: +62 361 755 572