Empower your staff to decide who is charged for no-shows
Cancellations are a big headache in the spa and salon business. They cost you money and mess up your schedule – and you can’t avoid them.
Obviously, cancellations are a necessary evil. But you can minimize the damage they cause. There are several steps you can take to do this, including taking a credit card deposit at time of booking and sending out email reminders. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Let’s have a look at the steps you can take to decrease the negative impact of cancellations on your spa or salon business.
Set parameters First things first, you must have a policy in place. There are situations in which you might waver from it, but it’s best to start with something and to set parameters.
Your policy can actually get quite granular. Consider different rules for different types of bookings. You want to maintain your cancellation policy, but still have some flexibility to show empathy and say “I totally understand that your car broke down.”
Ask yourself how long you reasonably need to fill treatment spots. Do you allow 24 hours or 48 hours? It might be easy to fill one massage that cancels eight hours in advance, but you will probably need longer lead times for a group cancellation of five or 10 people. Communicate that policy to guests; you can’t enforce it if they’re unaware of it.
Use available resources Use your own data to track revenue lost through cancellations. With Turn Away Tracking, you can track times with high cancellation rates, equate that to a dollar value, and look at trends.
Then, if you know people are more likely to cancel a Sunday morning appointment, you might charge a higher deposit for those specific reservations.
Empower your staff Your front desk staff should be empowered to make decisions such as who is charged for a no-show and who isn’t, and they should be supported in their decisions. Because if a front desk staffer says to a couple, “We are going to charge you $320 for this missed couples massage,” the client is not going to be happy and is going to ask to speak to the manager. If you want staff to enforce your policy you have to support them in doing so.
Exercise good judgement How hard are you going to enforce your cancellation policy if you’re losing $50 revenue on one 45-minute manicure, vs losing $320 on a couples’ massage? Our business is about guest experience, and you want your guests to be happy and to come back.
Guests are smart, and if you tell them you’re charging them $320 for a missed massage, they may cancel their credit card – and then you can be sure they’re not coming back.
Whatever your policy, there are going to be times when you have to take a hit, because your goal isn’t to punish people, but to get them to return. Providing customer satisfaction means being aware of the line where charging guests for no-shows negatively impacts building your customer base. At that point, you have to ask yourself whether it’s worth it – and only you can decide the answer.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Promotional feature: Anne Semonin
Katherine Connolly, newly appointed global
director of retail and spa operations at Anne
Semonin, discusses her plans for the brand
Promotional feature: Thalion
Thalion is the first company to develop highly
specialised mineral therapies for clients, says
training manager Sophie Alemany
Research: Finishing touch
A new study shows that massage can
help muscle re-growth after an injury –
even when applied to the opposite limb
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
Empower your staff to decide who is charged for no-shows
Cancellations are a big headache in the spa and salon business. They cost you money and mess up your schedule – and you can’t avoid them.
Obviously, cancellations are a necessary evil. But you can minimize the damage they cause. There are several steps you can take to do this, including taking a credit card deposit at time of booking and sending out email reminders. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Let’s have a look at the steps you can take to decrease the negative impact of cancellations on your spa or salon business.
Set parameters First things first, you must have a policy in place. There are situations in which you might waver from it, but it’s best to start with something and to set parameters.
Your policy can actually get quite granular. Consider different rules for different types of bookings. You want to maintain your cancellation policy, but still have some flexibility to show empathy and say “I totally understand that your car broke down.”
Ask yourself how long you reasonably need to fill treatment spots. Do you allow 24 hours or 48 hours? It might be easy to fill one massage that cancels eight hours in advance, but you will probably need longer lead times for a group cancellation of five or 10 people. Communicate that policy to guests; you can’t enforce it if they’re unaware of it.
Use available resources Use your own data to track revenue lost through cancellations. With Turn Away Tracking, you can track times with high cancellation rates, equate that to a dollar value, and look at trends.
Then, if you know people are more likely to cancel a Sunday morning appointment, you might charge a higher deposit for those specific reservations.
Empower your staff Your front desk staff should be empowered to make decisions such as who is charged for a no-show and who isn’t, and they should be supported in their decisions. Because if a front desk staffer says to a couple, “We are going to charge you $320 for this missed couples massage,” the client is not going to be happy and is going to ask to speak to the manager. If you want staff to enforce your policy you have to support them in doing so.
Exercise good judgement How hard are you going to enforce your cancellation policy if you’re losing $50 revenue on one 45-minute manicure, vs losing $320 on a couples’ massage? Our business is about guest experience, and you want your guests to be happy and to come back.
Guests are smart, and if you tell them you’re charging them $320 for a missed massage, they may cancel their credit card – and then you can be sure they’re not coming back.
Whatever your policy, there are going to be times when you have to take a hit, because your goal isn’t to punish people, but to get them to return. Providing customer satisfaction means being aware of the line where charging guests for no-shows negatively impacts building your customer base. At that point, you have to ask yourself whether it’s worth it – and only you can decide the answer.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Promotional feature: Anne Semonin
Katherine Connolly, newly appointed global
director of retail and spa operations at Anne
Semonin, discusses her plans for the brand
Promotional feature: Thalion
Thalion is the first company to develop highly
specialised mineral therapies for clients, says
training manager Sophie Alemany
Research: Finishing touch
A new study shows that massage can
help muscle re-growth after an injury –
even when applied to the opposite limb
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Rosewood Le Guanahani St Barth, on the northeast coast of Saint Barthélemy in the French
West Indies, is offering a programme of ocean-inspired yoga classes between 8-14 June to
celebrate Global Wellness Day (GWD).
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
The Ritz-Carlton, Langkawi, in Malaysia, has revealed a schedule for Global Wellness Day
(GWD) that includes guided rainforest walks, mindful movement and guided coastal meditation
experiences.
Longevitix, a clinical platform for preventive and longevity medicine, has launched its AI-
powered intelligence system to help physicians deliver continuous, personalised longevity-
focused care at scale.
Atmantan Wellness Centre, an integrative wellness destination in Mulshi, near Pune in India, is
expanding its portfolio by adding a new centre in Hyderabad that will launch between 2028 and
2029.
In today’s premium spa environment, every detail shapes the guest experience – right down to
the softness of towels and the freshness of linens. [more...]
