Ms. Segerberg

Spas, Health & Fitness

Expand Your Market - Capture the 'Non-Spa-Goer'

By Jane Segerberg, Founder & President, Segerberg Spa Consulting, LLC

Is your property's spa capture rate growing? Of course, higher capture rates deliver higher revenues and more happy and loyal guests. During your hotel/resort's budget process each year it becomes more apparent that in order to increase the spa's revenues, the property and spa need to seek opportunities to capture more business.

Sometimes opportunities aren't as apparent as the need to find them. Thomas Edison once said, "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work"

Read further to discover a world beyond the "overalls" and see opportunities that you can't afford to miss. We will also review the current data on the status of the spa industry which indicates that there is an opportunity to have an influence on growing your spa's market.

This article was inspired by a conversation on an airplane with an astute entrepreneur and business man, both of us traveling for business. As the conversation unfolded, he found that I was a spa consultant and asked some excellent spa business questions and then some fairly na"ive questions about the spa experience itself. After discussion, he proceeded to tell me that his wife goes to the spa and loves it, but he doesn't partake of the spa experience. He feels a lack of control and a little intimidated. (this statement is coming from a very calm and assured person) He went on to say that he imagined that there are many other people "out there" like him, that are not going to spas for the same reason and that we in the spa and hospitality industry have work to do to make converts out of the non-spa-goer. He went on to surmise that the number of spas is growing but the market is not growing at the same rate and spas are left to compete for the same consumer. BINGO!

Spas in the past have been hoping to win the spa-goer's attention and business by creating over-the-top unique experiences. The uniqueness has lead to complicated, unfamiliar sounding lists of treatments. With one in four Americans over the age of 18 (32 million people) having been to a spa, the opportunity becomes a little more obvious. What if we could attract another one fourth (32 million) of the population? The International Spa Association closely monitors the Spa Industry with annual studies performed by highly reputable research firms and has comparative statistics from 2000 to 2007 which illustrate some important trends. While there was a 6 percent growth of the number of spas overall from 2006 - 2007, resort/hotel spas saw a 9.4 percent growth. From 2004 - 2006 the overall growth of the number of spas was 26 percent. Spa revenues saw an overall -3.4 percent growth from 2005 to year-end 2006, however, resort/hotel spas recorder a 19 percent increase in revenues. The previous overall revenue increase in all spa categories from 2003 to 2005 was 28 percent. These statistics make it obvious that the industry is at a point in time in which it needs to actively grow the number of spa goers.

The ISPA studies also point out that visiting spas while traveling is very popular, but is not necessarily a gateway activity for first time spa goers. Here is another missed opportunity since travelers are more apt to try something new while they are out of their normal element. We have the opportunity to learn how to attract new and ultimately loyal spa guests.

Why is the non-spa-goer still a non-spa-goer? As reported in the International Spa Association Consumer Report - Spa-Goer and Non-Spa-Goer Perspectives, the following are some key non-spa-goer perceptions of spas that can be addressed by your property and your spa. As you read further, review the image of "spa" that your property promotes through its collateral and the management of the potential guest during the next opportunity to convert a non-spa-goer to a spa-goer in the interaction with the spa reservations/front desk staff.

Non-Spa-Goers Perceive the Spa as:

Now it is time to get to work on the opportunities that the above perceptions present:

How to Attract and Engage the Non-Spa-Goer

Upon review of the spa marketing and spa stories that populate the media, it is obvious that the hotel/resort and spa industry have perpetuated its own misconceptions of spa. The ads and materials are prolific with women exposed to the waist, men's backs with stones placed on them, beautiful young women and handsome young men. It is no wonder that the non-spa-goer feels that the experience is awkward, they won't know what to do and the services are just "fluffy stuff".

We can't forget to focus not only on the spa's written collateral as the first portal to the spa but also on the spa staff at all human touch points of service. The staff's management of the guest is crucial to the level of comfort and confidence a potential guest or guest will have. Staff training that focuses on the cues of the novice or non-spa-goer and the delivery of information will turn the barriers into drivers of the spa experience.

The last statement that my plane seat mate made as he pointed to the airplane magazine in the seat pocket in front of him was, "You need to have information that explains everything about spa in magazines that reach travelers." I immediately thought "but we do" and I recalled the last article that I read about a spa that featured an exotic treatment, the name of which I could not remember, but I do remember that it was exotic. I asked myself the question - "who are we talking to?" The answer is that we are talking to a very dedicated spa goer, those spa hounds that look for the newest and greatest treatment. Where is the message that attracts the rest of the spa goers and the even larger group of non-spa-goers? We definitely have "an opportunity in overalls" and lots of work to do to keep our spa's revenues growing.

Jane Segerberg is founder and president of Segerberg Spa Consulting, LLC., a multi-faceted spa consulting and management company with an industry reputation for creating spas that work –they are compelling for the property’s market, attain recognition, engage guests in memorable experiences and achieve bottom line success. Over Jane’s thirty-year history in the wellness, hospitality and spa industry, she has become recognized for providing outstanding service and keen attention to detail. For company information please view http://www.segerbergspa.com. Ms. Segerberg can be contacted at 912-222-1518 or janesegerberg@yahoo.com Extended Bio...

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