Ms. Segerberg

Spas, Health & Fitness

Spa Times Have Improved, Now What?

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

Finally we are seeing some light at the end of the long dark tunnel. The slow but steady rise in hotel occupancy, forecasted rise in ADR, forecasted rise in RevPAR indicate that “spa times are improving”. But wait, we have all realized that we cannot return to business as usual and still maintain the market share that we have previously enjoyed. Yes, times are improving and in addition, our guests have also discovered new expectations, learned new behaviors and changed their selection criteria. To capture the uptick in the travel business, spas will be required to offer more than just “bang for the buck”.

The word for 2010-2011 is “Quality”.

• Quality of the Service.
• Quality of the Experience.
• Quality of the Program.

Our guests are looking at our spas with increased knowledge and intensified scrutiny. They have moved to great clarity of their own expectations and won’t settle for less than what they want.

With the innate attraction to quality and genuineness, our rules for attracting and retaining business are becoming very clear! We can no longer compete with the brag of “The Most Treatments”, “The Most Interesting Design Feature” or “The Largest Space”. Instead, our laurels will rest on how we genuinely reach our guests through a heightened level of service like none ever seen before along with a well-defined and easily recognized heart and soul of the spa. And, we must be able to do this with a keen eye on the budget and on improved net profits.

To highlight our resort and hotel properties under the new rules of guest scrutiny, our spas must be the best performer in the market, not just better than most. The guest experience will be not just one thing done right, but a lot of things done consistently right. The higher the guest’s satisfaction with the spa experience, so goes the guest spend. On the guest side of the equation, the requirement is quality that is delivered with pervasively consistent service and in a genuine sense of place.

In order to minimize cost, we need to get it right the first time and we have to de-construct our old way of thinking. When we review or plan the guest model, we will view it first as a product of the building design, software infrastructure and programming and then consider staff selection and training. When we consider the spa’s sense of place, we will plan to deliver it with a concept that is defined, concise, appealing and consistently delivers a genuine feeling of “heart” throughout each guest touchpoint. Then we can add design and a simple and powerful program along with management strategies that identify and justify the concept and service model.

So, what does your spa stand for? Will guests agree that they got more than their money’s worth? Will guests gain more insight, relaxation and reduction of stress than they thought possible? I have recently been a participant in several planning meetings where the design team has described the spa that they envision as “a relaxing oasis where...", “calming colors, sights, sounds...” etc. etc. These descriptions describe a spa that could be named “any spa” and basically are the generic definitions and descriptions of spa. Instead, we should be able to describe the idea behind this particular spa, how the idea will be programmed both through architecture and program and also the signature features that enhance the concept. Now we are beginning to have a sense of place. From the moment guests view a website or step into the spa, they will feel a connection. They will know what to expect, appreciate the experience and more importantly, after visiting the spa, be able to describe their likes on every social website they care to post.

Each distinctive spa property will have a unique concept and in planning for these levels of distinction, here are some things we know:

• Each guest’s “happy place” rests in their own minds and hearts. To help our guests tune in to their happy place, we need to be very successful in helping them settle where they are comfortable. In other words, there will be choices for social interaction and private self reflection. Since none of our guests, in their everyday world, can avoid being inundated with “chatter” whether it is chatter on Twitter, posts on Facebook, the onslaught of emails, cable news over talkers, or other interactions with those who basically have lost their manners; they are looking for escape.
• The new “ism” is escapism. Spas are the perfect place to help guests escape, think better, think with clarity and revive their individual sense of worth. Spas by thorough design and planning can be part of the solution for escape and not part of the “chatter” problem. Our guests are looking for a new sense of balance. Not balance as a way to justify luxurious fluff and pampering, but as the pursuit of an enjoyable high quality of life. Spas will and can be the sophisticated indulgence that adds balance to our guests’ lives.
• Spaces and infrastructure guide the escape. The flow and traffic patterns will add to the sense of calm and not confusion by guiding guests easily from touch-point to touch-point. Whatever the spa’s expression – whether it is nature based, indigenous healing, product specific, medical etc., we will be sure it is guest-related and adds to the sense of escapism and tuning in to one’s self.

Most of our businesses have learned to do more with less staff and this is great news. However, in the slashing of staff we forgot one thing – the guest experience. Worse still, we have all experienced too many businesses who are apologizing for poor service because “we are low on staff today”. As soon as guests find the place that does it right the first time, they will be loyal followers.

Can we lighten the staffing burden, yet achieve a higher level of service? It is a tall order and is not easily achieved. Yet with a good understanding of how operations function, insight into guest sensitivities and creativity of space planning; the tall order can be filled. Consistently excellent service begins with good space planning and the spa spaces by sheer design can assist staff in offering the best service on the planet.

Infrastructure plays a hugely important part of the preparation for guest service. One of the most important service and business management tools with the best return on investment is spa software. Sophisticated, efficient spa software can make the booking easier and more thorough, assist in the up sell for greater guest enjoyment, and track guest preferences and history. It goes further to monitor service provider productivity for management’s coaching, counseling, scheduling and incentives. Spa software can also track the reservations staff productivity and our retail sales and preferences. Once the guest friendly spa check-in, information and check-out station is designed, we should put the right infrastructure in to efficiently drive the business.

In the new spa design model, each guest service touchpoint will have a staff service area. Staff can oversee and guide the service of guests with less manpower if they have immediate access to supplies and receptacles. With the above in place, we can now expect more spontaneous high level of service from our staff than ever before.

Training and hiring practices are, of course, very important and are a topic unto themselves. Training staff to perform their tasks helps them to understand their expectations and takes the guess work out of their jobs. Our hiring practices, management support and the astute design of the back of house spaces result in a service level that is refreshingly friendly, supportive helpful and kind.

Our spas will become the epitome of quality and will offer more than just “bang for the buck”. We will acknowledge that time is a luxury and our guest’s time is precious. Our sense of place and level of service will have our guests tweeting to one and all “I take my time out at (add your spa’s name here).”

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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