Mr. Di Stanisloa

Spas, Health & Fitness

Five Successful Methods for Promoting Your Hotel Spa

By Bill Di Stanisloa, Founder & Principal, GreenSpa 101 LLC

Promoting your hotel spa is an ongoing task which can result in successful returns as long as you keep the focus on both the spa and the hotel. Being in sync for both is important as they truly cross promote each other.

Many hotel spas are considered a luxury amenity enjoyed by less than 20% of daily guests or what we call the Capture rate. Your mission as a Spa Leader or Marketing Manager is to find out how to capture those hotel guests and convince them to “Go to the Spa!”

The goal is revenue, daily revenue, which means everyday not just on weekends. Hoping and praying that your spa will have a big Saturday in sales is common consciousness for most spa personnel. That is all fine and good but priority must also be given to capturing the guests who make up the smaller 62% room occupancy during the week.

For years, I relied on other hotel division leads or outside marketing representatives to bring me weekday business. They did the best they could by utilizing strategies designed and implemented for promoting room stays. But as far as spa went, it was a new field for them.

In time, I eventually created my own promotional strategies or in this case; the five successful methods for promoting your hotel spa. Let us keep in mind the definition of Method. According to Businessdictionary.com it means: Established, habitual, logical, or prescribed practice or systematic process of achieving certain ends with accuracy and efficiency, usually in an ordered sequence of fixed steps. For simplicity sake let’s go with logical:

Method One:

Adjust your prices to create demand. ADR or Average Daily Rate for a hotel room can vary depending on a guest reserving a room on a weekday, weekend or holiday. Weekdays are usually less expensive unless there is a special event or conference in town. Follow that variance. Adjust a few of your services to reflect a Monday or mid-week price. Promote those lower priced services in your logical high traffic guest areas of the hotel or resort. Promoting only at your spa or hotel check-in desk will again limit your capture success. Be bold and physically walk to your common guest outlet areas and place a nice presentable framed flyer or sign accordingly. Be sure you inform your fellow hotel team members working at all targeted property outlets of the spa promotion.

Method Two:

Be prepared to take action, daily if necessary. The hotel business is dependent on the daily arrivals as well as envisioning the possibility of guests extending their stay. The hotel Spa should be no different. How many times can you state that one of your spa guests decided to stay an additional night or two just to experience more spa? Give them a reason to stay at the hotel and return to the spa. Make a change; break your typical rules for services. Offer them a Spa Manager one-time special to experience an 80 minute massage for the same price as a 50 minute massage. Suggest they come in after breakfast the next morning. Use your business card and initial this personal special on the back of your card with the time and date for this one time offer. This again gives all Spa Leads and Managers an opportunity to walk their hotel or resort property to meet the hotel guests. This method again is perfect for slow days. All Spa Managers should know by 9:00am each morning if they need to put Plan B into place to generate revenue for that day or the remaining week. Customer Service does not stop with a smile behind the counter. Get out there and meet the customers, they are paying your salary.

Method Three:

Promote a Twilight Special! The percentage of spa guest appointments starts to dwindle by 5:00pm unless your spa is in Las Vegas or Hong Kong. If indeed your reservations need a boost from 6:00 to 8:00pm, then make it happen. If your spa is not open till 7:00 or 8:00pm then that in itself is reason enough to create some late night revenue. Remember, your spa is a hotel amenity and hours of availability are crucial. Too many hotel and resort spas are closing their doors early. A good idea would also be to mirror the hours of your hotel lobby happy hour and then add an extra hour. Give your guests or clients a reason to come in at sunset. Offering a Twilight Special works if you provide a popular high-end treatment or service. Make it exciting. For example; if your spa menu offers an 80-minute Lomi Lomi then call it “The Lomi Retreat” and include warm towels over the guests body sprinkled with essential oils to calm and relax. Reduce the regular price of the Lomi Lomi by 25% and promote the new amount in a framed flyer and place on the vanities of common area restrooms on lower occupancy/business days for hotel and/or spa. Another great location is the restrooms in your hotel fitness center. Always include the Concierge desk to ensure visibility.

Method Four:

Take care of your hotel employees. Too many hotels and resorts prohibit company employees from enjoying some of the amenities of the property. Employees are your number one source of promotion and marketing. Take care of the employees and they will take care of your business.

Times have changed. Hotel and resort employees are no longer a group of subordinates paid to work robotically in uniform for the sake of the guest only. They are should be your honored guests as well. Speak to your General Manager and ask for approval to offer employees or in this case team members to enjoy a spa service or treatment Sunday thru Thursday at a decent discount. Hotel employees are some of the lowest paid workers in any industry yet are expected to look like a million dollars and act like royalty trained butlers. It is time to take care of our butlers as they are one of our best sources of revenue during slower times, days and seasons.

Method Five:

Pay commissions to all hotel employees for referrals. Have your marketing department create spa service promo cards. These cards will reflect a current spa special and will allow a hotel or resort employee to print and sign their name on the back with date. This will allow them to receive a 10-15% commission on the guest referral. Your hotel Accounting Manager can put a program in place for this type of employee commission. This will also excite all hotel employees to promote your spa.

Most employees have never been to their hotel spa nor toured the facility. How can we expect them to naturally promote it? Everyone must be involved for a successful business to grow in profit.

These are just five methods that can be used to promote your spa. Our job as experienced spa professionals is to keep the momentum in marketing and advertising ideas coming. Your guests deserve to experience your spa. Invite and delight them with your passion

Bill Di Stanisloa brings with him more than 22 years of personal and professional experience in the field of Holistic Health and Nutrition and 30 years in the business world including hospitality, property management, spa and salon development and operations. Mr. Di Stanisloa has also led a global product portfolio bringing customers together during the dot.com era. He has served director roles for a multitude of positions which include committee member of resort operations at Amelia Island Plantation Resort, its’ Holistic Spa and Salon and the Resort Green Program. Mr. Di Stanisloa can be contacted at 904-879-9203 or Bill@GreenSpa101.com Extended Bio...

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