Ms. Segerberg

Spas, Health & Fitness

The Keys to a Smooth Running Spa

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

Great statements! Great trends! What are the realities that these trends bring?

The supply of spas has grown to the point that competition and consumer knowledge has changed the face of the industry. Now it is not just "a spa" that is necessary for a resort or hotel, it is a spa with an experience that is special for each guest along with service that is so seamless that the guest is not aware of it.

No matter how spectacular the architectural features, or chic the interior design, or how creative the spa menu; if the experience and service delivery falls short, then guests do not recommend or return to the spa.

The Hotel Executive Should Take Note

The growth of the industry has caused an additional phenomenon: the industry is outgrowing its ability to produce experienced managers. Inexperienced managers who have been fast-tracked to the spa director position do not fully appreciate the need for or the intricacies of the basics of running a spa. The service delivery for a spa is the most complex of any area in a hotel or resort with many opportunities for service decline or for positive service impact.

At the risk of sounding like Management 101, the following are some reminders that are offered with the thought that the concentration of truly experienced spa management has become extremely diluted. The following "keys" are written with a spa focus. Whether the spa is in the development, build out, on-going business, or re-fitting stage; the keys are appropriate and are intricately related.

The Spa's Concept is the Guiding Principle

Begin with a solid, well-tested concept. Define the experience that the spa should deliver, how it relates to the hotel or resort, and its distinctive position in the spa market. What will the spa be known for both on the property and in the market?

Build every subsequent action from the facility planning to the placement of towels in the locker room off of the concept. Allow the concept to become the guiding principle for every decision made in or about the spa.

As a new or seasoned manager of a property that has an existing spa with a blurred vision, it is time to take action. Begin the process and sit down with ownership, key hotel/resort management and spa management to restore a meaningful vision and concept for the spa.

Design the Facility To Support the Service Process

The facility should flow according to the concept and also support the needed infrastructure. Review the spa plans or the facility through the eyes of the guest's experience. What is the first item that the guest should see? How does the guest arrive at the first service point and subsequent service points? How well equipped is each service point along the service delivery chain? Can staff efficiently and smoothly access the equipment and products that they need at that point of service to adequately care for the guest? Make adjustments on the plans or creatively solve problem areas on an existing facility accordingly.

Hire the Right Staff and Support Them

The Spa Director's management capability is more crucial than absolute spa knowledge. The Spa Director should have strong leadership skills in managing a diverse group of people; a variety of activities or mini-businesses at one time; customer service understanding and financial, marketing and retail skills. Spa consultants can assist the director with spa concepts and an assistant manager or treatments manager that understands treatments and treatment issues is a compliment to the management team.

Set Standards and Stick To Them

There should be no doubt in an employee's mind about how various points of service are delivered. Operational procedures, written for optimum service impact are the best training and management tool available. Generic operating procedures will only produce mediocre service - - throw them out the window! Each point in the service cycle from answering the phone, to escorting the treatment guest, to stocking lockers, to parting with the guest should be depicted in great detail specifically for the Spa Concept, level of service, and facility flow. Does the Spa Attendant tell the guest where the lockers are or escort the guest to his/her locker? Do therapists place the robe on the table and slippers beside the table after the massage or simply exit the room and wait outside the door? There are many opportunities to add an extra touch to service delivery and manage it so that it is done right and done consistently!

Train Seriously

Operating procedures should be second nature to the staff. When human nature intervenes and there are unhappy, flustered guests or a slow laundry or any one of the myriad "Murphy's Law occurrences" that can happen in a hotel or resort then employees know how to smoothly handle it all.

Serious, influential training involves "doing". There should be lots of role play, lots of practice and lots of time taken to train properly and for retention.

Manage By Standards

The Spa Director should supervise, reward and discipline according to the performance expected and outlined in the operating procedures. Inspections and mystery shoppers are paramount to keeping employees on course. In addition to utilizing the procedures as a base for management, employees should review and update the procedures at least annually.

Good Service is "The Hub"

Guests seek spas in order to retreat from their busy and sometimes frustrating world in order to re-charge their batteries and take charge of their chaotic lives - - much the same reason that they visit a resort or hotel - - only it happens in a much smaller space over a much shorter period of time. Each small tick on the spa service wheel delivers more impact. Keep service delivery smooth and consistent at every step of the way and the treatments, spa menus and retail will shine along with it.

When all is said and done, it is the basics that keep the spa's image at its peak. There are no quick fixes, but there are lasting fixes. Take the basic approach and enjoy smooth running along with all of the guest compliments that make their way back to the Executive Office.

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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