Ms. Olsen

Spas, Health & Fitness

Condo Hotel Amenity Programs

By Casey Olsen, Owner, Spa Sources

If the concept of building a condo-hotel is new to your future or if you if you are in the planning stages of a new project, paying special attention to your amenity package will set you apart in this arena. When I meet with developers regarding their new condo hotel, I am often initially surprised at how little regard is paid to their planned health spa facility, which they realize they must include, but often dedicate little budget and ingenuity to. Basically, you are building a hotel, and the mind set should be from a luxury resort perspective.

When a developer vacations at their favorite resort, there is an expectation of service, accommodations, ambiance and amenities. Certainly, having a dynamic spa facility and services is considered to be one of the top three requirements within the luxury resort community, and no high end property would be with out one. If your new project does include a spa facility, there are numerous directions that you may take, however, I suggest always, seek spa industry professionals to aid you from the initial design to the training and opening of your spa new facility.

Condo hotels are no longer an emerging market, but the wave well in to the future. Bigger, more luxurious and dramatic complexes are planned, so the focus today on design longevity and forecasting where your amenities are headed in the future will ensure that your project will compete with newer future developments. You can make this happen by enlisting that professional that can clearly assist in creating the "newest and most innovative" facility that will stand the test of time.

No different than having that chef assist in the design of your kitchens and restaurants, the health spa facility has a myriad of nuances that are relatively unrecognized by most condo hotel developers. One crucial initial error is made in determining the size of the spa. Most developers wish to relegate the spa facility to just a simple locker room, showers, maybe a sauna and a couple of treatment rooms. They are completely unaware of the hotel guest room ratio to the size of the spa facility. Certainly, we understand that if you are going to market your property noting that you have a spa and then your guests and owners are unable to use the spa because of its' size and incapability to accommodate your guests, believe me, you will be ripping out rooms and adding to that space.

Another aspect that many condo hotel developers are not aware of is the amount of revenues that can be generated out of a spa facility. Treatment rooms are the number one source of revenues realized from a spa and if you want to have your spa be a substantial revenue contributor, the design of that facility must include ENOUGH treatment room space to generate this income and, as important, accommodate the volume of guests that will wish to utilize this amenity.

Today's traveler is extremely spa savvy. They have been to the best spas and experienced what a successful spa is and is not. What is not generally known is that no matter if you have Carerra marble on the floors and dramatic water falls, if your menu of services is weak and your staff is not trained to deliver the utmost in service, your spa will become a true thorn in your side. So, when considering this space, view it as you would a luxury resort property. Once again, bring that professional on board and allow them to assist in the intricate design requirements, the creation of new and innovative menu of services, the marketing and promotion of the spa facility, the expert recruiting of the staff and their training, the creation of the operation and budgeting, the procurement of the facilities' products and equipment and the grand opening process and beyond.

A health spa can be the most attractive amenity in your project and also can yield a 40 - 50% net departmental profit. The efficient spa operation has eluded far too many in today's exploding spa industry due to the evolution of ill experienced and unknowledgeable spa managers. It pains me to visit so many wonderful spa properties and witness complete lack of training and guidance among the staff. I guess it comes down to "they just don't know what they don't know". Sad, but all to true. Today's spas have morphed into this high volume and high traffic human factory devoid of real pampering and personal attention. The only responsible party in this digression is inexperienced and unknowing ownership and management.

Another much more frightening aspect of this digression in the lack of attention to LIABILITY concerns. Those first time ventures into this industry have sometimes little awareness of all the potential liabilities lying in wait throughout their spa facility. Just think, one of your guests enters the steam room or sauna and no one is paying close attention. How long should he or she be in there before they are asked to come out and cool down? And what is the general health of this individual? How should the staff handle an injury or a traumatic incident and what training do they have to properly administer the needed help and assistance? These are only a few of the potential liabilities that can and do often occur in a spa. Having a professional spa consultant that has expertise to guide your staff selection and training is absolutely vital to your staying OUT OF COURT.

The condo hotel concept is truly an exceptional investment for the developer, however, if done with that ever illusive eye for detail and to the future, this investment can far exceed the most generous of projections. Just one aspect of achieving this kind of success is the concentrated effort paid to your health spa. On one of my most recent projects, actually the second large development for these resort developers, I offered a completely new look at today's spa offerings. Even though existing spas offer the required components, I suggested that with their new condo hotel we re-think every area of the spa and recreate the traditional. In two lengthy and creative meetings, we all brought the future to reality. We have done away with the typical and created what a spa environment will be 10, 20 or even 30 years from now. This is just one advantage to enlisting that spa consultant. They should bring to your project the future. Certainly not recreate what's already been done over and over again. Heck, you can go to a spa and do that. Build your condo hotel project knowing with confidence that years from now "people will still be talking" about your project and the "other guys" will be struggling to catch up.

Casey Olsen is the principal owner of Spa Sources, a comprehensive health spa consulting firm. With 23 years of Spa Design and Review, Management, Staffing, Marketing, Budgets and Forecasts, Complete Spa Operation Set-up, Liability Guidance, Accounting, Equipment and Product Identification, Spa Sources provides comprehensive assistance in the creation of new, and the renewal of existing spa facilities. As one of the industry's foremost health spa consultants, Ms. Olsen provides invaluable guidance to developers planning their luxury resorts that include a health spa facility. Ms. Olsen can be contacted at 760 341-3311 or spasources@earthlink.net Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.