Spas continue to be a useful attraction for hotels, as the guest who demands this kind of services continues to grow, which means that this can be a relevant factor when selecting the right place for your business trip or rest. By: Alejandra García Vélez.
Hotels have in spas not only a comfort for their guests, but an alternative source of income. This is demonstrated by the statistics of the International Spa Association, which indicate, for example, that until June 2008 there were 18,100 spa centers in the United States, 24% more than in July 2007 and during the last eight years this number has increased by an average of 20% per year.
As for visitors who enjoy this type of experience, it is important to note that in 2007 there were about 138 million visitors to spa in the United States, which in that year generated US $ 10 billion in revenue, placing this industry as the fourth most important in the field of leisure.
In this edition we will have the opinion of Guillermo González, who is the commercial director of Effleurage Day Spa, a Mexican company dedicated for more than five years to the advice and supply of supplies for spas and beauty clinics; Effleurage also operates under the franchise modality and it is precisely in this way that it has begun to venture into the field of hotels and resorts.
Figures
The first issue that was addressed with González was the demand for Spa services in 2009 and so far in 2010, before this aspect the guest pointed out that there was a significant drop, mainly for two reasons: the international financial crisis and the problem of influenza A (H1N1) that seriously impacted the tourism industry and the Mexican economy from April 2009. "So far in 2010, the levels of demand that we had in 2008 have not been reached, although there has been some improvement in general," he said.
The Effleurage official highlighted the importance of spas for a hotel's figures. "Nowadays, whether or not a hotel has a spa is a relevant factor when a client decides on their lodging preference. This is the same for both leisure and business travelers," he said.
"In the last 10 years we have seen a growing and sustained trend in the demand for this type of services in hotels. This is because people are increasingly aware of the importance of rest and giving a good image to achieve a better quality of life and better possibilities for professional development. Thus, the spa services of a hotel can represent up to 30% of the total income since they not only serve the tourist but also customers of the community in which they are located, "added González.
To keep in mind
The most important thing for a hotel when implementing a spa is to carry out an adequate planning so that this service effectively becomes a generator of profits and not a flight of capital. Guillermo shared a list of the typical mistakes that are made when starting a spa:
- When starting the operation with own resources, high costs of labor, equipment and supplies can be incurred, which often make the operation of the spa very unprofitable.
- Grant the operation of the spa to low-qualified concessionaires who do not offer customers a professional and safe service, who do not update their treatments or do not promote them properly; therefore, customers hardly know and consume them.
- Failure to comply with health regulations.
- Little or no updating of methods, procedures, treatments and products, which generates a lack of interest from users.
- Acquire very expensive equipment and furniture from which the investment is not recovered.
- Cause injury or damage to clients due to lack of knowledge about the contraindications of each procedure and the assets that can be used or not for each case.
- Use of cheap massage oils instead of products of strictly professional use.
The guest considers that the promotion made by first-class hotels is not the strongest, especially if it is taken into account that the number of users interested in a service of this class continues to grow. "Studies have shown us that spa services are under-promoted in hotels of 4 stars or more. While, on the other hand, at least one in three guests is willing to receive treatments during their visit to a hotel. Which represents a potentially significant market for this industry," said González.
What the guest is looking for
The client is always right, so it is important to consider what the guest is looking for in my spa? The guest of this edition ensures that the main thing is to have availability of information about services, personalized attention, specialized personnel, security, professional methods and products, quality, good prices, image, cleanliness and hygiene of the place, professionalism and variety in treatments.
González also highlighted the possibilities offered by Effleurage's franchise model for the hotel market. "It's a proven business model that facilitates the operation, growth and profitability of a hotel's spa; investment and risk are minimized, offering an attractive return and a return on investment from the first year of operation," he said, adding that "the Spa Effleurage franchise model is very accessible since it also offers the possibility of adapting to the financial plan that best suits the hotel through three commercial schemes; direct operation: the hotel acquires and operates the Spa Effleurage franchise, outsorcing-concession: Effleurage operates the hotel spa, and co-participation: the hotel owns the franchise but Effleurage operates it."
