Spas inject new life Into Luxury Hotels
By Corine Moriou

 
Does the presence of a spa result in increased overnight occupancy in elite hotels?
 
These days, without a spa, a 4 star hotel would lose a percentage of its clientele. Creating a spa may be a rather costly affair initially but a number of establishments have found that they have been able to reclaim these costs in a fairly short space of time. What is the recipe for success in these establishments? And what should one avoid? How do these hotels recruit their spa staff and embark on marketing of the spa?
 
Here is a general overview.
Jaume Tapies

Chairman of The Relais & Châteaux Chain of Hotels

Do you see spas as a non-negotiable element in your hotel chain?

We don’t think of a spa as an obligation but it is an undeniable fact that a spa is a real value add for any hotel. We service the kind of up-market clientele that appreciates the presence of a spa in the hotel where they are staying. In 2006, 128 out of 453 of our properties across the world boasted the presence of a spa, as compared with 2005 when only 103 of our properties offered spa facilities. In 2004 only 66 of our establishments had spas. In France alone, 19 of our hotels offer spa facilities. It is not just a trend or a fashion statement, however. Rather it represents a way for us to increase the profitability of our properties. In 2005, the reported turnover in our spa hotels increased by 22% as opposed to the 5% increase experienced by all our other Relais & Châteaux properties.

What are your medium term goals?
 
We would like to see 360 hotels offering treatments. Based on the physical space and financial means available to each hotel owner, we have established different categories, each one with its own set of specific criteria. In 2006, we had 19 luxury spas and 66 standard spas, 118 beauty centres, 5 establishments offering thermal baths and 3 thalassotherapy centres. The standard spas are not the main feature of the establishment but they still add value to the hotel whereas the luxury spas become “destination spas”. The creation of the “Relais & Châteaux Spa Trophy” demonstrates our commitment to excellence in this area. This year, the two winners of the Spa Trophy were the Mas Candille, in Mougins for their Shiseido Spa and the Bellevue Hotel in Italy for their mountain spa, La Valheureusa. Two spas with completely different ambiances.

How do you attract your clientele to your spa hotels?
 
Our website has a page dedicated to spa information and browsers have the option to download our Spa & Beauty e-brochure. We offer different spa packages including a “Spa and Relaxation” package which includes overnight accommodation in a double room, dinner and two treatments for two people for 590 euros. This is a great introductory offer. But bookings have to be made in advance to avoid a last minute rush. Our gift certificates also work very well. In addition we have established a joint venture partnership with Clarins and Orlane who promote our establishments through their own marketing channels. And each spa is then free to choose their preferred brand. In most instances, the recruitment of beauty therapists is handled by the hotel management but their training is typically done by the cosmetic brands we have aligned ourselves with.

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Edouard Ruchti
 
Director of The Club de Cavaliere Hotel & Spa, in Lavandou

The spa attracts senior citizens out of season.
 
What an excellent season for the Club de Cavaliere Hotel & Spa, Provencal flagship of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux chain of hotels! “As a result of the launch of our spa last spring, our 36 rooms and 5 suites achieved 100% occupancy from the beginning of June until 17 September. The spa attracts senior citizens during our low season and we are hoping to increase our room occupancy, which was sitting on about 64% by a further 10%,” explains Edouard Ruchti, manager of the Club de Cavaliere Hotel & Spa. For years, regular guests of this beautiful hotel overlooking a sandy beach have dreamed of being able to make use of a spa here. “We used to have to get a masseuse to come in from Lavandou and bring a collapsible table. It was a complicated arrangement!” admits Edouard Ruchti.

In 2006, the entire hotel was renovated. Out of a total investment of 5 million euros, 1.2 million was spent on the creation of a 240 square metre spa. Edouard Ruchti regrets Relais & Châteaux’s decision to limit their Spa & Beauty brochure to the downloadable version on the Internet instead of creating a hard copy version. “Senior citizens don’t like choosing their holiday destination by surfing on the net. They prefer to be able to physically flick through a brochure. We have made a big financial investment by opening up our spa and this needs to be supported by easily accessible marketing channels.”

Beauty therapists in Lavandou in the summer and Meribel in the winter

Room rates range from 300 to 800 euros, depending on whether it low or high season. “One should never try to take advantage of well-off, well-travelled clientele,” says the manager. “We have chosen to stock Valmont, a Swiss brand which is not available over the counter in stores, in order to boost sales. Clearly this decision was a solid one because in the space of four months we turned over 90 000 euros, of which treatments accounted for 65% and product sales the remaining 35%. The price of a body treatment ranges from 160 to 230 euros. And clients don't think twice about paying 400 euros for a pot of “L’Elixir des Glaciers” cream. Slimming treatments using “Cellu M6” are priced at 60 euros. Valmont recruited the beauty therapists and trained them over a 15-day non stop period before departing.

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Philippe Coulibaly

Manager Of The Ritz Health Club In Paris

“The Ritz Health Club turns over 3 million euros per annum.”

In 1989, the Ritz Health Club celebrated the bicentenary of the revolution and opened its doors, with décor resembling that of olden day Roman baths, a theme which has since been widely copied by a number of competitors. But the anticipated revenue did not materialize. At this period in history, no one was familiar with the concept of the spa! The owner ordered that an audit be performed and a development company, independent of the hotel itself, was formed to manage the magnificent 1750 square metre space. It was Philippe Coulibaly, previously a consultant, who took matters into his own hands in 1999. “The Ritz Health Club went from 300 to 600 members, with each of these spending, on average, 3600 euros on their annual holiday where they would enjoy taking advantage of facilities such as a swimming pool, weights room and the various courses and lessons on offer. On the treatment side, we stock La Prairie exclusively and have seen excellent sales results. Our total turn over is 3 million euros, of which 1.5 million is generated by membership fees, 1.2 million by treatments and 300 000 euros by the sale of La Prairie’s products. Our running costs are in the region of 500 000 euros,” according to the transparent response of the manager who is responsible for 44 employees.


Jean-claude Messant

Managing Director of The Métropole Hotel in Monte Carlo

“Our guests come to experience the Métropole before they come to experience Monte Carlo!”
 
Since its renovation, the Métropole resembles an old Baroque styled house, where you would not be surprised to see either a famous musician or royalty checking in. The chic and extravagant atmosphere of the hotel may be credited to architect Jacques Garcia. It was Garcia, with his magical way of creating something extraordinary from the spaces he works with, who came up with the concept of the spa. “Without the spa, this place would not exist!” enthuses Jean-Claude Messant, Managing Director of the Métropole, who involved himself in every minute detail during the three year renovation period. Comprised of 10 treatment rooms, two of which are suites, the spa seduces visitors from the very first moment they set foot on the premises. The very Zen ambiance of the spa is created by the stone and slate paving slabs, walls adorned with coppery touches, African styled baths, and emerald green and copper toned Bisazza mosaics.

Taking up 2000 square metres and 3 floors, this creation, Anglais Espa International, was a masterpiece. A real first for France! This spa expert advocated the use of natural treatments and holistic practices. A dozen or so beauticians and massage therapists were recruited through small adverts placed in local and professional publications as well as English newspapers. Their training commenced in January and the spa opened its doors in April 2006. Therapists were trained to greet clients with the words, “Good day, I am your therapist”. They then complete an assessment form before commencing any treatments. The manager was proud to announce “All of our staff have tested the massages, including the cleaning staff and porters.”

New Leading Spa Hotel
 
The first time you visit the Métropole is out of curiosity, when you return it is for pleasure. Word spreads fast in affluent, cosmopolitan circles where clients are always on the look-out for the novelty factor. “Our objective is to encourage guests to come and experience the Métropole before they come to experience Monte Carlo. We are becoming an urban spa destination,” highlights Jean-Claude Messant. Three months after opening the Métropole Espa Monte Carlo joined the club of Leading Spas of the World. Of the 450 Leading Hotels of the World hotel chains, only a select few have earned this title and in France you can count the number of hotels who have earned this honour on one hand. “We create get-away packages that are marketed all over the world. It is great way to build a name for oneself,” explains Jean-Claude Messant. Of course, luxury doesn’t come cheap. The “Indulge Yourself” package costs 1480 euros during low season and includes one night in a double room, breakfast, spa treatments and lunch, created by Gourmet Chef Joël Robuchon and served beside a heated salt-water pool. And what about external clientele? The strategy is clear: the entry fee will set you back 500 euros and the annual membership fee is 2500 euros. “We will not accept more than 50 members,” cautions Jean-Claude Messant.

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Focus on The Basque Regions

Hotels and thalassotherapy centres: the water battle begins
 
Things are hotting up on the spa front in the Basque regions! A few metres away from the Sofitel Thalasso Miramar Biarritz, the famous Hotel du Palais opened its very own 300 square metre Spa Impérial with Guerlain in August 2006. “We weren’t concerned about competing with them because their establishment does not offer thalassotherapy treatments,” assures Marc Dannenmuller, Manager of Miramar. But Sofitel was fully aware that they too needed to ride the spa wave. Their brochure announced the renovation of their beauty centre and hair salon in order to launch “LeSpa”. Buses have already descended upon the town of Biarritz, singing the praises of a “Sea Water Spa Day”, for the price of 50 euros. “Since we introduced this programme, our turn over has doubled,” says Marc Dannenmuller. It all comes down to presentation; the word “spa” has become an imperative element in hotel marketing. Without it, one risks being seen as “falling behind.” The decision to offer spa facilities to guests is also underpinned by the fact that it is an opportunity to introduce new business to hotels that have traditionally offered thalassotherapy. At Miramar, tailor-made treatments have increased by 30% during the Summer months.

The Hotel du Palais chose to entrust their body and facial treatments to Guerlain. They also recruited experts in ayurvedic, shiatsu and tuina massage. Miramar clients come to find out more. The treatments offered by the Hotel du Palais are different from those offered by the Sofitel chain. And if you are spending a few days in Biarritz, you are looking for an escape where you can enjoy décor, ambiance and sensations that are different from the norm. And perhaps the answer to this desire lies in this ancient residence once inhabited by the Empress Eugene? Jean-Louis Leimbacher, Managing Director of the Hotel du Palais, thinks so, “We created the Spa Impérial to meet the demand expressed by the clients who stay at the Hotel du Palais. Our aim was to see increased room occupancy during our low season, which is between November and March.”

In 2004 Serge Betsen, the Biarritz Olympique rugby player, created the Kémana spa adjoining the Radisson SAS Hotel. But, whether his early entry into the spa market guarantees a regular turn over, is uncertain. Christelle Lejeune, Spa Manager at the Hotel du Palais reports that she has just had a call from a guest staying at the Radisson, “He wants to come and visit our spa. Perhaps next time he will come to stay at the Hotel du Palais.” It would appear that the discrete well-being of Kémana has proven to be a great success amongst a young and sporty clientele.

Division between the Grand Hotel and the Hélianthal
 
In Saint Jean de Luz, the competition is even more rife. Jacques Courtillé, Manager of the Hélianthal Thalassotherapy Centre is still upset about the situation, “I don’t understand how the Mayor could have given his approval for the Grand Hotel to open a thalassotherapy centre. In their initial plans, there was no mention of a spa!” Up until this point, the Hélianthal was the only establishment in the area to offer sea water treatments. In March 2006, the Grand Hotel opened its Loreamar Thalasso Spa, described in the brochure as offering “Exceptional thalassotherapy treatments in a spa environment.”

“A financial study conducted by the auditing firm, KPMG illustrated that a spa and a balneotherapy centre would not give us the return we were looking for. We therefore decided to open a thalassotherapy centre. We are hoping to recoup the costs of our initial investment, which amounts to five million euros, within two years. While previously the hotel was closed between November and February, it will now stay open all year round,” explains Alain Mourgues, Manager of the Grand Hotel, exuding a sense of quiet enthusiasm. While the Grand Hotel occupies 1000 square metres of floor space and has direct access to the beach, the treatment area of the Hélianthal had to be renovated and increased to include three new treatment rooms. The Hélianthal could just as easily have been named after the INPI brand, “Spa Bio Marin”. “In addition to ayurveda and reflexology, which have been on our spa menu since 2005, we also plan to introduce Californian massages and hot stone therapy,” confides Jacques Courtillé.

While spa and thalasso treatments are booming in the Basque countries, it is not only for those spa enthusiasts with extensive budgets. To illustrate: to stay a week at the Hélianthal will cost you 1100 euros while a five day wellness package at the Grand Hotel will set you back 1900 euros. But the difference in price is completely justified.

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