Hotelier Spa & Wellness Summit extended for 2014
The Hotelier Middle East Spa & Wellness Summit is being extended into a two-day event for 2014 following the success of the inaugural event last year.
Set to be held from February 10-11 at a five-star hotel in Dubai, this year’s summit will target top spa directors and owners on the first day and expand on the second day to welcome senior spa operations professionals. There will be a host of panel sessions on trends and challenges, business-focused workshops and practical demonstrations.
More than 150 spa directors, managers and owners attended the Hotelier Middle East Spa & Wellness Forum in Dubai in March 2013, which highlighted the urgent need for more education at all levels across the industry.
Speakers included Kathryn Moore, director of operations and international project manager, MSPA International; Neil Hewerdine, vice president spa services, Atlantis The Palm; Galina Antoniouk, complex director of spas, Grosvenor House and Le Royal Meridien Dubai; Sharon Barcock, director of spa operations and development MEA, Hilton Worldwide; and Paul Hawco, group director of spa at Jumeirah.
Debates covered a variety of topics such as the potential of the UAE as a spa destination, how to speak the language of spas and business, and raising the bar to meet savvy consumer expectations, but one theme dominated — the requirement for training, education and communication in every facet of the spa business.
Speakers highlighted the need for therapists to upskill and acquire more knowledge, for spa managers to learn how to maximise revenue and understand profit and loss, and for spa directors and owners to understand how to promote and grow their business through marketing and differentiation.
DR Global director Daniella Russell said there was a “mis-match” between the skills of therapists and the expectations of international travellers coming to Dubai.
“Generally I think our staffing is becoming a little bit of a fine line for us, we’re bringing in a lot of excellent therapists but not necessarily qualified – they are fantastic therapists by touch but often their knowledge base and communication skills are somewhat limited and the international market are so astute, so conscious of what they want, their knowledge is sometimes beyond that of our therapists and they’re mismatching.
“If we are going to be an international spa country, we need to have international standards and that means communication, knowledge and skills, not just a beautiful hand touch which is certainly not enough,” asserted Russell.
Anantara Spas – MSPA international regional spa director UAE Lindsay Madden-Nadeau said she sat “on the same bench in that respect”.
“I think we all face similar challenges with hiring and the communication of the staff and it’s about bringing that education back to beyond basics and starting from scratch again,” said Madden-Nadeau.
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