Maintaining Success
Yet more top names are set to take part in another panel, being moderated by Ebrahim Malekzadeh, chief executive officer, Esadore International, designed to dig further into how exactly to create — and then maintain — a successful spa.
Speakers include Neil Hewerdine, vice president of spa services, Atlantis Palm Jumeirah Hotel & Resort; Aiobheanna Bonner, director of spa, Fairmont — The Palm Jumeirah; Souhel El-Achbah, spa director, Six Senses Zighy Bay; Salina Handa, founder & managing director, SensAsia Urban Spa; and Lindsay Madden-Nadeau, regional spa director UAE, MSPA International.
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Hewerdine echoes Spencer, when he asserts that one of the major factors impacting continued success will be “therapist legislation and training”. He said that investing into the “long-discussed retail and motivational techniques for spa colleagues” would pay dividends.
“Innovation, education, investment into training, empowerment and development of spa colleagues — this yields confident strong professional spa therapists who will have the ability to promote your business at a high quality level. Quality is a non-negotiable expectation of spa consumers now, and will only become stronger,” said Hewerdine, who won Hotelier Middle East’s Fitness / Spa Person of the Year Award in 2013.
Madden-Nadeau, who oversees multiple Anantara spas in the UAE, said focusing on customer service would be key going forward.
“Spas can actually be very simple — they need to provide a comfortable environment, good service and value for money. For the guest, it is about the service provided. We are lucky that the evolution of spas has brought the environment to a whole new level, however, if service is not there, guests will not return.”
For further insights and topical conversation, make sure that your spa manager attends the Spa and Wellness Summit on February 10-11 at Grosvenor House, Dubai. Attendance is free for spa professionals and you are sure to reap the rewards of the event, especially when it comes to the ongoing success at your spa.
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Feb 8, 2014 , USA
For several tears I have trained therapists on the differences of working on diverse skin types. A Euro based training is too limiting in today's market. Any hotel/spa company that does not invest in multicultural skin care training is truly missing the boat because of the proliferation of emergi...