Roundtable: Wellness in mid-market hotels

The growth in budget and mid-market hospitality is bringing a new standard in leisure, fitness and wellbeing requirements

Meet the experts

RS Fitness Manager Raymond Kelly: RS Fitness leverages more than 20 years of commercial fitness experience, servicing a wide range of client industries including, corporate, federal government, health clubs and hospitality. Now a standalone company after recently purchasing the Fitness Equipment Division of Raymond Sport, RS Fitness offer a dedicated service to the commercial fitness buyer. Headquartered in Dubai, the commercial fitness provider has invested in the future with multiple locations up and down the country.

Vincraft Furniture Manager Arsalan Aftab: Established in 1996, Vincraft Furniture is manufacturer and distributor of outdoor & indoor furniture. Based in Dubai, it offers a wide range of furniture products to hotels, resorts and developers in GCC region. Vincraft Furniture features design combined with long lasting durability, ease of handling, water & heat resistance for outdoor use. Each product is crafted to offer comfort, withstanding contrasting weather conditions.

Esadore International CEO and Founder Ebrahim Malekzadeh: Esadore International is a boutique creative consulting company providing integrated single point solutions in Hospitality project development. It was conceived based on a single idea, to grow to become a single point solution for hospitality projects, while allowing flexibility of choice to clients. Every division caters to the different levels of the project requirement from Concept to design, to realisation and to operation.

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Arsalan Aftab: As a supplier we make sure that we serve a quality product to our clients, at all times and within their budget. We believe that we became well-known to the market because of these impressions we have given over the years. We have a wide range of products including both higher to lower ranges, and we always try to offer the most suitable products targeted to each individual client’s requirements.

Ebrahim Malekzadeh: There is a science to price vs quality. It is imperative that you know your materials, their price points and design for the space. Essentially you need to use materials that are durable and have reasonable longevity so you’re not compromising on quality, but still being cost-effective. On the operational side as well, I believe you need a balance between providing a high-quality service and price-point. The idea is to keep staff numbers low by ensuring you have fully trained, well-rounded staff providing all treatments. This is why regular training of staff is so crucial to the success of any spa.

Raymond Kelly: Today most hotel operations and management companies own a portfolio of brands. Take Hilton for example, they operate brands from mid-market to the luxury sector. It is therefore important for hotel operators to find factors which allow them to differentiate their various brand offerings and create brand value, not brand confusion in the eyes of their clients. We understand that, and in our fitness equipment portfolio of products we are able to offer a depth of fitness product features and benefits to hoteliers. We have fitness products positioned specifically for mid-market operators and we are seeing good growth.

What is your most demanded product in the mid-market sector?

Arsalan: We find that umbrellas are one of the most demanded products in the mid-sector. Since we are in a hot country, guests of course require shade and protection from the sun when they are enjoying the hotel’s outdoor facilities, from restaurant dining to hotel beaches and resort pools.

Ebrahim: In our organisation we have witnessed that the most requested products are most definitely connected to massage services.

Raymond: When mid-market hotel operators buy equipment for their health-wellness-gym facilities, they buy a line of products. Our bestselling line for this sector is the Precor Assurance Line. Precor is of course a valuable brand, but in my opinion some brands are no more than logos with a marketing department behind them.

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