Spa has overtaken golf as the number one amenity meeting planners look for in hotels, according to Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts vice president public relations Elizabeth Pizzinato.
Pizzinato said that spa has more universal appeal than golf because it is equally attractive to both genders; increasingly men, and doesn’t require the same time commitment. Furthermore, she said that corporates are not looking at spa as a luxury any more.
“From a meetings perspective we’re finding that our business travellers are telling us it’s becoming a necessity,” said Pizzinato.
“Spa used to be a treat, now you really see it as part of the wellbeing and just taking care of yourself and that’s what we’re hearing from corporate clients, meeting planners, and from individual travellers,” she added.
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“Spa is the first facility guests look at and go to,” supports Hilton Abu Dhabi operations director Mark Shumacher.
“Guests see it as an essential element of daily life and a priority to look for when booking the hotel.”
Spa is expected to be a major part of Four Season’s Pearl-Qatar development, in Doha, the company’s second hotel in the capital.
Four Seasons Hotel Doha general manager Simon Casson said that Doha was a largely corporate destination, with 95% of guests being business customers.
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