Awards Countdown: Spa Person of the Year

Nine talented nominees have reached the long-list for the Hotelier Middle East Awards Spa Person of the Year 2009, sponsored by Esadore International.

In the lead-up to the Awards ceremony where the winners will be announced, which is being held on October 14 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, Hotelier Middle East has discovered some interesting facts about each one of these dedicated spa professionals nominated for the Award.

The judging will be done by an independent panel based on the nominations, a taster of which are revealed below, but who is your favourite to win?

[Note: a judging panel will decide the winner; there is no voting system]

Sunanda Marasinghe
Wellness Centre in-charge and head therapist
Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City
Dubai, UAE

Part of the core pre-opening team at Senso Spa at Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City in 2005, Sunanda Marasinghe has been nominated for Spa Person of the Year by the hotel’s sales and marketing co-ordinator Sarah Hameister for his successes since then.

A qualified therapist, Sunanda has acquired “combined skills in beauty, fitness and relaxation”, including training from Givenchy, Ingrid Millet, Paul Niehuans and Dermalogica.

Key responsibilities include: selecting spa treatments and finalising treatment protocols; conducting staff training for specific massage techniques and aesthetic facials; and supervising retail sales and product orders.

“A spa’s quality will transform the spirit and the intentions of what the managers want to provide for their guests into reality. Each process, treatment and step, integrate to create the guest experience,” says Marasinghe

He adds the best thing about his work is that he competes with himself. “You may think your service and product sales are good, but could they be better? Every day, the challenge is to do better. This is my message for my team and for me”.

Anchen Els
Senior spa therapist
InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Dubai, UAE

Anchen Els has worked with Spa InterContinental since the pre-opening period, following previous therapist roles in Greece, South Africa and on a cruise ship.

During her time at Spa InterContinental, Anchen has risen to becoming the senior therapist and is now undergoing training that will involve her in all aspects of running a spa, from reception to revenue, with the aim of developing her into an assistant spa manager.

Nominated on behalf of the hotel by PR & marketing executive Robert Singleton, Els’ “professional and skilled manner has seen her gain popularity with many regular clients who all ask for her by name, a demand that keeps her incredibly busy. Her talents saw her earn the title of Best Facial for Spa InterContinental with her demonstration of the Natura Bisse Diamond Facial for judges from Time Out Dubai magazine”

“Anchen is the first choice for the department when a therapist is needed during spa reviews, and has been featured in several newspapers, magazines and TV and radio programmes (twice) representing Spa InterContinental,” says Singleton.

“She has proven herself to be not only skilled and knowledgeable, but an excellent communicator and interesting spokes person for her craft. Anchen is certainly the star of the spa, and an excellent candidate for the Spa Person of the Year for Dubai,” he adds.

Chantelle Mason
Director of spa
Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Having been promoted twice over a 12-month period — from head of therapy to spa director — Chantelle Mason is described as being “very hands-on” and “bursting with new innovations”.

Beach Rotana director of marketing and communications Lina Vasiloudis says: “Ms. Mason has implemented many ideas during her tenure at Beach Rotana. They include the monthly Spa E-newsletter, the three Learning Corners for spa employees and the Zen Spa Temptation card which is a loyalty card for regular customers, just to name a few.

“Chantelle has a very strong passion for training and development. She feels that everyone should constantly strive to be better and learn more to aim higher. This is evident in the fact that training hours of spa employees are consistently the highest of all departments within the hotel. Aside from regular training hours, Chantelle also personally trains her staff on new spa products, massage techniques, new treatments, etc,” says Vasiloudis.

Six new treatments have been introduced during the last year of Mason’s management, which increased revenue as well as guest satisfaction. Guest satisfaction at the Spa has been consistently maintained at 90% and above, reveals Vasiloudis.

“Chantelle is a very hands-on director. She regularly fills in as receptionist, attendant or therapist when needed to count linens, clean showers and toilets and to set up guest areas. She constantly comes in on days off to help out on busy days or negotiate better rates with contractors, or simply to ensure a VIP guest has enjoyed his/her treatment,” she says.

“She invites staff of various departments for free treatments during the training stage of new therapists. This opportunity is created for colleagues who would not otherwise have the chance to experience the spa,” adds Vasiloudis

As well as encouraging “teamwork and togetherness” at Beach Rotana, Mason is part of
“Volunteer in Abu Dhabi” to help people who are less fortunate than her.

Michael Monsod
Spa & recreation manager
The Palace — The Old Town
Dubai, UAE

Having been in his current role for a year, Michael Monsod is responsible for the overall operations and profitability of The Spa and Fitness Centre at The Palace — The Old Town. Leading a team of 20, Monsod is responsible for maximising resource-use efficiency, ensuring that team work and integrity are valued, and motivating employees to offer the best customer experience by developing promotions and attractive incentives for guests and visitors.

According to The Palace – The Old Town marketing and communications manager Benedicte Flouriot, who nominated Monsod for the award, he has turned the spa, which ran at a loss during its first year of operation, around. “

To date in 2009, The Spa has kept 22% over its budget targets and an incredible 572% over its profit targets,” says Flouriot.

Other achievements at The Palace have included: converting unutilised guest rooms into couple suites to capitalize on seasons such as Valentine’s and for honeymooning couples; introducing the Perfect Figure Slimming Programme; launching a new logo; introducing a Thai massage tent by the pool area; converting the Vichy shower room into a treatment room; launching a revived and streamlined menu; and introducing a new product range — Les Sens de Marrakech.

Philippines-born Monsod has also recently also taken over the management of The Spa at The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, and in his second month alone succeeded in leading the team to its highest revenues for a month since its opening in October 2008.

“This proves a great achievement for Michael, given that the results were achieved during the month of July, which is traditionally a quieter time for the hospitality and leisure industry,” says Flouriot.

Monsod says: “In order to lead the market in personalised service, I train my staff to be customer focused and to communicate effectively with their clients in order to find out exactly what their needs are. It is important to that everyone shares the same mindset of customer service excellence.”

Fadoua Al Sibaei
Spa assistant manager
Doha Marriott Hotel
Doha, Qatar

Fadoua Al Sibaei is “a local national who is breaking the barrier for Qataris females to work in the spa and hospitality field,” says Doha Marriott executive secretary/ PR marketing communications Jennifer Schlicht.

When Al Sibaei joined the hotel, her only certification was in the beauty industry and her main exposure to hotels and spas was a customer. Since then, she has successfully completed a 12-month management development programme which comprised of on-the-job training, classroom theory, workshops and seminars. She has also attended a introductory course with Pevonia in Dubai.

Respected by her staff and colleagues, Al Sibaei has been promoted to assistant manager at the spa.

“Fadoua continues to expand her knowledge and experience by volunteering for hotel-related projects for charity organisations, hotel activities and is always seeking to learn and understand other department operations, such as Front Desk and Sales. Fadoua is now the assistant manager of the spa and her future looks very promising,” says Schlicht.

Peter Daehne
Senior spa therapist
Crowne Plaza Kuwait
Kuwait

Born in Germany and with more than 25 years’ experience in different parts of the world, Peter Daehne started his spa career in South Africa in 1981.

According to Crowne Plaza Kuwait general manager and COO Northern Gulf Hani Kafifi, who nominated Daehne for Spa Person of the Year, he has “adapted extraordinarily to the challenging environment of Kuwait”.

“Despite the fact that it is forbidden to treat the opposite sex in Kuwait, he managed to train female therapists on how to do treatments and managed to pass his knowledge to his colleagues for the sake of delivering the best services to both male and female guests,” says Kafifi.

“He handles local clients efficiently by adjusting to their culture and understanding their needs. Hence, he is one of the most requested therapists by the guests. Peter is admired by guests and an inspiration to his colleagues because of his gentle manners and positive outlook in work and life,” adds Kafifi.

Jouda Laffet
Spa therapist
Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Dubai, UAE

Hailed a “famous therapist at Jumeriah Beach Hotel” by her nominator Jumeirah Beach Hotel sports and leisure manager Damith Weerasiriwardena, Jouda Laffet has been a spa therapist at the hotel since 2004.

She started by specifically treating VIP guests at Jumeirah Beach Hotels, Beit Al Bahar Villas and then moved over to the main spa, where she has currently taken up spa management in order to continue to develop her existing knowledge base.

Laffet plays a vital role helping the senior therapists in the spa operation; she is very forthcoming in organizing events, inventories for the professional and retail products and is also involved in the purchase of all products used within the spa.

Achievements prior to joining Jumeriah Beach Hotel are wide-ranging, including a Bachelor of Science in Physiotherapy from a university in Tunisia, membership of the Tunisian Physiotherapist Association and a role on the pre-opening team of the spa at Grand Hyatt Dubai in 2003.

Laffet was nominated by Jumeirah Beach Hotel sports and leisure manager Damith Weerasiriwardena, who says that many guests come back “year after year to experience her extra-ordinary healing hands”

“Our guests recognise her for her unique talents, and her awe-inspiring skills motivate all fellow therapists and superiors,” says Weerasiriwardena.

“Jouda comprehensively deserves to be awarded as Spa person of the year for her hard work, commitment and most of all her talent as a therapist. Her enthusiasm, great guest feed back, and continuous search for development and knowledge make her a truly exceptional employee,” he adds.

Dr VL Shyam
Spa director
Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
Dubai, UAE

A highly respected senior member of the international spa management community and winner of the Hotelier Middle East Award for Spa Person of the Year 2007, Dr V.L Shyam is regional director of the Softouch Spa Middle East and Africa and the spa director at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates.

With 19 spas currently in operation, Softouch is associated with hospitality groups across India, Europe and the Middle East, including Le Meridien, Kempinski, Hilton, Grecotels, Indian Tourism Development Corporation and Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

In the Middle East, Dr Shyam was involved in the pre-opening and management of several prestigious spas at hotels including: Kempinski Hotel Julai’a in Kuwait; Kempinski Hotel Ajman; Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort; The Spa at the Hilton Resort & Spa Ras Al Khaimah; and Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates in the UAE.

Having worked as spa director of Softouch Spa at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates since September 2006, Dr Shyam has played a key role in developing this property to award-winning standards, claims nominator Sanaz Ghahremani, assistant marketing manager at the hotel.

“Apart from offering his valuable input in the planning and designing stage, Dr Shyam’s responsibilities include the development of the service concept, service menu, staff recruitments and training, and research and procurement of products. The aim is to set the spa in a class of its own, in terms of its superior quality of service and unique ayurvedic offerings,” says Ghahremani.

“As a medically trained ayurvedic practitioner, with an M.Phil in Business Management (Health systems), an MD and a degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery, Dr Shyam is personally involved in the treatment process through private consultations to determine the most suitable and effective spa treatment plan for individual guests,” she reveals.

And according to Leenoe Varghese, spa manager at Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates, Dr Shyam is “a brand of his own”.

“A lady came in once with a newspaper clipping of Dr Shyam and was so excited to find he actually worked there and was at the spa. It was as if he was a celebrity,” says Varghese.

James Rodriguez
Spa therapist
Madinat Jumeirah
Dubai, UAE

Goa-born James Rodriguez first entered the industry as a spa therapist working at the Hotel Oberoi in Goa in the year 1984. During this time, he met a business man who resided in Dubai and who was so impressed with his level of service he decided to help James to pursue a future in the emirate. Since then, Rodriquez has worked for Hilton before joining the Jumeriah Group when the company launched.

Roles have included massage therapist at the Mina A Salam Quay Health Club — where he was promoted to supervisor but chose to remain as a therapist because of his passion for the job — and therapist at the Al Qasr hotel and Six Senses Spa, now Talise spa.

“This opportunity sparked James to better his educational level and knowledge,” says Alida Brynard, operations manager at Talise Spa, Madinat Jumeirah, who nominated Rodriguez for the award.

“In 2005 he enrolled in a CIBTAC Anatomy and Physiology course which provides him with an international qualification as a body therapist professional. James truly excelled in the course and graduated with honours by achieving a 92 % pass rate.

“Within this same year, Six Senses Spa at Madinat Jumeirah was selected as one of the top Spas of the world and this is something James was an integral part of and of which he is very proud,” says Brynard.

“In February of 2007, Six Senses spa was changed to our very first and own Talise Spa. This was the first and only operating branded spa of Jumeirah. Day after day James remains a true winner and a key part within the success of Talise. He is truly one of the most requested staff we have ever had,” she adds.

Commenting on his career to date, Rodriguez says: “I am proud to be a part and parcel of the success of the Jumeirah Group. I am honoured and extremely satisfied, having contributed and nursed this spa from the day one of its existence.”