Spa sensation

Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi’s director of spa Chantelle Mason was recognised at the 2009 Hotelier Middle East Awards, taking home the coveted Spa Person of the Year accolade

Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi director of spa Chantelle Mason was selected by judges for her achievements over the past year, which included the introduction of a guest loyalty programme and new staff rewards and incentives.This led to her being promoted twice in 12 months.

Judges also cited her hands-on spa management skills, enthusiastic attitude and all-round talent as reasons why she deserved to receive the coveted award.

Here, Mason talks to Spa Manager about her success at the awards and her flourishing career.

SM: Congratulations on taking home the coveted Spa Person of the Year Award. How did you feel about being recognised at this year’s awards?

I felt both proud and honoured to firstly be nominated and to then have won the award. It is great to be recognised and rewarded for my hard work and achievements.

The award is not only a personal achievement; it is a joint accomplishment for both Beach Rotana Abu Dhabi and Zen Spa, and all those who have contributed to the success of Zen Spa during the last two years.

SM: What skills did you pick up to be promoted twice within one year?

Being part of the pre-opening team was instrumental in my development as I had not worked on an opening before. I was able to be exposed to every aspect of the business and therefore developed many new skills as well as improving existing ones.

I’m a very hands-on person and make sure I am able to fill in as a receptionist, an attendant or a therapist whenever needed; therefore I need to be competent in all aspects of every role in the spa.

SM: How important is it for hotel departments to continue to offer career progression and opportunities to staff in spite of the economic downturn and why?

It is important in order to keep staff motivated and challenged.

If we don’t offer these opportunities to our staff we run the risk of losing them and more often than not, the staff who want to progress and develop are the staff we need to keep.

SM: Some of the initiatives you imposed that were highlighted in your nomination include the spa e-newsletter and the Zen Spa Temptation card. How important is it for spa managers to be business minded and what key areas have you focused on?

It is important for spa managers to be business minded in order to view the business in terms of strengths versus weaknesses, profits versus losses, down-time versus peak time and to view the spa as a revenue-generating department — not just a relaxation zone.

The key areas I have focused on include repeat guests and re-bookings, supply and demand and guest feedback in terms of the treatments they would like to experience at Zen Spa. Staff satisfaction is important because happy staff leads to happy guests. I’ve also focused on the awareness of Zen Spa through projects such as the e-newsletter, press releases, networking events and sales calls.

SM: Why is it important for spa managers to focus on training and development of staff?

The spa industry is growing rapidly with many new products, treatments and techniques being launched every year.

Failure to train and further develop will mean that you are left behind and you stagnate.

It is important to keep up-to-date with the new trends in the market and to continue to offer training programmes and sessions for all staff.

SM: On average, how many hours training a month do spa employees undertake and how does this benefit them and the spa?

The training hours vary depending on the training being conducted. The training period prior to launching a new treatment is one month.

Refresher and product trainings are conducted in one-and-a-half sessions, twice a month, while free- or down-time in the spa is spent in ‘deep cleaning’ or ‘training’. Training has benefited the spa in many areas, namely guest satisfaction, retail sales figures, revenue figures and staff satisfaction.

I have a spa team with immense experience, expertise and knowledge.

We brainstorm, plan and execute the trainings accordingly.

To date I have not had the need to look outside of the spa for trainers.

SM: Is the spa a key revenue generator for the hotel? What initiatives have you implemented to boost revenue in the spa?

I would not say that the spa is a key revenue generator for the hotel; however I think that the spa adds prestige to the portfolio of the hotel.

Regardless of whether it is a businessman looking for a massage after a stressful day of meetings or a tourist who is just looking to relax and be pampered, having a spa in the hotel is a key selling point. I try to launch at least four new treatments a year, thus ensuring our regular guests don’t get bored.

I have updated and changed the spa menu according to our guests’ feedback to ensure there is something available for all.

As of October 1, we introduced a teen spa menu and we have also developed a system to reward our loyal and regular guests in the form of the ‘Temptation’ loyalty card.

SM: How does the revised retail sales commission work as referred to in your nomination and has it boosted retail sales at the spa?

The retail commission structure rewards the staff that make the extra effort in regards to retail sales.

It has definitely boosted retail sales and money is a great motivator.

It has also created a competitive spirit within the spa in regards to sales figures and the number of products sold.

SM: How has the economic downturn affected your role and your spa and how have you responded to new challenges such as this?

To be honest, there has not been a significant change in the business.

I have, however, been more focused on the expenses and keeping them to a minimal without affecting the standard of service that we deliver at the spa.

SPA PERSON OF THE YEAR SHORTLIST:

• Chantelle Mason, Beach Rotana, Abu Dhabi
• Michael Monsod, The Palace – The `Old Town
• James Rodriguez, Madinat Jumeirah
• Sunanda Marasinghe, Radisson Blu Hotel, DMC
• Anchen Els, InterContinental, DFC

This award was sponsored by Esadore International

THE HIGHLY COMMENDED NOMINEES

For the first time in the event’s six-year history, the Hotelier Middle East Awards 2009 recognised two highly-commended candidates in each category.

The two nominees highly commended in the Spa Person of the Year category were Michael Monsod and James Rodriguez.

Monsod, spa and recreation manager at Dubai’s The Palace — The Old Town, managed the property’s spa through a recent re-branding phase and was instrumental in turning the spa into a profit making machine. Recently he took over the spa at sister property, The Address Downtown Burj Dubai, leading the iconic hotel’s spa facility to its highest revenues since opening. Spa therapist Rodriguez, who plies his trade at the Madinat Jumeirah, was described by those who nominated him as a “rising star”. Rodriguez has played a role in developing many of Jumeirah’s spas from scratch and according to his colleagues has so many regular guests that they are often forced to rearrange their own schedules just to pay him a visit.