ISPA Conference
I was recently invited to speak at the International Spa Association (ISPA) conference and expo, which was held at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.
The title of my presentation was Design Trends that Bring Clients + Revenue.
During the session, I presented seven different spa and wellness case studies, where revenue and client numbers were increased by design. The trends discussed included:
- Make-Over – Mandarin Oriental – Miami, FL
- Problem Solver – Jumeirah Talise Spa – Guangzhou, China
- Tale of Two Cities – Obagi Beverly Hills / Palm Integrated Health – St Louis, MO
- Full Immersion – Setai Wall Street – New York, NY
- Guest Circulation – Vdara Health and Beauty – Las Vegas, NV
- Less is More – Old Post Office – Washington, DC
- The Future of Spa – QC Terme – Governors Island, NY
Each facility provided strategic touch-points, while a common thread emerged: a spa’s regionally based treatments and programs should ultimately drive the design of your business, while providing an impactful guest experience.
The next hottest topic was increased revenue streams.
An often-missed opportunity occurs in Spas where therapists are less likely to promote retail as they do not want to appear commercially motivated. Therefore, the sales need to be taken out of the massage treatment room and be more tactfully presented during the check-out process, ideally in a boutique-like setting. Here a dedicated retail associate can engage clients and encourage them to take a ‘part of the experience home with them, reminding them of their relaxed sojourn and encouraging a return visit. This focus was especially effective at our Mandarin Oriental, Miami property, where we initially split up the check-in and check-out process to improve the guest experience and with a dramatic increase in retail sales. This strategy was highly effective, with a sales increase of 12% per year over the last three years.
Do you have other insights about increasing profits through design to be shared with architects and designers?
Healthy regards,
Read In the Hotel Spa Industry, Wellness is Front and Center
Robert Henry
roberthenry@rdh-architects.com
www.rdh-architects.com
212.533.4145