No crisis for spas

The phenomenon has attained a global dimension in record time. Who in the general public had heard about spas before the year 2000? Nonetheless, unlike many short-lived stars, the fashion effect has not yet dissipated. In the United States the number has grown by 20% each year since 2000 to 19,000 spas today, both in and outside hotels. Nonetheless, regarding spas, the question in all hoteliers’ minds is about profitability. At the beginning of this upheaval, hoteliers have often frown upon the results. Initial investment is high, its management costly and the revenues struggle to reach 5% of the turnover at a resort and far less in a city hotel. The payroll, which becomes very expensive in order to attract the services of the best practitioners, adds a great deal to operating costs, particularly when social contributions are as high as they are in France.Most Asian luxury groups have decided to fully integrate their spa offer in their brand image. Time Rituals at Mandarin Oriental, Chi for Shangri-La, Talise at Jumeirah, and of course Six Senses, Anantara and Banyan Tree and their eponymous spa brands: all these groups have given their well-being concepts a veritable identity. But for hotels where this is not the core business, the solution that is increasingly adopted is to appoint the services of well-known spa or cosmetics brands: La Prairie, Cinq Mondes, Clé des Champs or even Dior at the Plaza Athénée. Such an association can be win-win for both brands. Very closely related to W by Starwood, Bliss was made to discover two new continents recently. The Middle East in Doha, the Far East in Hong Kong and soon Europe in Barcelona. Present in the 16 residences owned by CGH in the French Alps and soon Asia, Bulgaria or St James & Albany in...