spawww.spabusiness.com business2010 2 uniting the world of spas INTERVIEW HEATHER BLANKINSHIP Making her mark at Amanresorts TRENDS Richmond Village A CARE HOME FOR THE ON TRIAL ELDERLY OPENS A LUXURY SPA energy fi eld imaging HOT NUMBERS How Ahu Kerimoglu What do customers really value? Aysal saved Hôtel Les SPA SENTIMENT RESEARCH REPORT ANALYSED Ottomans, Istanbul Meet the team contributors READER SERVICES JULIE CRAMER Subscriptions Julie Cramer worked as news editor for BBC News Online for over Julie Albone +44 (0)1462 471915 10 years. She now has a successful freelance career writing about Circulation health, fi tness, travel and design. She is a former deputy editor of Michael Emmerson +44 (0)1462 471932 industry magazine, Leisure Management. EDITORIAL TEAM RHIANON HOWELLS Editor Rhianon Howells was launch editor of Spa Business and Liz Terry +44 (0)1462 431385 established it as a journal of note. As consulting editor she is Managing editor closely involved with its continuing development, while also writing widely on health, fi tness, travel and leisure as a freelance journalist. Katie Barnes +44 (0)1462 471925 Newsdesk Sarah Todd +44 (0)1462 471927 KATH HUDSON Tom Walker +44 (0)1462 471934 Kath Hudson has written for the magazines She, Zest, Women’s Peter Hayman +44 (0)1462 471938 Health and Yoga & Health and London newspaper The Evening Standard. She is also a qualifi ed therapist in Thai yoga massage Martin Nash +44 (0)1462 471911 and chavutti thirumal and a former news editor at Leisure Media. North America editor Peter Sargent +1 239 949 3394 LEONOR STANTON ADVERTISING TEAM Leonor Stanton is the founder of LLS Consulting, specialising in market and commercial assessments and fi nancial planning in Publisher/advertising sales the hospitality and spa sectors. She was previously with Deloitte Astrid Ros +44 (0)1462 471911 Consulting and Deloitte Corporate Finance. Advertising sales Julie Badrick +44 (0)1462 471919 John Challinor +44 (0)1582 607970 TERRY STEVENS Dr Terry Stevens is the managing director of spa, leisure and Jan Williams +44 (0)1462 471909 tourism consultancy Stevens & Associates. The company Advertising sales - www.spa-kit.net specialises in strategic planning, with a focus on changing market Sarah Gibbs +44 (0)1462 471908 trends, especially in the context of health and wellbeing tourism. Advertising production Ed Gallagher +44 (0)1905 20198 JENNIFER TODD Jennifer Todd has been a regular contributor to Spa Business WEB TEAM magazine for the last six years and has established herself as a www.spa-kit.net/product search engine leading commentator in the industry. Currently living in Melbourne, Sarah Todd +44 (0)1462 471927 she specialises in writing about the Asia Pacifi c leisure sector. spabusiness.com Michael Paramore +44 (0)1462 471926 Tim Nash +44 (0)1462 471917 THE LEISURE MEDIA COMPANY PUBLISHES Dean Fox +44 (0)1462 471900 Emma Harris +44 (0)1462 471921 spa opportunities 2010 launch for Palazzo Versace British Music Experience aims to hit the right notes Katie Eldridge +44 (0)1462 471913 Archial unveils designs for Plymouth's Life Centre DESIGN Andy Bundy +44 (0)1462 471924 FINANCE The views expressed in individual articles are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher, Sue Davis +44 (0)1395 519398 The Leisure Media Company Ltd. © Cybertrek Ltd 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording Denise Gildea +44 (0)1462 471930 or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright holder, Cybertrek Ltd. Registered at Stationers’ Hall 30851, Spa CREDIT CONTROL Business ISSN 1479-912X is available on annual subscription for UK £28, Europe £38, USA/Canada £28, rest of world £38, from the Leisure Media Company Ltd. Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Hitchin SG5 1DJ, UK. Printed by Mansons. Rebekah Scott +44 (0)1462 733477 © Cybertrek 2010 ISSN 1479-912X. Digital edition at www.spabusiness.com/digital 4 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 2 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 what’s valued n this issue, we analyse new research THE LEISURE MEDIA COMPANY from the Coyle Hospitality Group and Head Offi ce/Europe Offi ce WTS International (see p61), which looks Portmill House, Portmill Lane, Iat consumer buying patterns, habits, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 1DJ, UK preferences and best experiences. Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385 The sample of 1,300 active spa-goers was carried Fax: +44 (0)1462 433909 out in September 2009, when the Consumer Confi- dence Index was lower than at present – something US Offi ce which needs to be taken into account when analys- 22311 Piazza Doria Lane, ing findings which explore purchasing intentions. #201 Estero, Florida, USA Tel: +1 239 949 3394 Some of the most interesting results relate to what consumers value. They were asked to rate 12 facilities and 12 attributes as very important, somewhat important or not important. If you combine the percentage score in the some- what important and very important categories, the list reads: relaxation room 85 per cent, locker room 82 per cent, hot tub 74 per cent, saunas 69 per cent, fitness facility 63 per cent, steamroom 68 per cent, spa dining 52 per cent, heated lap pool 46 per cent, outdoor pool 43 per cent, staffed locker room 41 per cent, retail 39 per cent and co-ed areas 23 per cent. This is good news in that the areas typically provided by spas all score highly and in terms of costs, that staffed locker rooms are significantly less popu- lar than unstaffed ones and yes, the designers have been right all along about those co-ed areas which really seem to be unpopular. However, the relatively The relatively low rating for pools may need further analysis in light of existing hotel research which showed people are more likely to book a hotel with a pool, however, the majority of them don’t actually end up using it low rating for pools may need further analysis in light of existing hotel research which showed people are more likely to book a hotel with a pool, yet the major- FIND GREAT STAFF FOR YOUR SPA ity don’t end up using it, indicating that consumers’ perceptions of what they spa opportunities value and the reality of what they use are not always the same. Spa Opportunities, the sister publication The spa attributes results show cleanliness with the outstanding score of the of Spa Business, focuses on recruitment, survey, with a massive 98 per cent in the very important category. As if we didn’t careers and news and is published every know it already, this confirms there’s no room for error when it comes to hygiene: two weeks. It has a daily website and your cleaners are your most important assets. Scores for professional staff came weekly ezine, as well as being available as in at 93 per cent and atmosphere at 92 per cent in the very important category, a PDF subscription and on digital turning indicating that human touch is valued more than hardware. Freebies do well, with pages. To advertise for staff, complimentary refreshments at 55 per cent and free consultations at 43 per cent, email [email protected]. although free retail samples only come in at 23 per cent. web: spaopportunities.com If this research could be cross referenced with another piece of work which digital edition: spaopportuities.com/digital tracks actual behaviour, to see whether these preferences translate into ac- spa business tions, then we would be able to further understand what our customers want Spa Business is written for investors and steer facility investment accordingly. and developers, operators and buyers, The fact that two of the lowest scoring areas – retail and spa dining – are designers and suppliers. Readers work in important revenue generators for operators, suggests that either the indus- all areas of the spa market worldwide. Spa try hasn’t made these experiences compelling enough for customers, or that Business has a daily website, a weekly they’re genuinely less interested in these activities. Both interpretations point to ezine, and print, PDF and digital turning the need for research to establish ways in which these areas of the business pages editions of the magazine. can be made more rewarding and central to the spa visit. email: [email protected] web: spabusiness.com Liz Terry editor [email protected] digital edition: spabusiness.com/digital SPA BUSINESS 2 2010 ©cybertrek 2010 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 5 #)'$#)##)! #+!$ $,!!" '( $)! $!!* #'$# #'# ($') % , $ $)!(($') '# ($ $)! !)$#('!'& #)##($')%# $)! *##% # # $*'+! !--' ! 2 (/' 0). ! 0). ' !$(#)')# 0)!!!$(.'! $,! $)!'!)$# # !--$'- # #*()!$ $)! # ( '#(! $*)$* (&*#)"$)!# )'$%$! #$ !,;,%8)0%1;2*6,)025634)56-+-275 ,26)/5-16,)924/(',25)1/%4-15 Shandrani Sofitel Legend MetropoleMauritius Hanoï /%4-152**)456,)23324671-6; <42*)55-21%/342(7'65()(-'%6)( 62-1'4)%5)674128)4&;6,%1.562 626,)53%)18-4210)16 < 3)40%1)164%-1-1+342+4%00) < ;)%452*64)%60)16):3)46-5) %4.)6-1+%1()(-%5733246 <**)'6-8)3/%16&%5)(342(7'65 < +)17-1)%1(5-1')4)3%461)45,-3 *2407/%6)(&;/%4-15%&24%624-)5 2*):')//)1') < '2034),)15-8)',2-') 2*%55%+)5%1(4)%60)165 216%'6 53%%'6-8-6-)5 '/%4-151)6 Contents » issue 2 2010 in this issue... spa business uniting the world of spas Heather Blankinship, the new spa operations director at Amanresorts p24 Six Senses Destination Spa, Phuket p48 Peninsula Hot Springs, Australia p68 SPA VISION INTERVIEW SPA TOURISM 10 A record-breaking massage and a 24 HEATHER BLANKINSHIP 38 CURIOUS ABOUT CROATIA fl oating spa in Th e Netherlands Th e spa operations director at Aman- Croatia is the fi rst country under the resorts was inspired to create places of microscope in Terry Stevens’ three-part LETTERS healing aft er a serious car accident 14 wellness tourism series about the Balkans 12 Wellness tourism at its best is high- years ago.