Over the years, spas and fitness centres have become an integral part of the hotel industry. Catering to both in-house guests as well as walk-in clients, wellness offerings have undergone a sea change, with people willing to pay top dollar for a few hours of de-stressing and pampering.
“Spas have become an inevitable part of life for everyone due to our pace of life,” says Mahesh Lal, spa manager, Heavenly Spa by Westin – The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace. He says, “Entrepreneurs and business travellers routinely schedule visits to wellness destinations to relax their mind, body and soul. Westin Hotels and Resorts recently conducted a global study to understand how wellness has become a priority over key aspects like pay raise or alcoholic beverages.” The study showed that a whopping 1,534 Indian survey respondents consider maintaining a balanced sense of well-being as a status symbol, outranking professional accomplishment (51%), being rich and famous (42%) and a healthy relationship (41%).The results of this survey have clarified that Indians are becoming increasingly aware of their state of well-being and are willing to do what it takes to improve their health.
He continues, “It has also given us insights to gauge the changing consumer demands and the booming wellness segment. We recognise that the effort to maintain a good state of well-nourished and balanced lifestyle is the trend, which in turn will give great impetus to the segment in India.” Created to meet the needs of Westin guests, Heavenly Spa by Westin provides authentic, memorable experiences based on unique treatments and quality products delivered by skilled therapists. Ultimately, seeking to uplift guests mentally, physically and spiritually by engaging and stimulating each of the five senses.
Explains Jazzy Eldieta Nepram, manager at The Oberoi Spa, “The preventive and wellness industry will boom with the increase of medical tourism. Demand for authentic treatments and health benefits is the foreseeable future. While the focus stays on being eco-friendly and natural, the key lies in authentic treatments and customisation.”
She further adds: “We are living in a small but stressful world – a world where 80% of the people travel globally. The stress raises several health concerns, therefore, preventive health care is a must in this era. Many guests include spa therapy as part of their regime to improve their immune system by distressing and detoxifying. Spas in hotel industry will be always an important segment of caring for guests, to enhance their stay.”
Says Sumit Kant, GM and vice-president, Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai, “We aim to provide our guests with wellness and a sense of well-being. The property has a 2,500 sq-ft gym and we have tied up with wellness guru Mickey Mehta for his brand, Mickey Mehta’s 360 Wellness Temple. We also provide a combination of six kinds of pools.” He further adds that the hotel’s Aristo Spa by Serena is meant for business travellers, their main clientele, and is well suited for relaxing therapy sessions.
Needless to say, like any product or service, wellness offerings too need to undergo regular updates and modifications. Explains Saif Usmani, spa manager, Shine Spa for Sheraton, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway: “We consider specific recommendations and requests from guests. We develop, combine and modify treatments to go beyond the regular offering on the basis of the needs and demands expressed. For example, we came up with Sun Soother, a summer special treatment of a cucumber wrap and Swedish massage with cooling light lavender, to beat the scorching heat.” Four Points by Sheraton Navi Mumbai, Vashi ensures a re-look at the spa menu every six months, with new treatments added based on guest requirements.
According to Lal, “At The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace, we review our spa menu each year and introduce new treatments. We study global spa trends and offer the best, based on guest feedback. Their suggestions are at the heart of our operation. This year, we introduced aromatherapy treatments by Aromatherapy Associates.” While some hotels rely on in-house experts for updates, others bring in external advisers. Says Nepram, “We have our own spa experts – the vice-president spa, Kate Sim and corporate spa manager Vishal Tripathi take care of the entire chain of Oberoi spas. We source our equipment from USA, China, Germany and Korea; and products from Hungary, Holland, Spain and India.”
Westin has a global spa team for all their properties, based out of Stamford. The team has identified a Spa Council member for each region to guide and train all Heavenly Spa by Westin teams worldwide. “The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace sources aromatherapy products from the UK, the Comfort Zone products are from Parma in Italy. Our spa equipment and materials are sourced from SpaEquip,” adds Lal.
Another important aspect of service for the hotel wellness offerings are the walk-in guests. This segment contributes a large chunk of the profit for many hotels across India now. Usmani says, “At our spa, we have a flexible policy to accommodate walk-ins, which brings our services to a wider audience – guests who may take advantage of spa treatments regularly.” Agrees Lal: “Walk-in guests make up a significant part of our clientele. It is these guests who want to experience new treatments and getaways that help them rejuvenate. We ensure that our treatments cater to every guest walking in. Apart from the hotel guests, we receive several appointment requests. Weekends are especially busy for us.”
Talking about the future of this critical aspect of hospitality, Nepram says, “There are two types of hotel spa – one which is exclusively for the hotel’s guests while the other focuses on memberships and walk-ins. With luxury hotel occupancy dropping and spa treatment capture ratio declining, spas should focus on creative offers and business models to maximise profit opportunities. Preventive health care, de-stressing, beauty and detox therapies; naturopathy medicine, return to nature concept; wellness diet menu – the active food along with treatments – are all the trend now and will remain in the future, in the hotel industry.”
Usmani echoes the sentiment: “It is a burgeoning industry not only here but also internationally. We recognise the importance of state-of-the-art facilities.” With Indian hotels clearly attaching importance to their wellness offerings, the time is right for hoteliers to seize the day, and rake up the profits as they pamper their guests.
