In the past few years, corporate planners selecting destinations for their meetings and incentive programs have found that having a good spa on premises is becoming more important. To choose the right one, however, you have to ask the right questions of the right people.
During the site inspection is when you do that, says Damien Craft, spa director at the Spa at Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa, a Marriott Resort, in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. And the spa coordinator is the right person to ask. "You need to have one point person who can make multiple changes on the fly," he says, adding any good group spa should have one. "It's like a conference service manager just for the spa."
There should be a dedicated spa contact for any group using 20 or more treatments, agrees Andrew Thomson, event services manager for the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, whose Spa by ESPA, a two-year-old facility, was recently voted the best U.K. hotel spa by Conde Nast Traveler readers.
Beyond that, "look for the quality of service when you walk in the door," Craft advises, saying that the front desk reception area can give a good indication of the service your attendees will receive throughout their spa experience. "Look at the cleanliness of the facility."
Craft says planners should be asking, "How big is the spa? What number of treatment rooms does it have, and how many people can it serve in one day?" He says his spa, with 19 treatment rooms, is big enough to manage any group staying at the Sawgrass resort.
But many hotel spas aren't that large, says Kari Vrba, vice president of business planning and industry relations for Minneapolis-based meeting, event, and incentive planner Carlson Marketing. "In a business hotel, a spa will have one or two treatment rooms," Vrba notes. "Luxury hotels and resort hotels recognize that spas are great revenue generators."
Jeremy McCarthy, director of global spa development and operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, agrees. "It is important to cater to large groups," he says. "That is especially important when the location does not have a large local clientele." Which is the case at many resort properties.
How much of a role the spa should play in choosing a meeting venue depends on the type of group. For pure incentive groups or meeting groups to which the incentive component is important, spas have a more central role.
Groups for whom the right spa is a key factor "represent a growing segment of the market," say Bill Boyd, president and CEO of Sunbelt Motivation and Travel, an incentive travel planning company based in Dallas. "What we look for is the ability of the spa to handle the right number of participants per day. If the spa does not fit, we go on to the next resort."
For pure meetings, Vrba says, the spa is rarely a deciding factor when weighed against issues like the size and suitability of function space. Besides, "in a meeting, attendees probably have to pay for the spa on their own," she says.
But because these properties are "eager and willing to work with groups," McCarthy says, "planners should talk to the spa manager even if it is a business meeting and the spa is not formally part of the event. They can make special offers to the group and adjust hours of operation and staff according to when the group has free time."
Can the Spa Handle My Group?
The vast majority of spas offer treatments in 50-minute intervals, which allow staff to clean and prepare rooms and be ready for the next clients by the start of the next hour. Multiply the number of treatment rooms by the number of hours the spa is open and you have the available slots.
Despite the importance of attaining group business, some resorts' spas do have regular local clientele, and they usually try to keep a few slots open for other guests, says Vrba. "A city hotel with a spa will save more slots."
That makes booking ahead key. "A month would be the minimum, and the earlier the better to have enough therapists on hand and hold the space," McCarthy says. "You don't want to find that another group has taken all the slots you want," he adds. The Sawgrass' Craft suggests booking 90 days in advance, if possible. Having participants sign up for spa treatments during their meeting registrations will facilitate this, Vrba says.
What Treatments to Offer
Few meeting planners allow participants to choose any treatment from the full spa menu. Providing about a half-dozen treatments is standard, say experts on both the planning and spa management sides. Generally, these include a couple of massages, a facial, a manicure and pedicure, and perhaps a full body treatment.
"Cost is why you limit it," says Boyd, who notes that other activity options like snorkeling or zip-lining can be cheaper than spa treatments. "You sell it as 'spend a day in the spa.' You have only one treatment, but you can stay the whole day there." Vrba agrees about managing costs, but adds that Carlson Marketing tries to make the cost of the spa treatment comparable to the cost of other activities.
The site inspection is a good juncture to start talking with the spa manager about treatments that fit your group. "They can come up with a list of services that would be at the same price point," says McCarthy. If body treatments or services using indigenous ingredients are too costly, "we can adjust some of the more expensive materials. If the group has less time, and there are no 30-minute treatments on the schedule, we can devise a menu that fits."
Different spas take different views on this, however. Gleneagles' 20-treatment-room spa never does 30-minute massages. "It takes away from the experience," Thomson says. "We tell [clients who have spa appointments] at check-in that they should go an hour early to enjoy the spa and relax before their treatments, and to take full advantage of the pool, the steam room." But like other large spas, it offers groups off-site treatments, such as neck massages at check-in or for golf groups at the first tee.
It's also worth finding out if and how the spa will negotiate on prices. Craft, who advises against limiting treatments to just a handful, says discounts really depend on the group's size and the number of treatments being used.
Ambiance and Amenities
One of the reasons a site inspection is vital is determining whether the spa's ambiance fits your group.
Look at how comfortable and relaxing the spa is, Boyd advises. "If you walk in, and reception is hustling and busy, or if there is Zen music playing and candles, chances are that will be the ambience of the spa," he says. A water feature in the relaxation area always helps sell clients on a spa, he adds.
In line with his suggestion of selling only one treatment option as a ticket to a day at the spa, Boyd suggests looking for a facility with outdoor areas. "If it is in season, people will want to relax outdoors." Craft agrees, noting, "A lot of the smaller spas are trying to rush you in and out."
Larger spas can also double as event venues. Opened in 2008, Gleneagles' Spa by ESPA grew from a couple of treatment rooms to 20, and added facilities like a vitality pool and spa cuisine catered by its Mediterranean restaurant, Deseo. It can host receptions of 60 to 70 people.
McCarthy points to Shine by Sheraton, a new global spa concept launched across the Sheraton Hotels & Resorts brand last month, as being "brighter and more vibrant" than the traditional "very dark and tranquil" spa design.
"It's warm and inviting, but it also lets guests connect with others at the spa," he says, noting that common areas are designed to bring people together, not keep them isolated. "It's good for the networking and brainstorming you want at group events."
Originally published Oct. 1, 2010