How important is the European spa division at Marriott?
We have a wonderful mix of businesses from just over 20 full-service resort spas to health clubs which offer a core range of massages and facials. Combined, this gives us around 80 spas in 19 countries.
The distinct spa traditions in European countries make it an incredibly exciting continent to run. These help to guide the concepts – from a rasul and hammam to an ice or salt cave. Those subtle touchpoints give a unique, sense of place to the experience.
What are your main responsibilities?
I get involved with everything from initial concept and design, to taking full-blown operational and financial responsibility. It’s an ideal blend of being able to set the direction, coupled with the sense of achievement when your ideas come to fruition.
How closely do you work with the Spa GLT?
Although we’re all responsible for the performance of the spas in our region, a lot of global collaboration takes place to ensure all the Marriott brands and our spas are aligned.
The continent leaders are also good at sharing initiatives and solutions with each other – quite often the most lucrative ideas come from a piece of work by a spa manager on one of the continents.
What do the two new spa concepts mean for your region?
The new Ritz-Carlton Spa concept is an incredibly exciting development which will roll out across our nine Ritz-Carlton sites to reposition our portfolio in Europe.
The beauty is that it’s a full-rounded approach which is operationally easy to introduce. A team of spa ambassadors take hotels through the conversion process which is seamlessly linked to training, collateral production and design. It also empowers our managers and therapists a with new skills.
At the moment, the Spa by JW concept isn’t in Europe.
How did you influence the Ritz-Carlton Spa concept?
Prototype designs and facility ‘must haves’ were shared with the continent teams for input and feedback. I also worked with Kenneth and ESPA to check and validate their initial direction to ensure it was industry-leading and that it could be applied to spa operations globally.
What else can we expect from you in the future?
We’ll open seven more spas by 2020, with one in Macedonia in 2016. This is an exciting project which combines the best of contemporary, western spa traditions with the locale. We also have a series of new Ritz-Carlton hotels opening in superb, gateway European cities.
As part of a global initiative, I’m developing an online booking platform for our spas (see p48). In Europe, I’m also focusing on other digital elements such as social media and exploring new platforms to build business via communities and recommendations. Both are so fundamental to the way we build business these days that we can’t ignore them.