Now that we’ve been living with the changes we’ve had to make for some time, we’re adapting to a new way of being and realizing that some of them will be permanent, or at least long lived.

By Roger Sholanki,
CEO, Book4Time

As we look into the new year, I see good developments on the horizon. There will be a trend towards adopting more digital technologies to simplify processes, enhance the guest experience, save time and money, and facilitate sustainability initiatives.

Sustainability is one of the biggest trends we’ll see in 2022. A lot of efforts related to sustainability were put on hold over the past two years because of the pandemic and the sudden ubiquity of disposable masks, hand sanitizer bottles, and individually packaged items. Now that we’ve been living with the changes we’ve had to make for some time, we’re adapting to a new way of being and realizing that some of them will be permanent, or at least long lived.

This means reinstating some of the elements that were put on hold. In her Spotlight interview this month, Amanda Frasier, Forbes Travel Guide’s (FTG) Executive Vice President of Standards & Ratings, talked about the fact that FTG removed the requirement for a hotel or spa to offer a buffet service during the pandemic as a concession to health and safety concerns. Now, she says, FTG is bringing that requirement back because it’s an enhancement to the guest experience, but is rewriting it with some modifications that better suit how people now think about communal buffets.

Similarly, sustainability initiatives may look different in a year or two than they do now, and we don’t yet know what this might mean. We do know, however, that some of the practices that were introduced out of necessity will remain in place, and that these serve to enhance both health and safety and sustainability. Virtual intake forms, online booking, and contactless check-in, check-out, and payments, for example, help reduce shared touchpoints and paper waste.

Going paperless will soon be considered a standard best practice, and this will also include QR codes and digital menus. The entire contactless experience that we’ve been talking about will have a life of its own and new meaning in terms of consumer experience. Guests will choose their services, book online, and fill out forms before they even set foot in the spa, and when they physically arrive, they will check in on their devices and the devices will advise them where to go and what procedures to follow.

Digital technology will continue to drive more efficiencies, and the way that spas interact with customers will evolve. This has the added bonus of alleviating some of the stress spas are experiencing these days from being limited on staff. Existing staff will be more able to focus more on high value services and less on tasks that require being behind the computer.

Digital tech will also facilitate cancellation policies and allow spas to collect customer credit card information in a secure fashion online, without having to provide this over the phone, which can have an element of risk.

It’s exciting that we have these technologies available to help us create life changing guest experiences and ease the pressure on our teams and ourselves. People taking full advantage of the things that can make life easier and better is one trend I hope to see a lot more of.  

We’ve released a list of the spa & wellness trends we’ll be watching next year. Click here to download the Handbook: Seven wellness trends for 2022

The post Spa tech trends for 2022: driving simplicity and sustainability appeared first on Spa Executive.

Recently I’ve had a number of thought-provoking conversations with hospitality leaders about the future and how our businesses will operate in the wake of an economic shutdown and in an ongoing viral pandemic. Book4Time customers want to maintain the same level of guest experience excellence for which they’re known, while at the same time adhering to strict safety protocols. The conversations are ongoing and will be for some time to come.

We know that the future will require increased focus on cleaning and sanitation, retraining of staff, and eliminating all unnecessary communal touch points, including reading materials, shared water cooler pitchers, trays of food, and product testers.  We also know that technology will become more important than ever when it comes to supporting spa and wellness businesses. I’ve heard it acknowledged that spa and wellness is not always the most tech forward sector, and that sometimes people are a little afraid of technology. This will change.

Business leaders might have to step outside of their comfort zones and experiment with out-of-the-box thinking regarding how we support our guests and define the new wellness experience. For a high-touch industry, this will require thoughtfulness and creativity. Some things will be easier than others, and technology will facilitate this transition. Here are a few ways that technology will play a bigger role in spa and wellness in the coming months and years.

Paperless receipts, waivers, and intake forms

Many of the paper items in your spa should no longer be hanging around in this new era. Going paperless is greener, less hassle, more hygienic and, I might say, long overdue. Paper receipts are not necessary. Sometimes people keep them for benefit reimbursements or for tax purposes, but a digital receipt will do just as well, is less likely to get lost, and is better for the environment – did you know that thermal receipts can’t even be recycled? Offering a digital receipt also allows you to build your customer database with relevant contact information for future services. Your cloud-based spa software system should offer the ability to automatically email receipts to your guests at checkout.

Also, most businesses require every guest to fill out a paper form providing their health information when that guest arrives at the spa. Again, this is a waste of paper, and now we have to consider the fact that it’s also another touchpoint for potential viral contamination. Investing in a digital intake product is a great way to reduce this waste and risk. Your guests can simply fill out their forms from home prior to arrival, or on a personal mobile device at their own convenience. Many spas are also considering offering iPads for check in and intake forms, as these can be wiped down between guests.

Digital menus

Online menus are more convenient.  In the past, our industry has put a lot of effort and thought into the creation of beautiful paper menus, but these will have to go, at least for the foreseeable future, and many people will probably not want to see their return. Paper menus increase the chances of viral contamination – and they also may be more trouble than they are worth. Online menus are not only available from anywhere, they are more easily modified, should you wish to make changes, as they don’t require printing and redesign.

Touchless payments

Touchless payment options will be another must have, because guests will not want to touch a keypad that has been touched by goodness knows how many people if they can avoid it. Most countries now support touchless payment options for credit card charges including Apple and Google pay. Check with your credit card provider to see what options they offer. Transactions above the amount of the tap limit may still require use of the pin pad, so do be sure to disinfect it between each user.

Online booking

The future of walk ins is in peril, and going forward, more clients will want to self-book online. Online booking reduces the time your customer has to spend at your front desk, decreasing the risk of exposure for both the guest and your staff. Your cloud software should allow you to offer incentives or promotions to encourage booking services online.

Online retail

Retail will be a bigger part of revenue when spas are operating at reduced occupancy. Marketing and promoting your retail through your software system will be a must for generating this revenue. Encourage guests to make purchases online and make it easy for them to get those purchases, either through delivery or curbside pickup.

The future of spa and wellness is digital. The more we learn to apply and rely on the many available technology resources, the better off we will be.

The post How technology will support your spa business in the new now appeared first on Spa Executive.

It appears to be a lot — Hilton CEO, Chris Nassetta, has said that he is “obsessed” with taking care of his staff.

Among Hilton’s initiatives is one to upgrade all back-of-house staff areas to be as comfortable and welcoming as guest areas. Hilton also offers programs enabling employees to earn their GEDs and expand their skillsets, including the Hilton School of Wellness Spa Leader Onboarding Program, which is designed to help Hilton spa professionals thrive as business leaders. Hilton is also an advisory board member of We Care, the global self care initiative for massage therapists and spa directors.

Who better to talk about some of the amazing programs that are changing the face of hospitality leadership than Jessica Shea, Hilton’s Senior Director of Spa & Fitness Operations for the Americas? We spoke with her for this month’s Spotlight interview, and she offers some amazing insight into Hilton’s successes from which we can all learn.

“Massage therapists,” she points out, “are the backbone of the spa industry…. Yet, as the spa industry grows, the number of massage therapists continues to decline.”

Hilton is among those turning this around. Is it coincidence that Hilton’s stock is reportedly up 274% from its IPO price in 2013? Probably not. Looking after your team is good for business.

As far as obsessions go, taking care of your staff is a good one to have.

Roger Sholanki,
CEO, Book4Time Inc.

The post What makes a company the “best” place to work? appeared first on Spa Executive.

It’s time to invest some serious energy into training our new spa managers. This is a sentiment echoed repeatedly by the top industry experts we feature in our pages.

The 20s are looking like an exciting decade for Spa & Wellness. Over the last decade we witnessed the incredible transformation of wellness into a global force of magnitude, and in 2017 the Global Wellness Institute reported that wellness had become a $4.2 trillion global industry, with 12.8% growth from 2015-2017. 

But with that growth comes a number of changes our businesses will have to make to keep up, one of these being an investment into training the leaders of tomorrow. Several people have talked about this lately, even suggesting that, if we don’t do something, there may be no one to run things a few years down the road. One commonly expressed concern is that there is a gap in the industry, where managers come from either a therapy background or a business background – rarely both – and are therefore lacking acumen in one of two key areas. In our spotlight interview this month, Emma Darby, COO of Resense, discussed this exact issue. Resense, she said, is addressing the challenge with a role-specific training program to bridge the knowledge gap between providing exceptional guest experiences and delivering commercial value.

What are the rest of us doing?

Good managers are the difference between success and failure, the difference between whether your business is profitable or not (Seven ways you’re missing out on revenue opportunities), and whether your team performs optimally or not (One way spa managers sabotage their team’s performance). 

As we move into the new year and the new decade, I expect we’ll see some amazing training initiatives, programs and ideas.

Roger Sholanki,
CEO, Book4Time Inc.

Spa Executive Magazine

We’ve released our spa and wellness trends to watch for 2020. Sign up for Spa Executive’s newsletter and download the free report! CLICK HERE >>

Spa Executive magazine is published by Book4Time, the world’s most innovative spa, salon, wellness, and activity management software. Learn more at Book4Time.com.

The post It’s time to take spa manager training seriously appeared first on Spa Executive.

Consider the surging interest and research in wearables, the Internet of Things and consumer genomics, just to name a few things that were barely on the consumer radar a decade ago. Not to mention the general interest in wellness, which has become probably a bigger global phenomenon than anyone expected.

Like the word “spa” not too long ago, we may still be having some trouble defining exactly what “wellness” is. That’s something Spa Executive discussed with my friend, Andrew Gibson, of the Wellness Tourism Association in this month’s Spotlight interview.

Andrew Gibson said that, to him, wellness is “a pathway that is part of a journey.” He added, “Wellbeing is the ultimate goal. To be in a state of ‘wellbeing’ means that you’ve found a satisfactory condition in fitness, mindfulness, and, to some degree, spirituality. So it’s ‘mind, body, and soul.’ Wellbeing is the state you’re trying to attain and wellness are the different paths along the journey to get there.”

I like this description. It suggests that people are fellow travellers in something ongoing, and reflects the changing nature of the advances and discoveries that are leading us into the next decade. It’s a journey for us, it’s also a journey for the industry.

And as we wrap this decade up, let’s enjoy the holidays (those who celebrate) and give our fellow travelers some extra attention and cheer. This means saying thanks, being a place to take a break from the stress of the season, and elevating our customer experience (as ever) and employer brand.

Then, let’s keep it going into the new year and beyond.

Happy holidays.

Roger Sholanki,
CEO, Book4Time

The post The journey into the next decade appeared first on Spa Executive.

Take Noel Asmar’s sustainable spa uniforms made from recycled plastic that recently won an ISPA Innovate award. This simple but brilliant idea not only creates a solution to the waste problem, it brings sustainability to the forefront — something spa and wellness desperately needs to do. Asmar, who is in our Spa Executive Spotlight this month, has also launched her new Hospitality Lifecycle initiative, which provides hotels and spas with access to practical, cost-effective solutions to safely and securely dispose of used textiles. These are just a couple of examples of how sustainability initiatives are maturing.

In this issue of Spa Executive we also list our spa and wellness trend predictions for 2020. Among these you’ll find more examples of the sort of innovative thinking combined with scientific discovery, creativity, and technological advancement that make this such an exhilarating time for us. These include, but aren’t limited to, the use of psychobiotics to potentially revolutionize the way we see mental health; clothing that can monitor and improve our wellbeing; and more movement towards cleaning up our planet, holding businesses accountable, and demanding transparency.

Only time will tell if we were right in our trend forecasts, and in the meantime I’ll be content to be humbled and amazed by people’s ingenuity and curiosity.

I hope you’re similarly excited.

Roger Sholanki,
CEO, Book4Time

Spa Executive Magazine

The post Spa Executive, November 2019: People are amazing appeared first on Spa Executive.

What is a spa?

“Wellness is a concept the spa industry has latched onto as our latest shiny new thing,” said Munday, but it’s not something spas have to do. Munday believes that the Spa of Tomorrow will be a multi-functional, multi-disciplinary type of facility — 20% what it is now (massage, facial, etc.) and 80% something else, which could be anything. “Maybe a business center or coworking space in a corporate city hotel,” he said. “Maybe a live, organic restaurant, kitchen, and cultural center in a remote resort hotel. The 80% is not only different from what we have today, but can vary dramatically from one spa to another.”

This leads to the question “What is a spa, anyway?” Munday points out that there is still a debate over whether a spa has to have water elements to qualify as a “spa.” Mineral rich water for bathing was once the single defining factor of a spa. Now, we seem to agree that it’s massages, facials, and other treatments that make a spa a spa. But are you still a spa if you are largely a business center that offers massages and facials? Munday says, “Why not?” 

What do you say? What do you think makes a spa? It’s worth thinking about as our industry moves into this future where anything is possible, and exploring where we can take our businesses. There may be no right answer. But it’s a great place to start.

Roger Sholanki, CEO
Book4Time

Spa Executive, October issue:

Spa Executive Magazine

The post Spa Executive, October 2019: What is a spa? appeared first on Spa Executive.

But in an ever-changing industry full of trends and fads, like spa and wellness, how can we know when it’s time to make changes to our business operations and when to stick to the status quo? Well, we don’t – usually. But there are times when it’s clear that a development is here to stay.

According to ISPA research, more men are going to spas in the past few years than in previous years. In fact, 49% of spa goers are now men, up from 29% in 2005. I think we can say with confidence that this is a new reality, rather than a trend or fad. So, what does it mean for your spa? We spoke with Chairman of the ISPA Board of Directors, Garrett Mersberger, about the changes spas should be making to meet the demands of this demographic shift. His valuable insights include the sage counsel that spas should adapt sooner rather than later. I think this is pretty good advice.

You’ll find examples of similar developments in the news that Virtual Reality (VR) has recently been found to be an effective treatment for pain, and that the Noel Asmar Group has been named a recipient of the ISPA Innovate award for their eco-friendly spa uniforms made from recycled plastic.

These are new realities. I think we can say with confidence that demographic shifts, new technologies, and sustainability are developments to which spas should adapt sooner rather than later, and that we should all be making changes.

It’s all part of staying relevant in this competitive industry. What changes will you make? How will you adapt?

Roger Sholanki, CEO
Book4Time

Spa Executive Magazine

The post September issue: how are we changing to keep up with this crazy industry? appeared first on Spa Executive.

In this issue, we’re talking about empathy. In our Spotlight interview we asked Six Senses’ CEO Neil Jacobs what makes an exceptional guest experience. And he said, “Our role is to make a difference in people’s lives where they feel rested and rejuvenated and leave with an expanded view. In an industry with players claiming service focus, Six Senses stands out as the brand with empathy.”

An enviable position to be in, I’d say.

This need is imperative in spa, where therapists and service providers give a great deal of themselves in supporting the wellbeing of guests. For our team members to be successful in this, this emotional intelligence needs to trickle down from the top and flow outwards.

It takes empathetic leadership to attract and retain top talent, and empathetic business sensibilities to listen to and communicate with our guests. The first point is evident when we talk about “Five spa management blunders that cost you employees,” and the second in a study finding that “People are too busy and guilty for self care.” If you’re in the business of helping others, a valuable message you can send out into the world is that it’s OK to care for yourself.

Empathy is imperative to getting the best out of our employees and giving the best to our guests. It may be the most important soft skill you can develop for your business.

Shouldn’t we all aim to be “the brand with empathy?”

Roger Sholanki, CEO
Book4Time

Spa Executive Magazine

The post The August issue of Spa Executive is here appeared first on Spa Executive.

This month, skincare brand SK-II introduced its new brand ambassador, a digital avatar named YUMI, who will interact with SK-II customers and offer skincare advice. The attempt to create a digital human influencer isn’t new. YUMI follows in the footsteps of faux humans Lil Miquela and Shudu, who already boast mass Instagram followings. But as a skincare consultant without…well…skin, YUMI represents a fascinating bridge between real and virtual worlds. Will we soon see more avatars, moving from skincare into wellness, guiding us on how to care for our bodies when they, themselves, have none?

It seems inevitable. We also see some of this Real World/VR crossover with the opening of Esqapes, a VR massage center set to open in Los Angeles this summer, where guests will receive automated massages while immersed in virtual environments.

While all of this is exciting, when it comes to the amount of time we spend immersed in technology while hooked to our devices, we can always take a more critical look. The impact of this immersion on our mental health and wellbeing is one of the chief concerns of Jeremy McCarthy, Group Director of Spa & Wellness for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. In 2016, with his direction, Mandarin Oriental launched its Digital Wellness Initiative, a program designed to help guests nd new ways to manage their relationship with technology.

Mr. McCarthy, who is in our cover Spotlight this issue, told us, “Technology will have the largest impact on human wellbeing, positive and negative, for the foreseeable future. Anyone who is working on wellbeing should be thinking about the role of technology.”

I couldn’t agree more. It’s amazing, and maybe a little but terrifying – and this is clearly only the beginning.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Roger Sholanki, CEO
Book4Time

Spa Executive Magazine

The post The July issue of Spa Executive is here! appeared first on Spa Executive.