spas
w seamless client journey. To ensure we got it right we have had to scrutinise every aspect of the business; from the culture, to the treatment offering and throughout the entire client experience.” As part of De Vere’s ongoing strategy, Leadbeater is charged with delivering a whole new spa brand for the group’s Village Urban Resorts – the new Viva Urban Spa – as well as consolidating the spa offer across the group’s hotel sites. “The creation of Viva Urban Spa really has been an exhaustive process as it is a complete rebrand and not just a new name,” says Leadbeater. “We saw an opportunity to completely recreate Viva Urban Spas so that we could refresh and revitalise our spa offer across our Village Urban Resorts.” For De Vere’s nine luxury hotels which offer spa
services, Leadbeater has been working to regulate spa service standards while at the same time optimising utilisation and revenue generation.
Talking the talk 40
Effective communication is key to realising De Vere’s ambitions. “I regularly meet our general managers to discuss our spas, and having formerly been a general manager myself, it helps that I talk their language,” smiles Leadbeater. “It also helps that CEO Robert Cook is passionate about spa, so the message comes through to take this side of the business seriously.” Explaining the importance of this part of her work, Leadbeater says: “A vital part of my role is to educate our general managers about spa business performance. I can show them what works through measured Key Performance Indicators and, if its not working, what potential revenue they are missing. “General managers want to understand spa in terms of revenue and profitability – once they get this, it is a
case of softening them to understand the nuances of the business so they, in turn, can better manage and support their spa managers.”
Stable of excellence As a manager, Leadbeater is a strong advocate of staff progression. “One of my responsibilities is to ensure that our spa team of nearly 300 people is passionate and engaged with the business. If you achieve this then you can only succeed,” she claims. “It is absolutely vital to motivate them with a clear vision of where they can progress to in two years time with the right training. “As a therapist joining us, you know exactly what
training you will receive during your first two years, then you have the option to go onto our Rising Star programme to be developed into a business manager of the future or, if you prefer, to take a more therapeutic path.” “Ultimately,” she concludes, “spa managers have to be business managers. Historically, many have worked their way up from being therapists, so they are very emotionally intelligent with a great deal of wisdom about the client experience. My job is to nurture what is already there and develop their skills in marketing and human resources, making them fully accountable for weekly and monthly forecasting, payroll and costs.” “However,” she admits, “not everyone wants to be a spa director – some prefer to be accomplished therapists, so we nurture this ambition and also benefit from them specialising in their favoured field.”
Working with ESPA Speaking about ESPA’s role in supporting the De Vere Group’s bold new strategy, founder and CEO Susan Harmsworth MBE says: “De Vere is working hard to elevate its brand across the board and this means it is
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