INTERVIEW
STARWOOD SPA BRANDS
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc has over 150 spas currently under con- struction. T e majority of these are its in-house spa brands and preferred spa partners. T ese include:
shine – T e global brand package for Sheraton’s in-house spa brand was launched in May 2010. So far, six Shine Spas are open and work has started on 17 more heavenly – T is in-house spa brand for Westin hotels was launched in 2004 and there are now 19 in operation and 20 in development explore – Set to launch later this year, Explore Spa is the in-house spa brand that’s been developed for Le Mérid- ien hotels. T ere are seven Explore Spas in the pipeline bliss – Owned by Bliss World Holdings, which was sold to Steiner in 2009, Bliss Spas have been exclusive to Star- wood W’s hotels since 1996. T ere are 17 Bliss Spas in W hotels, three freestanding ones, and fi ve more are underway.
Kyricos took inspiration from Shine Spa at
the Sheraton Full Moon Resort & Spa in the Maldives, which had opened in June 2009.
“I originally created Shine Spa as a branding solution for Sheraton’s Asia-Pacifi c division,” she explains. “It was a fantastic resort expe- rience that was highly indigenous and it had a quality of service that we liked. It was the perfect example of something that could be conceptually aligned and off ered globally, but also something that was fl exible so that the brand could be further developed with a specifi c location in mind. Aſt er all, no one wants a cookie cutter spa.”
FIND YOUR GLOW T e brand philosophy at Sheraton is that ‘Life is better when shared’. With this in mind, Shine Spas will always have a signa- ture treatment for two – whether that’s for a couple, a friend, or relatives, says Kyricos. McCarthy points out that a staple feature will also be a communal post-treatment lounge where people can mingle and where guests are encouraged to leave notes on a ‘refl ec- tion board’ with a handwritten sentiment or thoughts about their experience.
All in-house spa concepts, including AWAY by W (above), will be adapted according to location
away – T e in-house spa brand created for W hotels in 2004. T ere are now fi ve of these and 15 more are under construction remede – Launched in 2006, Remède Spa – also owned by Bliss World Holdings – is the exclusive spa part- ner for Starwood’s St Regis properties. T ere are currently nine existing Remède Spas and 14 more are being built st regis in-house – Starwood started creating a new in- house brand for its St Regis portfolio early this year and hopes to launch the fi rst facility by the last quarter of 2010
Fundamentally, however, Kyricos says
that Shine Spa “is for people who love life. T is spa is designed to help people recharge while travelling. Where guests will fi nd a warm, comfortable atmosphere that is both upscale and approachable. Shine Spa helps guests to fi nd their glow and to have fun while they’re at it.” In terms of design, this could lead to a
decor that is inviting and comfortable, but that has a bit more sparkle or gleam to it; or it could mean making a feature of the vanity area in a locker room, where the guest has every amenity and accessory possible to help them face the outside world again. T e Shine Spa approach, she explains, will
be fl exible – open to operators of diff erent locations to put their spin on it. But how does this work from a brand perspective? “It’s a Starwood proven recipe,” explains Kyricos. “T ere will be fi ve stages of the spa
– arrival, pre-treatment, treatment, post- treatment and exit – and for each of these we’ve identifi ed key design features and serv- ice results. But then the interpretation can vary. We’ve found this approach to be suc- cessful with Heavenly Spa by Westin.”
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FIXED FEATURES Key touch points for Shine Spa include branded collateral such as the logo, signage and menu template and there will be fi ve signature treatments. T ese will include a manicure/pedicure, a treatment for two peo- ple and a massage. T ere will also be a body treatment, which fi nishes with a gold-speck- led lotion and a facial which is focused on oxygenating and rejuvenation the skin. T e treatments have been developed in
conjunction with Shine Spa’s preferred product partner Germaine de Capuccini (GdC); and every Shine Spa will carry the GdC range. “GdC has several diff erent prod- uct lines,” says Kyricos. “Once our spas have the essentials to off er the signature treat- ments, they have a lot of freedom to explore the other ranges that GdC off ers. But some may also choose to augment the menu with a locally inspired and/or niche line.” In addition, a Shine Spa-branded ameni-
ties range has been developed for use in the vanity areas and hotel rooms. McCarthy also points out that there are
some operational stipulations too. T e min- imum size of a Shine Spa will be 2,500sq
SPA BUSINESS 3 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
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