INTERVIEW
Each Four Seasons spa is the product of the group’s spa task force. This was created in 2003 and today includes 30 staff of various levels globally
lot of fantastic spas in Asia, and had done a lot of trendsetting things. So the role stuck with me even aſt er I moved to Paris.”
GOING GLOBAL Four Seasons originally created its spa task force in 2003, involving staff of various levels globally from grass roots rather than creat- ing a spa division at its Toronto headquarters. T ere are now 30 people on the task force and, since taking over as chair, Norton has created a regional structure to keep up with the growth in properties, appointing four regional vice-presidents or general managers to oversee spa development in the Americas (T omas Steinhauer), Europe (Rene Beau- champ), the Middle East (Simon Casson) and Asia (John O’Sullivan). “Instead of making it Asia-centric and say-
ing the spa guru has to sit in Asia, the spa task force has become more global,” he says. T e regional spa leaders work closely with senior spa directors, who are more hands-on advisors in the new developments. “Our sen- ior spa director for Europe will oversee our spa in Paris, but also has great infl uence on the other spas. She doesn’t run them – they have their own spa directors – but she becomes an advisor and a very important resource to the other spa directors,” Norton says. “Most of our technical experience lies at the level of senior spa director.” Members of the task force – not always Norton personally – can
get involved in a spa development as early as discussions with own- ership in Toronto about a potential project; it depends on the project and its needs. Task force members will discuss concepts with the Toronto-based development and design specialists and provide input on architectural plans, interiors, choice of consultants, technical and operational plans. T e senior spa directors, many of whom have for- mal training in architecture and design, provide especially valuable input at this stage. Norton and his task force colleagues also help to fi nd spa director candidates from within the company to run a new spa, assign certain spa directors to provide pre-opening assistance, and develop and run training programmes to help staff on their career tracks. “I think we probably have the best spa management training programme that exists today,” Norton says. Four Seasons spas are extremely diverse – not only are they located
around the world, but the company makes a point of aiming to provide an indigenous experience for guests. So how is brand con- sistency maintained? T rough a high level of service, Norton says. “In a spa, it’s not only the 55 or 80 minutes you’re on the massage
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Norton says spas can make an incredible impact on people’s wellbeing and that guest feedback can be very powerful
table, there’s an entire pre- and post- sequence that’s key, and we’re very good in planning and executing the entire experience, right from when you walk in: how you’re greeted, how it looks and smells, and how you feel going into the treatments.” Another factor separating Four Seasons spas is the emphasis on
products, Norton says: his team has evolved to be pickier about what products go into a spa (there is no one main product house across the group), as well as aiming to off er a variety of lines in each location. To please guests, they’ve followed trends to include more natural products especially those from Sodashi and T e Organic Pharmacy, and are also evolving more sophisticated high-tech brands with L Raphael, Sodashi and Vaishaly. T e company also encourages exclusive agreements with suppliers. “When you come into one of our spas, ideally you’ll fi nd products that you can fi nd nowhere else. If you come to our Paris spa, you’ll fi nd two out of three of the main product lines are exclusive to our French spas. And you sense you’ll get a treatment that you can’t fi nd anywhere else.” T e indigenous component the company encourages in terms of spa architecture and design extends to product lines, Norton says
SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
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