Standout features include a decorative water basin (above) and plasma TV friezes in the reception (below) that display illuminated, changing patterns
Nielsen, who also oversees the spa at La
Mamounia’s sister property in northern Morocco, says that having a spa designed by Garcia has brought more kudos to the devel- opment and nearly all tourist guides list the hotel and spa as a must-see attraction. “I think big designers such as [Philippe]
Starck and Garcia love creating spas because they themselves are spa-goers. Garcia has had many treatments with us and it’s some- thing he’s passionate about. However, he was humble enough to say: ‘Listen, I don’t actually work in a spa, so how can I design something for you?’” With a 24-year career in spas worldwide
– working for operators such as Hyatt and La Manga – Nielsen was only too happy to give advice. Yet, in hindsight she says she would have created more private/couple’s hammams (there are only two standalone ones, plus one in the spa suite) because of their popularity.
Hitting the ground running While paying homage to traditional Moroc- can themes, La Mamounia’s spa also has many modern touches. Plasma TV friezes showing illuminated, changing patterns and birds in flight, for example, provide a back- drop to the reception and corridors. Similarly, the product houses reflect both the country of origin and more contem-
SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010
be one person who wants something exotic or different and our focus is on customer service and to give them what they want,” says Nielsen. “Te core of our menu is the Moroccan hammam treatments and other body massages and facials. Tese are our top sellers and so we’ve put them at the front, rather than making guests trawl through everything else as a marketing ploy.” Something is certainly working because
porary ranges. Te marocMaroc line and the spa’s five signature, own-brand products have all been made from locally sourced ingredients. Shiseido products which are from Japan are also used. “Everybody expected us to pick something French,” says Nielsen, “but we chose Shiseido because it had a good balance of core body treat- ments and its cosmetic collection also gave it a fashionable edge.” The spa at La Mamounia offers a stag- gering 80 treatments. “Tere will always
only a year aſter opening, each spa guest has an average of three treatments and the treatment room occupancy sits at 45 per cent. “Te capture rate is easily a minimum of 20 per cent, sometimes more, but what we’re finding is that the average length of stay has increased and guests don’t leave the hotel, they stay here.” Tis means that the spa, which works as an independent profit centre, is already 20 per cent above revenue projections. “I’ve worked in spas that make a lot of money, but I’ve never seen one start out this fast,” adds Nielsen. “We’ve really hit the ground running.” Hotel guests make up the majority (87
per cent) of spa customers at La Mamou- nia. But there is also big demand from visiting day spa guests. Nielsen says getting the balance between these two groups right is “very delicate”. She says: “We don’t want to be overrun by tourists and we want to control this.” Terefore, off-site clients must
Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital 41
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84