when we have implemented independent


S


pas aren’t real ly recording turna- way figures. In fact,


turnaway


recordings at spas we con- sult on, they’ve been higher than what the operator has told us. T e industry just isn’t mature enough in


this area and it needs to be honest and rec- ognise that the typical receptionist response is ‘no, sorry, we’re full’. While most spas do have some sort of waiting list, only about 50 per cent of turnaway customers are being recorded as the rest just say ‘OK, I’ll look for a treatment somewhere else’. To ensure all the information is captured


accurately, a spa needs to use a computer system – although I’m not sure that any are sophisticated enough at the moment. Ideally the soſt ware would have a wait list feature and the ability to automatically text a customer if an appointment is suddenly available. It would also be essential for the system to have a feature for detailing at what hours and on what days guests are being


turned away so that a manager could then look at whether this is in the peak times or due to bad staff scheduling/management. Part of the issue is also down to poor spa


manager training. You need to get managers to focus on collecting fi gures and analysing how these can be used to increase business and this isn’t happening yet. Revenue management is going to be one


of the biggest things coming into the spa industry in the future. T is will involve peo- ple analysing various sets of data including turnaways. At our own spa in Stockholm [see SB10/2 p54] we’re trialling revenue man- agement practices to see what might work elsewhere. At the end of each month we have a fi ve to 10-page management report. With regard to lost customers, we gather the information manually and make a note


To ensure all information is captured accurately, a spa needs to use a computer system – although I’m not sure that there are any sophisticated enough at the moment


M


ost spa direc- tors have a gut understanding


LYNSEY HUGHES


of how their business oper- ates, but to really know exactly where you can tweak it, you need to look at the turnaway fi gures in detail. If we turn down customers because a ther-


apist is unavailable, we look at scheduling. For example, can staff on the same shift cover all types of therapies between them? We keep on top of training – teaching ther- apists based on the popularity of treatments – to ensure poor training is not a cause. From analysing turnaways we discovered


that we were turning down customers in the evenings (aſt er 5pm), which was a peak time. Originally we had three shiſt patterns: morn- ing, starting at 9.30am; aſt ernoon, starting at 11.30am; and evening, starting at 2.30pm. But due to demand, we cancelled the mid-shiſt and put more therapists on in the evening. When it came to losing customers due to


lack of treatment rooms, we also put some simple solutions in place. We’re an eight-


SPA BUSINESS 4 2010 ©Cybertrek 2010


Spa director, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong


room spa, serving a 501-bed hotel plus external guests. Naturally we’re busier from Fridays to Sundays. We noticed this was when we were losing the most business, so we now open an hour earlier at weekends. We also looked at room confi guration. We


originally had two double treatment rooms, but thankfully had enough space to change another single room into a double. So, at peak times we try to encourage couples or friends to have treatments together so that we can discourage turnaways. If all else fails, we off er basic massages in hotel bedrooms. Although we use the SpaSoſt soſt ware


system, which gives a very succinct turn- away report, we actually record turnaway fi gures manually using a simple tick sheet – you have to make it as easy as possible to collect data. T e sheet lists the time slots


ANNA BJURSTAM Director, Raison d’Etre


of the day, time, guest type (hotel/day/spa member) and treatment and at the end of the month we’ll then look at when our peak times are, how we can drive business during quieter periods and


at other ways of staffi ng. Because of the turn- away factor in our busy weekend periods we limit each customer to short, one-hour treatments. T at way we’re keeping more cus- tomers and we’re also making more money because shorter treatments tend to be more expensive per minute than longer ones. To avoid losing customers to begin with,


however, spas need to manage bookings and the onus is on reception staff training. At the moment, receptionists, are booking takers not makers. T ey should be asking a guest how they want to feel, how long they’ll be staying and suggesting putting something diff erent together on another day if their fi rst choice isn’t available. Start to become booking makers and


you’ll be able to handle the turnaway factor much better. We’ve trained receptionists on this in our spa and have seen a 50 per cent drop in turnaways as a result.


Based in Sweden, Raison d’Etre is a spa con- sultancy and management company which works with hotel partners across the globe. Details: www.raisondetrespas.com


and types of treatments on any day of the week and all the receptionist needs to do is circle the relevant entry and write the reason for the turnaway next to it using a T (lack of therapist) or R (no


room available). One member of the team adds the numbers to a spreadsheet, which we analyse on a monthly basis. T e emphasis is usually on the receptionist


or what we call our ‘spa concierge’ team to gather turnaway data and they really need to be on the ball. We cover this in their training, but I also think it comes down to encourage- ment and explaining to them why they need to track this information and how important it is for the success of the business. All the spas I’ve worked in have tracked


turnaway business and I would encourage all spas, regardless of their size, to do the same, so that positive changes can be made.


Lynsey Hughes has worked in Mandarin Oriental spas for more than 10 years. Details: www.mandarinoriental.com/hongkong


Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital 55


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