COMPANY PROFILE
JENNIFER HARBOTTLE » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS
TAKING CONTROL
The Oberoi Group brought the management of its spas in-house in 2009, the director of spastalks about the challenges of running high-end facilities in India
B
y her own admission, Christine Hays is not one to rest on her laurels. During our interview, she has one eye on me and the other on what’s going on
around her as she dives into treatment rooms adjusting unsatisfactory elements. Such attention to detail is perhaps not surprising for someone who spends her life travelling to hotels within the five-star Oberoi Group: she’s come to expect very high standards. Hays is the director of spas for Oberoi,
a daunting responsibility given that 14 of the group’s 19 spas don’t have spa managers. I suspect another reason for her quest for perfection is the fact that her boss, Mr PRS Oberoi, is the son of the original founder. At 82, he still has a keen eye for detail and his involvement runs to personally choosing the uniforms and bindis worn by staff.
FIRST CLASS
Since it opened its first hotel in India in 1934, the Oberoi Group has grown its portfolio to 28
hotels in five countries under the luxury Oberoi and Trident brands (see p52). To distinguish between the two, Mr Oberoi affectionately refers to an Oberoi hotel as the equivalent of flying first class and the slightly-less-onerous- on-your-pocket Trident brand as like flying business. One imagines, either way, that guests don’t have a problem with lost luggage. Oberoi Spas are a relatively
recent addition to the group’s portfolio. Although originally the hotels had health clubs and massage rooms, it was only nine years ago that spas became part of the offering. With little or no commercial spa industry knowl- edge in India at that time, the Oberoi Group took on Banyan Tree (see p27) to operate its spas. In 2009, to take back control of its spa division, it employed Hays as spa director and took the management of its spas in- house. In the role, Hays travels extensively,
Hays has a daunting task, as 14 spas don’t have spa managers
alternating her time between the Oberoi and Trident Spas, spending several days a time in each, during which she has to assess what is and isn’t working operationally. “Oberoi guests have very high expectations,”
she explains. “Tat’s why we constantly audit our spas to make sure they’re up to standard. I won’t let a therapist perform treatments unless they’ve been trained to the highest standard and they have to have good English communication skills which enables them to engage each guest with charisma.” In fact, Hays says she drills her staff so much, she has to be wary of creating robots and tries to encourage them to let their natural per- sonality shine as much as possible.
CHALLENGING TIMES
All this may make Hays sound slightly con- trolling. On the contrary, spending time with her is a bit like getting together with an old friend and within minutes, she’s leaning towards me with a conspiratorial whisper, giggling over the fact she’s spilt tea over the table. It’s this warmth and sense of humour you imagine keeps Hays sane during the
In the next two years there are plans to open 10 more spas in India, the Middle East, the UAE and north Africa
50 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital SPA BUSINESS 2 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
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 |
Page 85 |
Page 86