RESORT SPA
Instead of pulling down the “beautiful and strong” 100-year-old eucalyptus tree in the middle of the site, they built the entire spa around it.
outskirts. Its fruit and vegetables are grown without chemicals and are hand harvested. A key selling point of the spa is its prod-
uct partners La Sultane de Saba, a body and skincare range based on eastern rituals; Micheline Arcier aromatherapy; T alisens marine cosmetics; and Phyto haircare. “We have studied all of them very carefully and picked those companies with a real expertise,” says Bauchet-Bouhlal. Overall, she says the Palace Spa concept has three main focuses – the Dior Institut, the Oriental T ermae and total wellness. T e notion of total wellness, is based on the idea that the extensive facilities and services combine to provide guests with the utmost choice and expert delivery.
ONE BIG FAMILY
With a number of high-end hotel spas in Marrakech, the main diff erentiation at the Es Saadi Palace Spa will be its quality of serv- ice. Of course that’s what every top operator claims, but Bauchet-Bouhlal says that this is something that’s ingrained in the business.
“Our family is on-site and whenever we can, we will talk to guests – my mother-in-law makes a point of saying hello to everyone in the restaurant,” she says. “We really do add a personal touch and create a warm, welcoming feel. Our staff is an extension of our family and they follow our lead. With 800 employ- ees, that makes us quite a big family!” In total, there are 25 spa staff at the lat-
est facility, 14 of which are therapists who have to have at least four to fi ve years of experience. To ensure a high standard, they
“My aim is to create a destination spa of such quality
that it will make people want to stay at our hotel because of it... and to continue to provide a cutting edge offer”
are monitored extremely closely with train- ing on a daily basis. “Our spa is expected to be an independent profi t centre,” says Bau- chet-Bouhlal. “Yes, this is a challenge, but that’s why I keep such a close eye on things. A spa can be profitable, but it’s down to strong management day to day.” Although she’s reluctant to disclose fi gures, the impres- sion is that a quick return on investment is expected. “We’re waiting to see how the spa will perform, especially in the second year.” T e biggest challenge so far, has been to
ensure the spa was full from day one. T e staff was fully trained and the facility was ready, but to boost numbers they planned the launch date to coincide with the Marrakech fi lm festival, which celebrated its 10th anni- versary in 2010. “We had lots of French stars here and we got off to a fl ying start,” she says.
“And then at the end of the year we had the holidays, so the spa was full again. It helped that the two hotels were fully booked.” T e capture rate at the moment is 17 per cent, but she’s aiming for 50 per cent of palace hotel and villa guests, and 25 per cent of the
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original hotel guests, in the future. Bauchet- Bouhlal adds: “My objective is to fi ll the spa and to have a good return rate thereaſt er.” Eight months on, the Palace Spa is still
busy and interestingly hasn’t taken custom away from the Oriental Spa. “T ey attract a diff erent clientele,” says Bauchet-Bouhlal.
“T e Oriental Spa, which is situated at the Es Saadi Hotel attracts most of its guests from there, while the Palace Spa will satisfy the demand of the nearby Es Saadi Palace.” She hopes day spa guests will bring in extra business just as they do at the Oriental Spa, where 30 per cent of customers are from outside of the hotel. “Overall, my aim is to create a destination
spa of such quality that it will make people want to stay at our hotel because of it,” she says. “My other goal is to maintain our level of expertise and to continuously evolve our treatments to provide a cutting edge off er. It’s going to be an ongoing learning proc- ess, but that’s what I enjoy about my job, as well as its diversity and the fact that I get to work for a company that I love.” ●
SPA BUSINESS 2 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
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