Global Spa & WellneSS Summit Special edition
One of the pioneers in this field is
Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in the US, which intro- duced a spa-specific module to its hospitality management offerings as far back as 1985 (sb10/1 p52). Today, students studying for bachelor’s or master’s degrees at Cornell can choose from three semester-long spa modules taught by industry stalwart Professor Mary Tabacchi, and can also opt to do their mandatory summer-break intern- ships in the spa industry. But it’s no longer the only university with the spa indus- try on its radar – other examples abound, from Florida Gulf Coast University and Ari- zona State University in the US, which offer degrees with a spa concentration and certif- icate extension respectively, to Les Roches International School of Hotel Management in Switzerland, which touches on spa more generally in their wider curriculums. So what exactly can these young grad- uates bring to the spa management table?
“Our biggest advantage is the strong busi- ness grounding that our students have to have before we turn them over to employ- ers,” says Tabacchi. Patel, who has recruited from Cornell, EHL and Les Roches, agrees.
“Tese are highly educated, smart young men and women with a thorough understand- ing of hotel management, so we don’t need to teach them the basics of our business,”
SPA BUSINESS 2 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
Cornell, US, introduced a spa degree module over 25 years ago. Its graduates have strong business skills and are encouraged to get operational experience
consultancy. But we’ll only take interns if they’ve worked in spa operations before their studies – otherwise there’s really nothing they can do for us.” Tabacchi agrees her students some- times have unrealistic expectations. “I
he says. “As the spa industry grows, we’re going to need more managers, and what bet- ter time to groom them than when they’re fresh from education?” Despite this, many in the spa industry feel
there is a disconnect between what these courses offer and the real world of employ- ment, with new graduates ill prepared for the day-to-day challenges of running a spa, too inexperienced for corporate roles and subse- quently unsure of where they fit in. “We have a difficult time recruiting hospitality grad- uates who haven’t previously worked in the spa industry,” says Bjurstam. “Unlike those specialising in rooms or F&B, they have not usually had any practical experience of working in a spa. Even if they choose to do internships as part of their course, they’re typically only for two weeks, and oſten they don’t want to do them in a spa. Tey’re aim- ing for higher: corporate management or
urge anybody interested in corporate or consulting work to get some operational experience first,” she says. “You never really get it until you’ve been in the trenches.” However, even graduates with spa manager roles in their sights oſten find it difficult to get their foot in the door due to their lack of practical experience. “Too oſten the feed- back from employers is that some people think that just because they’ve got a [man- agement] degree they should be able to walk into spa management jobs,” says Suki Kalirai, director of UK-based training provider the Carlton Institute and chair of British trade body the Spa Business Association. “But if they don’t understand day-to-day operations, that’s not always feasible.” Not everyone, however, thinks the fault lies
with the universities. “I love what the univer- sities are doing, and I’ve hired lots of people from Cornell,” says Elaine Fenard, manag-
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