RESORT SPA
KATE CRACKNELL » JOURNALIST » SPA BUSINESS
part one
The spa has a Kneipp pool and relaxation area
While in the Missoni fashion hotel, the spa still reflects the Six Senses style cue Kuwait “T
here are two Kuwaits,” says Patrick Taffin d’Heursel, Six Sens es Spa
director at the new Hotel Missoni in Kuwait City. “Tere’s the more tradi- tional Kuwait, typified by the burqa, and then there’s the Kuwait that goes to spas. Te difference in mindset is hard to attribute to any one thing, but as a general rule those who use our services tend to be more widely travelled.” Tis dichotomy is evident just walking
around the city. While there are women wearing burqas, in fact it is oſten the men who are traditionally dressed, with the women adopting a more westernised fash- ion. Women also work and drive, and overall there’s a relatively liberal feeling, particularly when compared to Kuwait’s neighbours. Locals are also financially well-off. Around
92 per cent of Kuwaitis work for the gov- ernment, earning at least kwd800 (us$2,900, €2,150, £2,750) a month says Gerard Oliver, general manager of the nearby Al Corniche Club Resort and Spa – a facility that we focus more on in part two of our Kuwaiti series. With working hours also relatively short (rush hour is usually mid-afternoon),
In the first of a two-part series on the Kuwaiti spa market, we investigate the driving forces in the sector and visit the new Six Senses Spa at the fashion-branded Hotel Missoni
Kuwaitis have the time and disposable income to generate a high demand for good quality leisure. And there is, says Taffin d’Heursel, a growing focus on wellness in this leisure time: “I see a lot of Kuwaitis now concerned about their health, obesity, eating properly and taking care of themselves. Eve- ryone wants a quick fix, but they’re learning that you have to change your lifestyle to be able to maintain any benefits.”
DISCERNING CLIENTELE
With the majority of spa-goers being well- travelled, English is the language spoken in the spas – a clear benefit for the therapists at Al Corniche and Six Senses Spa, who have all come from a wide array of non-Arabic speaking countries. This international perspective has also led to high expectations. Taffin d’Heursel
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explains: “Kuwaitis have money, but they don’t just spend it without thinking. Tey’ve experienced spa standards around the world, so they have high expectations. Tey’re happy to spend, but only if they feel they’re getting value and good service.” But while Kuwaitis travel interna-
tionally, Kuwait itself is not on the tourist map – a fact Oliver attributes
to its dry status; the British Embassy is the only place in the city that is allowed to serve alcohol. As a result, although new five-star hotels are popping up at a rate of “at least one a year” according to Al Corniche spa director Maria Davydova, they are used almost exclusively by a corporate clientele on short business trips from the Gulf region, and occupancy rates are very low. So what does this mean for a spa such as
Six Senses located in a new hotel? “Our busi- ness is mostly external, on a day spa basis,” says Taffin d’Heursel. “Te hotel is corporate, not leisure, and only about 4 or 5 per cent of hotel guests use the spa and gym.” Launched in February 2011, it’s the sec-
ond Hotel Missoni in the world; the first is located in Edinburgh in the UK. Although the 169-bedroom hotel itself was designed by the fashion house designer Rosita Mis-
SPA BUSINESS 2 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
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