INTERVIEW: JAMES BERMINGHAM MONTAGE LAGUNA BEACH
Opened in February 2003, Laguna Beach, the fi rst Montage resort, is situated halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, California, on a cliff-top overlooking the Pacifi c Ocean. The 250-bedroom resort, set in 30 acres (12 hectares) of lush landscaped grounds, refl ects its heritage as an 1900s artists colony with period elements such as classic wood and stone architecture, crown moldings, rich dark wood, copper gutters and shingle roofs. The 20,000sq ft (1,858sq m) indoor and outdoor Spa Montage sits on the edge of the bluff and fl oor-to-ceiling windows throughout maximise on the stunning ocean and beach views. There are 21 treatment rooms in total and like all Spa Montages, its services range from comprehensive programmes (such as Surrender), herbal and hydrotherapy
equipped staff with the necessary skills to off er the customised guest programmes, which also gave the company a competi- tive advantage. Signifi cantly, just three years aſt er its 2002 opening, Spa Montage Laguna became the fi rst spa ever to be awarded fi ve stars from the Mobil Travel Guide (now known as the Forbes Travel Guide) and many more accolades have followed. Bermingham says: “I’m afraid to think
about what we spend on spa training for fear that we’ll stop doing it! But that’s what helps us to deliver customer loyalty and great fi nancial returns so I see it as less of a cost and much more as an investment.”
DEMAND GENERATOR But just what does Spa Montage deliver in business terms? While Bermingham won’t disclose exact fi gures, he does say: “there’s a very compelling economic reason why we elevate spa to the level we do, because it drives revenue and profi tability in addition to being a very important part of the overall
JAMES BERMINGHAM FAVOURITES
Book: T e Speed of Trust by Covey and Merrill from a business perspective; T e Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown for fi ction – I just couldn’t put it down Film: I thought they did a great job adapting T e Da Vinci Code actually Season: Spring – it tells you that winter is over and summer is coming
treatments to fi tness consultations and daily classes. Separate male and female locker rooms boast relaxation, shower, steam and sauna areas plus a whirlpool and cold plunge pool. There’s also a full-service hair salon by the Hollywood
Three years after opening, Spa Montage Laguna Beach was the fi rst to be awarded fi ve stars from the Mobil Travel Guide
stylist Kim Võ, a lap pool, fi tness room, movement studio and retail boutique.
“There are many opportunities for conversions and refocusing on existing buildings, we’ve never ruled out this kind of investment”
experience. As a sub-brand of Montage it’s very well-known and highly respected. “First and foremost, however, it’s a big demand generator – not only from a guestroom perspective but in drawing in local business. Alan strongly believes that if you want to create a world-class brand your community needs to rave about you.” It’s for this reason, says Bermingham, that
the amount of local business is regarded as one of the most important key perform- ance indicators in the spas. On average, 40 per cent of spa customers are day spa visi- tors from the surrounding regions with the rest made up of hotel guests. Similarly, just over 80 per cent of Montage resort custom- ers overall are from the US. Bermingham adds: “We were very much off the interna-
Leisure activity: Whatever my two boys are doing – usually football or tennis Non-Montage spa: At a traditional ryokan with an onsen in Japan. T e entire experience from the location and service to bathing was extraordinary Type of treatment: Refl exology or a Swedish massage Best advice: My father used to say that ‘you only get out what you put in’
32 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital
tional radar when we fi rst opened, but now it’s very much there.” In fact, Bermingham isn’t ruling out inter-
national expansion and cites London as one of the most important cities outside of the US. Domestically, New York, Washington DC and Miami are markets the company is most interested in. Elsewhere, in Los Cabos, Mexico, Mon-
tage already has a plot of land “where the desert meets the ocean” for development. T e plan is to build a full-service resort there, complete with a Spa Montage, at some point but for now work is on hold. Bermingham explains: “T e Mexican economy has strug- gled a bit more than others. But also there are many more new opportunities for con- versions and refocusing on existing buildings and we’ve never ruled out this kind of invest- ment, it just so happens that our fi rst three properties were new builds. “T e good news is that the luxury con-
sumer and traveller is back. And as long as we continue to select new Montage projects in compelling destinations, in great locations and in creating a sense of place, comforta- ble luxury and highly personalised service then we’ll be in great shape.” ● To read our mystery shop review of the spa
at Montage Laguna Beach see Spa Business 2005, issue 3, p102.
SPA BUSINESS 3 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
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