RESORT SPA
Occo spa, a celebration of the Croatian
culture, will be exclusive to iO Adria resorts although each will be slightly different according to location
decision making process. Each unit is run as an independent profit centre and we give our managers autonomy in cost control.”
DESTINATION SPA Dubrovnik is still a seasonal destination with the spa at its busiest – performing 30-45 treatments a day on average – in the peak from June to mid-September. “We are focused on generating business during the low and shoulder season [October to May],” says Houchin, “and as a result the first three months of this year saw room revenues increase by 77 per cent.” Much of the winter trade comes from the MICE market, special interest groups, the senior citizen market and the Japanese, however, plans are to push the spa as a destination in itself. During the winter, the spa is sold more
aggressively to the local market which accounts for 20 per cent of customers on average. Spa membership is offered for €66
DUBROVNIK SUN GARDENS BY NUMBERS n At full capacity, the resort can
accommodate 1,200 guests n In peak season there is 95+ per cent occupancy, with three bed apartments commanding €1,000 (us$1,250, £790) a night and two-
beds €630 (us$773, £497) a night n Average all year round occupancy is 40 per cent and the average room rate is €170 (us$209, £134)
n Te average length of stay in peak season is 7.2 nights, which according to
Houchin is the longest in Dubrovnik n Spend per head at the spa averages €93 (us$114, £73). Tey are
aiming for €217 (us$266, £171) n Occo retail products range
from €17-56 (us$21-68, £13-44) n Te 140-minute couples ritual is priced at €199 (us$243, £157)
(us$82, £52) a month, with a 10 per cent dis- count on treatments. To avoid over crowding, memberships are limited to 30 people, but day passes are available for €25 (us$31, £20). Ladies nights are also being introduced, where a group can have private use of the spa, treatments and champagne, which costs €240 (us$296, £190) for three hours. Going forward, Barlafa says her target is to
The original resort included a Radisson Blu hotel and an Anne Semonin spa
OCCO SPA AT DUBROVNIK SUN GARDENS: FIRST-PERSON EXPERIENCE
Kath Hudson, journalist, Spa Business
I
tried the most popular signature treatment, holistic
massage, which is chiefly aromatherapy massage, with some Tai moves added. I soon discovered that Alisa, my thera- pist, is very strong – a trait that makes her popular with the Russians. Te treatment started with some Tai-
style palming through a towel. Ten Alisa climbed onto the bed and jammed her knees into my thighs while eliciting
some satisfying cracks from my back. Some people might raise their eyebrows at this, but I love it when the unexpected happens. As long as it works! Many a therapist has given up on the knotted mass which is my back and shoulders, but Alisa wasn’t going to be defeated. She tried hands, elbows and stretches. I liked the fact that she didn’t just follow a rou- tine but put special emphasis into the areas I needed. Aſter the treatment my back felt so
much looser from all the chiropractic cracks. It was an outstanding massage: if this is the standard, I think there will be plenty of repeat visits.
66 Read Spa Business online
spabusiness.com / digital
make the spa a year-round destination. For Houchin, aſter successfully repositioning the resort to compete with other leading five- star integrated resorts in Europe, his focus is selling the residences and says that early indications are strong with interest coming from a varied mix of source markets. But development doesn’t stop there. Tere
are already plans to add another five-star hotel with 120 bedrooms onsite, plus 200 more residences. And elsewhere in Croatia iO Adria plans to spend upwards of €1bn (us$1.2bn, £0.8bn) on developing seven other sites. Tese include three in Istria which will be designed as small boutique golf estates with spas; three boutique marina resorts in northern Dalmatia and an island resort planned on the island of Sipan near Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Te idea is that each spa will be slightly different, but the details are yet to be confirmed. If Occo is the benchmark, they’re sure to be exciting. l For more on Croatia’s growing spa tourism market see Spa Business, issue 2, 2010, p38
SPA BUSINESS 3 2012 ©Cybertrek 2012
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