HEALTH CLUB SPA
Rockliffe: Average day guest spend is close to the monthly membership fee
any spa treatment, fi nish with lunch, or drop in to the wellness centre for medical services.
ENHANCING THE OFFER But before we consider developing the health club offering, a club first needs to look at its USPs so it enhances and develops these, rather than creating bolt-on services that have no real link to the club’s philosophy. Clients have an instinct for inauthentic offerings, and can sniff out a money-making scheme if it’s not well thought through with the client experience in mind. Ray Payne of Topaz Consulting –
which provides design and management services to the spa and leisure industry – advises health clubs to consider the client journey from start to fi nish when considering developing new facilities or services. “Investment in facilities will only work if it becomes an integral part of the business and actually delivers something the client or member wants,” he explains. Beverley Beyes, director of
Sparcstudio, adds: “Tacking a few generically styled treatment rooms onto a club will not create a credible offer that will appeal to the fi tness member or indeed a potential day spa guest. A better bet is to create a distinct offer with its own brand and identity. “Location within the club is key.
Basing the spa at the front of a club can create greater awareness and visibility, as well as access for non-members. Alternatively, choosing a location within the heart of a club can ensure a closer link to other facilities such as a thermal suite and pool area, enabling the club operator to offer more of a complete spa experience, which can be marketed to non-members as a package.”
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DRIVING YIELD If health clubs can tap into the day visitor model, this will have a positive impact on yield – but it will require a management strategy that measures and drives the customer experience, and a sales and marketing strategy to promote expanded services. This approach works well for the hybrid spa-health club model, which understands the importance of meeting the needs of members and non-members alike. In the north-east of England, two-time
ukactive FLAME fi nalist Rockliffe Hall hotel, spa and golf club offers a high-end fi tness service, with a reputation as a pay-as-you go destination for wellness programmes and spa days. The two aspects of the business complement one another: a membership base of 750 people ensures a lively class programme and supports excellent facilities, while day visitors drive a separate yet integrated revenue stream. It’s interesting to note average spend
per day guest falls close to the monthly membership subscription fee of £110, with the main benefi t of pay-as-you-go day packages being the ability to closely control the client journey and the fl ow of guests at any one time, ensuring the highest level of personal service.
CAN FITNESS EMBRACE SPA? Health clubs and gyms are the real wellness and coaching experts, but I believe not enough is being done to enhance the fitness industry's reputation in the fields of customer service, customer experience and holistic health and wellness programming. The fi tness spa experience doesn’t
have to involve scented candles or whale Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital
Operators should offer ways to help members manage stress
music, but it must expand the customer experience far beyond swiping a membership card to gain access to a set of facilities. Clubs need to appeal to the lifestyle of their customers, embracing the whole person by: offering a full wellness consultation for every new member; identifying that exercise is only part of the picture by offering the type of helpful wellness advice which can be applied day-to-day, including relaxation; and never forgetting that every visit should leave a positive memory so customers want to return. Fitness professionals have the
expertise to get people fi t. Now they need to promote their ability to help people manage their stress and have an all-round healthier lifestyle to appeal to the 87.4 per cent of the population who are not currently members of a gym. Facilities and design play a key role in
creating a day visitor offering, but behind this has to be the intention to create an inspired experience that offers an outcome. That outcome may be simply a well-earned rest, a shared and fun experience like a boot camp or dance class, a workshop in healthy nutrition or an anti-ageing facial. My hope is that we have enough
managers in the sector who work with KPIs that measure the client experience, rather than just member retention fi gures at the end of the month: our long-term success depends on it. ●
Liz Holmes, spa director at Rockliffe Hall, is a level three qualifi ed fi tness instructor specialising in yoga and pilates. Email:
liz@rockliffehall.com Website:
www.rockliffehall.com
August 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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