AN ESPA PROMOTION
At 21, ESPA is a veteran of the global spa industry, but it’s still leading the
way. Founder and CEO Sue Harmsworth explains how
S
ince 1993, ESPA has grown from a small UK-based concern into an undisputed leader in the global spa industry, its brand synonymous
with cutting edge design, peerless spa management and the highest quality natural products. With more than 450 spas across almost 60 countries, and top-drawer clients ranging from Peninsula Hotels and Mandarin Oriental to Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, the modest products and consultancy business founded by Sue Harmsworth 21 years ago has certainly come of age. But while ESPA is arguably
at the top of its game, it has by no means fi nished playing. Over the past couple of years, not only has the company reshaped its business model to off er a fl exible, solutions-based portfolio – introducing product- only partnerships and tailored support for existing businesses alongside design, development and management services – but it has continued to pioneer groundbreaking products, treatments and spa concepts. Here, Harmsworth talks about the
company’s fl exible approach, the importance of cultural sensitivity and how, with the right guidance, spas can deliver both an unparalleled guest experience and a strong commercial return.
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Sue Harmsworth’s career in the spa, health and wellness industry has spanned more than 40 years
Over the last few years, ESPA’s business model has become increasingly fl exible. Why is this? When the economic crisis hit in 2008, a huge number of projects were put on hold across the spa industry, and this presented us with the opportunity to work with our spa partners and analyse every detail of their service off ering in order to establish clear objectives on which to measure success. It could be that a spa is amazingly well designed, but not being marketed properly, or there are
issues with the fi nances. Or it might be very good from a therapist perspective, but the equipment or treatment menu is letting it down. As a company, we were coming across
so many variables that we decided the time had come to off er our hotel partners a solutions-based, à la carte approach
rather than focusing solely on design, development and management. The fact that we have such a broadly
experienced team is very unusual for the industry and makes us uniquely positioned to do this. Most of our senior managers have been with us for over a decade and have grown through the system, making them the very best in their fi eld, and all of our 200-plus staff worldwide have experience in operations. So we can go in and teach teams, we can do high-level fi nancial and quality audits, review marketing strategies and advise on recruitment – in essence, we really look at what needs to be done to make a business successful. We know what works and what doesn’t, and in quite a short time we can impart that knowledge to our clients. And while there are a lot of great product companies and a lot of great spa consultants, there are very few that can off er all those diff erent options as eff ectively as we can.
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spabusiness.com/digital Spa Business 4 2014 ©Cybertrek 2014
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