EVEN IF THEIR MULTIPLICATION IN THE HOTEL SECTOR TENDS TO LESSEN THEIR IMPACT AS A FACTOR OF DIFFERENTIATION, IT IS NEVERTHELESS A FACT THAT THE PRESENCE OF A SPA TODAY IS STILL A STRATEGIC DETERMINING ELEMENT FOR THE HOTELIER. IT IS AN ADDITIONAL FACILITY THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR HIGH END HOTELS, AND ALSO A DETERMINING FACTOR FOR CUSTOMERS WHEN CHOOSING A HOTEL.
THE CHOICE OF A SPA BRAND PARTNER IS THEREFORE A CRUCIAL STEP THAT SHOULD BE STUDIED CAREFULLY BY THE HOTELIER ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY FOR HIM TO FIND HIS BEARINGS AMONG THE NUMEROUS OFFERS THAT ARE QUITE DIFFICULT TO DECRYPT FOR THE NEOPHYTE. WE HAVE MET SOME OF THE LEADING BRANDS. OBJECTIVE: OFFER SOME KEYS TO HELP MAKE AN ENLIGHTENED CHOICE.

ALLOWING IDENTITIES TO COEXIST

The first stage of reflection is certainly the one related to identity. Brand identity, identity of the hotel; it consists of allowing the two to coexist in harmony, and the subtle alchemy that is not always easy to achieve. Most often, the client first chooses a destination, preferring one that offers the services of a Spa. As Jean-Louis Pollentier (Sothys) states,  ”For the customer, the brand is not the first criterion of choice, but he is reassured by a Spa brand that he can clearly identify”. We come across casting errors, like a certain new ”people” brand that is more ”Bon Marché” than ”rural” located in the countryside in a hotel with a very cosy, very romantic charm, whose customers have trouble seeing the connection between the Spa and hotel facilities. To avoid this pitfall, the hotelkeeper should first take the time to prepare his own Spa concept in relation to its environment, his own customer target and its aspirations, his goals and the values he wishes to convey. Approaching a brand directly without going through this preliminary stage can prove to be a costly error for both partners later on. For a hotel, just as in gastronomy, the Spa acts as a major attraction and becomes a strong leverage for marketing. It stands apart from the activity of the hotel. For its part, a brand generally arrives with its own corporate strategy and has already created a powerful image; it will send out a strong message in the place of and on behalf of the hotel within the Spa, as long as this message is in perfect harmony with the one that the hotelier wishes to promote. Of course, the advantages are mutual. ”The partnership between a Spa brand and a Hotel should be a real source of synergy and a real axis of development”, according to Jean-Louis Poiroux (Cinq Mondes).