Spa Business issue 2 2012 - Leisure Opportunities

RESORT SPA
■ Th e striking resort interiors feature
original art by icons such as Salvador Dali
Spa director, Jann Hess says: “Th e design
sets our spa apart. It’s really special.” He also
says the spa is on-trend with its medical
wellness off ering. Down the corridor from
the spa, the medical clinic is run in conjunction
with local doctors and specialises
in aesthetic dermatology and laser services,
anti-ageing and preventative medicine and
plastic surgery consultation. Aimed at hotel
guests, the services, Hess admits, could be
more popular and this is something he’ll be
focusing on in the future.
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Another vision for the Dolder Grand Spa
was “to create an urban spa and destination
spa,” says Schmid. “I really wanted to have a
place where someone could come for a quick
treatment like a nail polish, but at the same
time off er enough interest to cater for someone
staying for one or two weeks – I think
this makes us stand out from competitors”.
And fi gures – collected using the Reservation
Assistant soft ware system by TAC – show
there’s an even split between local customers
and hotel guests using the spa.
One group of local users are 220 spa and
fi tness membership holders, with the rest
Comfort and candles in the chillout room
60 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital
Th e curved stone walls by the pool make you feel as if you’re in the heart of a Swiss gorge
DOLDER GRAND HISTORY
he Dolder Grand Hotel & Curhaus
opened in 1899. Heinrich Hürlimann,
already the owner of the nearby Dolder
Waldhaus hotel, commissioned
Basel architect Jacques Gros to design
a hotel in the Swiss rustic style popular at the time.
Signifi cant alterations took place in the 1920s and
1960s when a 60-bedroom extension was added to the 220-bedroom property.
Towards the end of the 1990s, it became clear that a major investment was needed to
compete with new international luxury hotels. In 2001, entrepreneur Urs E Schwarzenbach
acquired the majority shareholding to assure the necessary fi nancing. Th e chf440m
transformation began in 2004, with Foster + Partners of London, UK stripping back and
restoring the building’s original structure and façade, yet adding modern architecture in the
form of two new glass wings curving round the historic main building. Meanwhile, Interior
architects United Designers, also from London, shaped the inside spaces which range
from those epitomising contemporary style to historic areas with eclectic twists – such as a
wide selection of original works of art by icons like Andy Warhol and Salvador Dali.
Reopened in 2008, the Dolder Grand boasts 173 bedrooms and suites; two restaurants,
one with two Michelin Stars; a ballroom, banqueting and conferencing facilities; and – of
course – the 4,000sq m (43,055sq ft ) spa. Also in the grounds is a public ice rink (used in
the winter), swimming pool (for summer) and nine-hole golf course.
DOLDER GRAND BY NUMBERS
■ A bedroom for one night at the
Dolder Grand in peak season ranges
from chf540-690 (us$590-755, €445-
574, £365-466) for a superior single to
chf2,540-3,890 (us$2,800-4,250, €2,100-
3,250, £1,700-2,650) for a grand suite
■ Annual occupancy is 50 per cent
■ Average length of stay is 2.2 nights
■ Around 70 per cent of guests are
free independent travellers (FITs)
■ Switzerland is the biggest source
market, accounting for 17 per cent of
guests, followed by the Middle East (13
per cent), Germany (12 per cent), the US
(10 per cent) and Russia/CIS (9 per cent)
■ Th e spa employs 60 staff
including 25 therapists
■ Massages cost between chf190-
230 (us$208-252, €158-191, £128-155)
for 60 or 90 minutes
■ Amala products cost between
€18-186 (us$24-244, £15-151)
■ A 12-month spa membership costs
chf7,000 (us$7,650, €5,850, £4,750)
in the fi rst year but is reduced by
chf1,000 in years two and three
SPA BUSINESS 2 2012 © Cybertrek 2012