Spa Executive - February 2020

Can you tell me a bit about the Hilton
School of Wellness Spa Leader
Onboarding Program?
Absolutely – I’m very proud of the work
we did on the program. The purpose of
the program is to encourage emerging
and current spa managers and directors
to grow as business leaders by giving
them the tools to develop beyond their
current roles and help achieve their
professional goals. It is designed to help
Hilton spa professionals become more
commercially focused and thrive as
business leaders, through an eight-hour
online crash course that includes
everything from learning how to balance a
budget, develop marketing strategies,
oversee operations and manage teams.
The course was also designed to propel,
retain and attract new professionals in the
spa industry, showcasing how diverse and
instrumental the role of a Spa Director is
in the dynamic world of wellness.
Are these in place to address the
industry staffing issue and can you talk a
bit about this challenge? Is the industry
doing enough to address it?
Yes, as mentioned both of these
programs are designed to address the
staffing issues facing the industry, both
for therapists and leaders. I think the
numbers that some of the industry
organizations have brought to light in the
last few years – the huge amount of spa
position vacancies, closures of massage
schools, etc – have been a wake up call
for the industry and it’s encouraging to
see companies springing into action. We
can always do more, but the goals are
being set and there is focus and
collaboration across many levels of the
industry that I believe will start to turn the
tide in the coming years.
What is the biggest challenge facing spa,
fitness and wellness in 2020, besides
staffing?
As you mention, staffing is the biggest
challenge – not just the number of people,
but we must also emphasize the
importance of employing people who are
passionate, service-minded and can
deliver on the growing expectations of the
wellness customer.
We are very fortunate that we have finally
come to an era when wellness is totally
mainstream. People have so many
choices today on how to integrate
wellness into their lives; but the wellness
landscape is blurry and increasingly
competitive. To remain relevant,
successful business must step away from
the buzzy wellness noise and define who
they are, be consistent with what they can
deliver and do it with passion and
integrity.
Do you think being a successful leader in
spa and wellness requires different skills
from leadership in other areas? If so,
what are these?
Absolutely. Spa leaders must have a great
balance of “head” and “heart” skills. The
spa environment can be very personal –
sensitive, emotional, spiritual – yet it has
to be approached with clear-headed
business savvy. Successfully leading a
team of intuitive care-givers one minute
and presenting a budget to an ownership
group the next, takes a special set of
leadership skills. The most successful spa
leaders know, or have learned, how to
balance and support both with a lot of
passion.
How do Hilton spas stand out? What
makes them unique or special?
Hilton is one of the largest spa operators
in the world and a combination of reach,
culture, and opportunity attracts the best
spa team members in the world. We have
built the global Hilton Spa family to deliver
the highest level of guest experiences
across all of our brands, while ensuring
each spa location is individual and
embraces the environment that it is in. We
are continually innovating the spa
experience with new design perspectives,
exceptional treatment and service
offerings, product partnerships, and
sustainability initiatives.
What trends or developments in spa and
fitness are you excited about right now?
I’m excited that in looking ahead, we are
really taking a look back and evolving
ancient, tried and true, natural or
culturally significant wellness practices.
The rise of hydrotherapy and contrast
bathing dates back to Roman times; CBD
has been revered in some cultures for
centuries; shamans and gurus are leading
more and more spiritual retreats (some
with long-overlooked psychotropic
benefit); skin care is clean and organic
beauty has stripped back the
unnecessary, toxic elements; fitness
technology is focused on being in-tune
with your biology; well-built spaces are
concerned with clean air and sunlight;
women’s health and sexuality aren’t
taboo; and everyone is talking about the
benefits of getting outside in nature!
17 | Spa Executive
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