Spa Executive | October 2020

BUSINESS
5 MARKETING STRATEGIES
FOR HOTEL & RESORT SPAS IN
A COVID-19 WORLD
It’s been a tough time for hospitality but we can get through it. Try these five
marketing strategies for hotel and resort spas to thrive in the new world.
refers to the database of names, email
addresses, phone numbers, and other
information you collect from customers
(providing that you’re doing this right and
not inputting a bogus generic phone
number or email in your software in an
attempt to save a couple of precious
seconds when scheduling appointments
or selling retail). Building a list of local
customers is a core principle of success in
any environment, but now with COVID and
low hotel occupancy levels, it’s become
absolutely critical. And, all other things
being equal, the bigger your list, the more
money your spa will make from each
campaign you send out.
Months into the pandemic, many hotel &
resort spas are beginning to re-open their
doors to the public. With estimates that a
COVID-19 vaccine will not be available until
January to June of next year according
to an article in The Telegraph, and travel
forecasts looking dire until then, it is now
more important than ever for hotel & resort
spas to adjust and adapt their approach in
order to survive and thrive in the face of the
pandemic. I’ve outlined some marketing
strategies to help you pivot your business
model and marketing below based on
conversations that I’ve had recently.
1. Staycations
While many signs point to a quick rebound
for travel in 2021 with people looking to
make up for missed travel, hotel & resort
spas need to contend with today’s clear
and present danger – a lack of hotel
guests – and look at creative ways to boost
local business. One such solution is to
develop a day pass or staycation offering.
People are going stir crazy after months in
lockdown and looking to find ways to get
out of the house. A night or weekend at the
Four Seasons, Fairmont, Waldorf Astoria or
Ritz Carlton, complete with spa treatments,
yoga classes and lounging by the pool, is
the perfect remedy for the lockdown blues;
it combines the convenience of staying
in your own city with the glamour and
excitement of a vacation.
2. The Money is in the
list and personalization
You’ve probably come across the
expression “The money is in the list.” This
Now, maybe you’ve tried this but are
getting poor response rates from your
promotions. The key to boosting your
response rate (the number of people
who open your emails and take the
action you want them to take – booking
an appointment, buying a gift certificate
or buying a retail product) is to develop
a relationship with your customers. The
easier you make it for them to know, like,
and trust you, the more likely they will be
to open your emails and click on your
links. So how, exactly, do you develop
a relationship with the people on your
list? Get personal! When you write copy
for an email, look for ways to inject your
personality into the copy and incorporate
your personal and client stories. Also try to
segment the offers you send out based on
past purchase history vs. sending a single
generic message to your entire list. Your
Spa Executive | OCTOBER 2020 ISSUE - 16 -