Spa Executive June 2021

Spa Executive
The magazine for leaders in the business of wellness
Business
Sonal Uberoi
on her book,
“The Wellness Asset”
Issue # 27: June 2021
Wellness
How to use color in
your spa to enhance
your guest experience
Staffing
Keep your employees
from quitting your spa
Featured
property:
Dunton
Hot Springs
St. Regis Deer Valley’s
BENJAMIN DONAT
on future plans & Five Star goals

In this month’s issue:
3
7
9
13
15
20
How to use color in your spa to
enhance your guest experience
Keep your employees from
quitting your spa
St. Regis Deer Valley’s
Benjamin Donat
on future plans & Five Star goals
How to to use software
to increase spa occupancy
Turning Stone Resort & Casino:
happier staff, increased efficiency,
and a four-star rating:
the benefits of an operations upgrade
Featured property: Dunton Hot Springs
25
Sonal Uberoi on her book,
“The Wellness Asset”
29
5 trends shaking up the
spa industry

Letter from Publisher
Dear readers,
In this month’s issue, rising star Benjamin Donat, Spa Director at the St. Regis,
Deer Valley, talks about guest experience, how the spa industry is changing,
and reaching for the spa’s fifth Forbes Star.
He also touches on one the topic of staffing, which we all know is one of
the biggest challenges (if not the biggest challenge) spas and hospitality
businesses are facing globally, and points to one of the developments to
come out of the COVID-19 pandemic as a possible partial solution. That
development is touchless therapies and treatment options.
Donat said, “It’s exciting that, because there were so many issues in the
last year, people got creative to find solutions. I’ve seen some great ideas,
including touchless therapies and treatment options which can help us
provide the services guests need and also solve the staffing problem a little
bit. I love the idea of technology to help us while not eliminating the personal
touch.”
Read Donat’s interview here: St. Regis Deer Valley’s Benjamin Donat on
future plans & Five Star goals.
In a happy bit of synchronicity, his comments echo themes threaded
throughout this issue.
In Keep your employees from quitting your spa we have pulled insight from
Verena Lasvigne-Fox, Senior Spa Director, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts,
on how best to reduce employee turnover rates. And that article leads to a
downloadable resource of more in-depth commentary from a list of industry
leaders, including ISPA President Lynne McNees, Daisy Tepper, Spa Director
at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown Houston, and others.
And we tackle the often-expressed fear that technology will erode the human
touch in How technology can add a personal touch in your spa.
This month, we also feature our interview with global wellness expert, Sonal
Oberoi, about her new book The Wellness Asset and take a look into the
breathtaking Dunton Hot Springs, a ghost town turned luxury resort on a
lithium-rich hot spring.
And, in our executive column by Book4Time’s Marketing Manager, Emily
Moxley, we look at 5 trends shaking up the spa industry.
I hope you enjoy reading this month’s articles in Spa Executive and they
provide valuable information to help you achieve success.
About
Spa Executive:
Spa Executive is
Book4Time’s magazine
for leaders in the business
of wellness. News, views,
and interviews for those
who want to attract top
talent, increase customer
retention, and offer the best
possible guest experience.
The
Spa Executive
Team
Publisher
Roger Sholanki
Creative Director
Nima Chadha
Creative Coordinator
Emily Moxley
Editor
Elizabeth Bromstein
Designer
Cecilia Chavira Valle
Roger Sholanki,
CEO
Book4Time

Color may impact emotions and
even behavior. Here’s how to use
color in your spa to enhance your
guest experience.
HOW TO USE COLOR
IN YOUR SPA TO ENHANCE
YOUR GUEST EXPERIENCE
Just like the music and sounds guests experience
in your spa or wellness business environment,
color may have a dramatic impact on mood and
emotion, and even influence customer behavior.
Studies have found that green may increase
concentration and task accuracy and also that
workers in white and predominantly blue-green
offices reported higher perceived job performance
and satisfaction than those in predominantly
red offices.
Red, meanwhile, has been correlated with impaired
performance on achievement of certain tasks,
which researchers suggested is because red is
associated with the danger of failure and evokes
avoidance motivation. However, with sports, red
outfits have been associated with an advantage
over blue outfits.
This doesn’t mean that effects of color are
universal. Multiple factors may influence how a
person feels when exposed to a certain color, such
as cultural or personal association. As pointed out
here by Cameron Chapman, author of the book
Colour for Web Design, “If a person’s favorite stuffed
animal as a child was blue, for example, then they
may have a preference for blue throughout their
life. Or, at the opposite end of the spectrum, if
they were hit by a blue car as a child, they might
have a strong negative emotional reaction to the
color blue.”
There are, however, universal human experiences
that allow us to guess how people are going to
react to some colors. Green and blue, for example,
are associated with nature and calm, like plants,
grass, forests, the sky, and water.
Chapman also notes the following associations:
June 2021 Issue • p. 3

Red is associated with
passion, love, lust, rage, and
warnings. She states, “Red
can have a physiological
impact on people, too,
including raising respiration
and heart rate.”
Orange is energetic,
positive, and also
connected with change
due to its association
with autumn leaves and
seasonal transitions
and, to a lesser
degree, warnings.
Yellow is considered the
happiest color and is
closely associated with
sunshine and hope,
though it can also be
linked with caution
and cowardice.
When it comes to your spa environment,
you might consider different colors for
different areas, depending on the emotions
and behaviors each is designed to evoke.
You want your treatment and service areas
to create feelings of calm and relaxation.
You want the same of your staff break room,
but you probably also want that area to feel
energizing and rejuvenating, while you may
want your retail areas to suggest a desire
to purchase. Can colors help create the
right atmosphere? We spoke with Leatrice
Eiseman, a color specialist, head of the
Eiseman Center for Color Information and
Training and executive director of the Pantone
Color Institute. Eiseman, also known as
“the international color guru,” offered some
insight on how to proceed when choosing
colors for different areas of your spa.
June 2021 Issue • p. 4

Colors for your treatment rooms
“Color temperature is something that people are
very aware of, even though it might be subliminal
and not an obvious effect,” Eiseman said. “A
natural selection for a spa could come from one of
two directions. One would be the so-called cooler
tones but with a little bit of warmth, blues and blue
greens, like water and the sky on a beautiful day.
These are colors that the human mind attaches
to quiet, soft repose. Avoid electric blue or blues
that lean towards the purple side, which is getting
a bit too warm, though you could do a lavender.
You want it to be welcoming and quieting, and to
use colors that psychologically and emotionally
affect people in a way that makes them feel sort of
tranquilized. It can be a lighter tone or something
more aqua, anything that has that watery or sky
feeling that says it’s going to be a beautiful day.”
More heated colors, like yellows, oranges, or reds
will have the opposite effect of what you want,
she said.
“The other direction one could take is to use the
pastel range in somewhat warmer tones, because
they have a nurturing quality. You could do a very
light peachy field. Pinks that lean to the warm
side or the cool side, either one, are also quieting.
Obviously, a lighter pastel range has a much
quieter feeling than the brighter areas of color,
provided they are kept soft and subtle and don’t
start to heat up too much.”

Colors for your retail space
Eiseman said, “Retail is where you want to build
up excitement. You want to make it very different
from the rest of the experience. Red is still too
aggressive. The purple family has quite a range,
and purples can have an excitement attached to
them because purple is a complex color made up
of both red and blue, the best of all worlds. With
high-end products I’d go into the purples that are
a little deeper, like aubergine. That would make
it very different from the other area and have a
classy elegance attached to it that would be a
great background for product.
Eiseman suggests that “one colored wall with
product against it can be very effective, rather
than all four purple walls, which would feel like
it was closing in. Or it can be purple accents,
like shelving.”
Another suggestion is the use of metallic colors
in retail spaces, or something in the purple family
with a metallic finish. Metallic colors, Eiseman
said, add to the perceived value of the product.
Colors for your staff rooms
All of this can work even if the waiting room is
the same as the retail room, she said, “because
when guests go into the spa area, they are really
hit with the relaxation because of the difference in
color atmosphere.”
Eiseman said that, when it comes to staff
break rooms, you want your team to feel
energized, but you don’t want it to be aggressive
because you also want people to feel relaxed
and comfortable.
“You could do something more vital in either cool
or warm tones, such as greens with more vitality.
These are refreshing, which is a good word for
anybody who is going to be working with others.
You want the color to be a little more saturated and
to have more brightness. I would avoid red. Red is
the most exciting color but can be very aggressive
and we don’t want that in a break room. I wouldn’t
do the soft blue greens that I recommended for
the spa, but something with a little bit more yellow
base, to add a bit more excitement.”

Staffing is a big challenge in spa
and wellness. Here are some tips
on how to keep your employees
from quitting your spa.
KEEP YOUR EMPLOYEES
FROM QUITTING YOUR SPA
The spa and wellness industry has been facing
staffing challenges for well over a decade and
today, “staffing” is the most common response
from industry leaders whenever we at Book4Time
and Spa Executive ask them what challenges they
are facing.
Spas and wellness businesses can’t find the
qualified service providers and managers they
need, and turnover is huge. Meanwhile, the
wellness industry continues to grow.
We recently spoke with some industry leaders for
a special Book4Time report to ask what they think
spa and wellness can do to attract and retain talent
– and maybe solve its ongoing staffing problem
once and for all. Among the people we interviewed
for the paper is Verena Lasvigne-Fox, Senior Spa
Director, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
Lasvigne-Fox told us, “At Four Seasons we believe
that our employees are the heart and soul of what
makes our company succeed and that is why we will
maintain our leading position in the future. When
hiring, we select carefully and don’t compromise.
At Four Seasons we conduct behavior-based
job interviews as opposed to technical-based
interviews because we want to know who the
employee is and make sure that employee values
and personality are in keeping with our company
values. Finding “the best” candidate is often easier
said than done.
“Our company spends a lot of time thinking about
how we need to provide this future talent with an
environment where they feel comfortable and feel
they belong, that they have an opportunity to grow
and hopefully have a career with us. Companies
need to develop the ability to attract talent as
this is critical to the future of our industry, and
ultimately any industry. Attracting young talent is
a huge focus today for us as a company. Once you
have hired talented candidates, invest in these
employees, offer them a career, and inspire them.
They will stay longer with your company and you
have lower turnover rates.”
This is good advice. Let’s break down what we
think it means to invest in your employees, offer
them a career, and inspire them.
June 2021 Issue • p. 7

Investing in your employees
Investing in your employees means different
things to different people. Some things that it
can mean include:
Offering a competitive wage. It’s important
to remember that you get what you pay for
and if you want top talent you should be
prepared to pay top talent. Investing in your
team members can also mean devoting
time and energy to proper onboarding
and training.
Sharing your mission, values, and business
goals with the team and ensuring that they
feel connected to these elements and know
they are an integral part of your success.
When employees understand why their
contribution matters, they are more invested
in that contribution.
Offering them a career
A common complaint in the spa industry is a lack
of qualified managers. Leaders can create those
managers, if they’re willing to put in the effort.
Being offered a career over just a “job” makes
all the difference to an individual’s sense of self
worth and overall commitment to a role. It’s the
difference between going through the day-to-day
motions with nothing on the horizon and a feeling
of forward momentum with the knowledge that
someone believes in you, the value you bring, and
in your future.
Inspire them
What can leaders do to inspire their teams?
Sharing mission, values, and goals is one thing.
Leading by example is another. Being an inspiring
leader means setting a standard of behavior,
which begins with being kind and treating people
well. When we treat people well, they treat others,
including fellow employees and guests, well.
Other ways to set a standard of behavior include
behaving with honesty and integrity.
And according to this HBR article, there is one trait
that matters more than any other when it comes
to being an inspirational leader: centeredness.
The article states: “This is a state of mindfulness
that enables leaders to remain calm under stress,
empathize, listen deeply, and remain present.”
The more centered we are, the better leaders we
will be.
Taking the time to get to know your
employees and set expectations. When
people know what is expected of them
they’re more likely to achieve it and these
achievements build confidence and make
everyone happy – and when everyone is
happy, people are less likely to quit.
This is just one piece of insight from our indepth
report. To read more from industry leaders,
including Karla Herrasti, Corporate Director of Spa
in Latin America for RCD Hotels, Nigel Franklyn, The
Spa Whisperer, Lynne McNees, President of ISPA
(International SPA Association), and Daisy Tepper,
Spa Director at The Post Oak Hotel at Uptown
Houston, click to download the full report.
June 2021 Issue • p. 8

Benjamin Donat, Spa Director at
Park City, Utah’s St. Regis Deer
Valley talks with Spa Executive
about future plans and reaching
for that Fifth Forbes Star.
ST. REGIS DEER VALLEY’S
BENJAMIN DONAT ON FUTURE
PLANS & FIVE STAR GOALS
Park City, Utah’s St. Regis Deer Valley is one of the
world’s most luxurious mountain resorts.
Featuring design that echoes the beauty of
its location amidst the picturesque Wasatch
Mountains, in winter, the resort offers convenient
ski-in/ski-out access with a private ski valet, and
in warmer months, guests enjoy mountain biking
and hiking.
In July, 2020, Benjamin Donat took the reins as Spa
Director at the resort’s Remède Spa, an incredible
14,000-square-foot facility with 11 sophisticated
treatment rooms and Four Forbes Stars. Remède’s
certified spa therapists offer a full suite of body
treatments combining ancient healing arts with
modern techniques and high-quality products in a
soothing atmosphere dedicated to relaxation and
tranquility, enhanced by water-inspired amenities.
In the few months he’s been on the job, Donat
has been setting a high bar and working to
create an exceptional experience for every guest,
providing superlative treatments and successfully
incorporating a vision of the increasing importance
of self-care.
We spoke with Mr. Donat about his plans for the
Remède Spa and reaching for that 5th Forbes Star.
June 2021 Issue • p. 9

Talk about your spa at the St. Regis Deer
Valley and some of the things that make
it unique.
We are an 11-room spa in the mountains and
our experience changes with the seasons. In the
winter, we are super busy because of skiing and,
in the summer, there is amazing mountain biking
and hiking.
Our staff has to be very well versed in adjusting
to the sport that the guests are doing. We all have
to be very aware of our guests’ needs. We offer
morning yoga on the weekends for our guests to
start the day on a healthy note, maybe make them
get up a little bit early and do something for body
and mind, and then start the day fresh with a nice
breakfast or a visit to the spa.
Tell us about your career background.
I’m from Germany. My background is as a sports
scientist and I moved into hospitality. My first job in
the industry was at the Hotel Erbprinz, in Germany,
a long-time luxury establishment that opened in
1788. That’s how I learned old-school luxury and
how to take care of guests.
I moved to the United States and worked for
MGM Grand and then ARIA Resort & Casino. I
had to reinvent myself a bit in the US and learn to
understand the American way of looking at spa.
In Europe, there is more of a focus on the amenities,
rather than the treatment, to give the guests
reasons to stay all day or just come for a spa day
without even booking a treatment. In America
the treatment is the focus, and the locker room
can sometimes be an afterthought or regarded
as not as important. Though I do see a bit of a
shift here towards the European way lately. I think
my experience with the European way helped the
ARIA, in small parts, to achieve its Forbes Five-
Star rating.
I then worked for Choctaw in Oklahoma and the
Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. Now I have the chance
to prove myself at the St. Regis.
We’re currently fighting for our Fifth Forbes star.
If we become a Five-Star spa we will be the first
Five-Spa department in the hotel, so that would be
a big achievement for my team. We are just trying
to be better every day.
What changes or extra efforts are you
making for that?
I’ve gone through our past Forbes reviews to see
what opportunities are in there for improvement.
We’re trying to upgrade and tweak everything a
little bit, like ensuring that the linen is luxurious.
We have new, lighter weight towels that will save
thousands of gallons of water during washing but
are higher luxury than our old towels.
Also, how do we greet the guests and how can we
elevate that guest experience? We start every Spa
visit with a Wellness Shot and end every treatment
with a Beauty Shot.
We’re working on keeping track of guest
information for the massage therapists. If the
guest has had a birthday, for example, we can
greet that person with a ‘happy birthday,’ and say
‘we have something ready for you to check out.’
We are focusing on the little things.
June 2021 Issue • p. 10

I am also working with my vendor partners and
asking how they can help me elevate either their
products or our services. Ten brains think better
than one brain. It’s not all me. It’s working with my
staff and my partners.
Have you noticed a recent increase in
demand for wellness and a shift in guest
expectations?
The need for wellness and for people to get out,
relieve stress, and do something for themselves is
more prominent now that people have been home
more. Guests are coming in with so much baggage
on their shoulders now. Our goal is to release a
little bit of that baggage so they can walk a little
bit more freely and hopefully make their day a little
bit better.
Then there’s this issue of being conscious of
germs while also wanting to be touched. The spa
treatment offers the endorphin release and stress
reduction that guests are longing for, but people
need reassurance that our areas are clean and
sanitized, so they can actually connect with us and
feel the relaxation. This is a balancing act I think
many spas are having to perform.
What challenges do you think the industry
will face in the foreseeable future?
The staffing challenge has been and will be a big
one. I have been understaffed through the season
and it’s hard to find qualified candidates. This
affects both the guests and the existing team;
guests because sometimes they need a wellness
or spa experience, and we can’t provide it at the
time they want because we’re overbooked, and
staff because I have to be careful not to overwork
them and cause burnout. We’re in Park City, in
the mountains, so as long as it snows and there
is skiing we will have guests. We’ll always have
guests. My major concern in staffing. That’s one
of my biggest challenges.

What industry developments are you
excited about?
It’s exciting that, because there were so many
issues in the last year, people got creative to find
solutions. I’ve seen some great ideas, including
touchless therapies and treatment options which
can help us provide the services guests need and
also solve the staffing problem a little bit. I love the
idea of technology to help us while not eliminating
the personal touch.
My staff has also come up with their own great
ideas to enhance our experience for the guests.
I’m excited that people are being so creative.
What makes an excellent
guest experience?
Recognition is a big part of that, knowing the
guest and what they want, so we can personalize
the service. We don’t do a 50-minute massage
protocol because we have to, but to take care of
the guest in front of us. Every massage is different,
depending on who you’re offering it to. Six different
people will book the same service and every one
of them will have a different experience. When the
guest walks out and says “that was the greatest
massage I’ve ever had,” then I’m happy.
June 2021 Issue • p. 12

Occupancy is one of your most important KPIs. Your spa occupancy tells you how close you are to
operating at full capacity and can include measurements from your total treatment beds, treatment
rooms, and amenities (more on this from Trent Munday here). Obviously, your occupancy is directly
correlated to your revenue and ensuring that you’re operating at optimal occupancy is essential.
Software can help.
Here are six ways to use software to increase spa occupancy.
Your occupancy is one of
your most important KPIs.
Here’s how to use software
to increase spa occupancy
and boost revenue.
HOW TO TO USE SOFTWARE TO
INCREASE SPA OCCUPANCY
1. Get savvy with yield management
Yield management is one of the most effective
systems used in hospitality to maximize occupancy
and revenue and it will help you increase spa
occupancy. Yield management is a dynamic
pricing strategy used with limited resources like
seats on an airplane or hotel rooms – or spa
treatments and amenities. The system is based
on understanding, anticipating, and influencing
consumer behavior which is itself influenced by
factors like seasons, time of day, holidays, etc.
When demand is high, prices go up, when demand
is low, prices go down. A good software system
can maximize peak period utilization and drive
traffic during slower periods.
2. Focus on repeat customers
It’s more expensive to attract a new customer
than it is to retain an existing one. It’s said that
increasing customer retention just five percent can
increase a company’s profitability by an average
of 75%, and that 80% of future profits come from
20% of current customers. Once a guest has
visited your business, take the time to nurture
that relationship. Log customer information and
preferences, analyze customer purchase trends,
collect feedback, and share it all with your team
so they can create one-of-a-kind personalized
experiences and bring them back into your
space. A software’s guest experience & CRM
functionalities, like Central Guest Profiling, makes
it all simple and intuitive.
June 2021 Issue • p. 13

3. Identify your customers
Another application for guest experience &
CRM functionalities like Central Guest Profiling.
Knowing who is coming to your spa will help you
focus your marketing on these people, speak
directly to them, and offer what they want. Your
market is not everyone, it is a specific group of
people. Look at the guest information collected
by your spa management software system, like
demographics and purchase history, and ask
yourself: who are my customers? How do they
want to be communicated with and through
which channels? What do they want and how
can I give it to them? Then focus your marketing
efforts accordingly.
5. Create friends & family
packages and promotions
Why stop at couples massages? Encourage your
guests to bring someone with them by promoting
a mother daughter offering, family time, group
package, or something different. This can be
particularly enticing in areas where physical
distancing is still in effect, because people can
have areas of the spa all to themselves. Software
functionalities allow you to encourage return visits
with loyalty points, client referral discounts, and
promotions. Build your own incentive program and
customize it to your brand.
4. Use gift cards
Gift cards are among your greatest tools for
attracting new clients. One survey found that
40% of respondents said that receiving a gift
card prompted them to visit a store they would
not otherwise have visited for the first time. “they
wouldn’t even have visited if they hadn’t received
the card” Once they make that initial visit you have
the chance to turn them into returning customers.
Remember: getting people in the door the first time
is more difficult and more expensive than bringing
them back. More than half of respondents also
said receiving a gift card prompted them to visit
a store more frequently. Gift cards marketed to
your existing customer base can also encourage
referrals. Software solutions like Book4Time
allow you to create and sell your own gift cards to
increase brand recognition and market penetration
and manage your gift card program across all
locations with a central system.
6. Consider a membership program
Memberships are the norm in fitness, and now more
spas and wellness businesses are seeing the value
of membership programs. Wellness memberships
can include access to amenities, like pools and
saunas, but can also go towards services like
facials, body treatments, and massage. Instead of
charging per service, a set rate per month or year
buys a certain number of services and/or access
to amenities. Memberships are a great way to
encourage repeat visits and nurture relationships,
and can also create a steady revenue stream in
slower times. A centralized membership program
helps increase guest retention through member
discounts, exclusive services, or monthly credits
that can be redeemed at your facility.
Book4Time’s cloud-based system can help manage your yield management, guest experience and CRM,
packages, promotions, loyalty and membership programs, and more to increase spa occupancy. Learn
more at Book4Time.com or schedule a demo.
June 2021 Issue • p. 14

A cloud-based booking platform
gives providers flexibility, and
eliminates the need to
maintain servers.
HAPPIER STAFF,
INCREASED EFFICIENCY,
AND A FOUR-STAR RATING:
THE BENEFITS OF AN
OPERATIONS UPGRADE
When a guest steps into a spa, they expect peace,
serenity, tranquility, and relaxation. Everything
should feel effortless and enjoyable. On the back
end, however, spa operations can be anything
but serene.
I have a lot of experience with spa operations,
having worked in this business for 22 years. Today,
I’m the director of spa operations at Turning Stone
Resort and Casino in central New York. We have
two spas here at Turning Stone: our day spa and
salon, Ahsi, and our resort spa, Ska:ná. I oversee
everything from menus to staff, facilities to the
guest experience—anything that encompasses
the spa experience at our resort. I joined Turning
Stone with a very clear three-point mandate: make
the spas profitable, improve staff satisfaction, and
get us rated in Forbes Travel Guide.
Shane Bird,
Spa Director,
Turning Stone Casino Resort
An experience marred by frustration and
inefficiency
I had my work cut out for me. Back in 2013,
there were times that the spa lobbies would be
completely empty. Part of that stemmed from a
lack of brand presence and brand awareness,
everything from how the spas were marketed to
how the phone systems worked. There was one
phone number for Ahsi and another for Ska:ná,
and often guests would call one, not knowing
the other existed. The number for Ska:ná was
only publicized in one guest book at the all-suite
hotel and nowhere else. Right out of the gate,
June 2021 Issue • p. 15

I combined phone systems to a central number,
where guests could choose whether they wanted
to book a service at Ahsi or Ska:ná.
Staff makes or breaks the guest experience at a
spa, and there was a lot of discontent among our
staff. They felt they didn’t have a voice. So another
one of my top priorities was to engage the staff,
listen to their needs, and address their pain points.
One of those pain points was the laborious
software that we used. It wasn’t integrated with
anything else; there was a separate application
to book services, another system for POS, and
yet another for payroll. Doing payroll itself was
monstrous. It used to take me six hours just to
reconcile providers’ commissions, and I had to
do that every week. It was also frustrating for our
finance or IT departments; a server-based platform
like the one we used meant the IT staff had to
constantly monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot onpremise
servers.
The guests also felt the impact of our inefficient
system. Not only were they in contact with
frustrated staff, but during the checkout process,
they would have to wait in line to sign a receipt like
they were at a sandwich-making station—a stark
contrast to the luxurious experience they received
during a treatment. It wasn’t how we wanted them
to end their experience with us.
A new system, an easy sell
I first encountered Book4Time back in 2010. I
was the director of another spa, and we wanted
to implement an online booking system. Almost
everything back then was server based, and
Book4Time’s software was ahead of the curve.
After exploring the market, I was convinced that
a cloud-based platform would give us more
flexibility. We wouldn’t have all our data on site,
but on the other hand, our IT team wouldn’t have
to maintain servers.
By coincidence, I met Book4Time founder
Roger Sholanki, and we had some really great
conversations. His perspective and goals meshed
well with my vision for a platform, so I implemented
Book4Time at that location. It was a great success.
Fast forward 10 years, and I knew that’s exactly
what we needed at Turning Stone.
The success of a spa often comes down to
incredible executives and general managers.
I proposed Book4Time to the Turning Stone’s
executive team, outlining how it would improve
the experience for guests and staff, as well as our
bottom line. They trusted me and were supportive,
but they also wanted IT to weigh in. It was a great
move and an easy sell—I just told IT they wouldn’t
have to babysit someone else’s property anymore.
Sure, they’d have to keep an eye on interfaces,
but they wouldn’t be responsible for maintaining
and troubleshooting those servers like in the past.
IT’s response was, “Please and thank you. When
do we start?”
Implementation was very simple. I earmarked
some of my staff as trainers, then Book4Time
took us through the ins and outs of the system,
explaining how to create facilities, services, users,
and permissions. We then put everyone through
the process and went through a dry run before we
went live. The entire setup only took a little more
than a week.
I was comfortable with launching so quickly not
only because I was familiar with the platform, but
because I knew Book4Time has a built-in help
centre. If any of us forgot our training or how to
run a certain report, we had access to that built-in
help desk. That gave us all peace of mind.

Integrations that enhance scalability
Because our spas are part of a larger property,
we already have purchasing and retail software.
Book4Time’s multiple functions seamlessly
integrate with our existing systems, presenting
a unified façade for our guests. For example, we
don’t use Book4Time’s membership and gift card
modules but guests can easily see and use their
membership or gift card through the Book4Time
interface—they don’t know we have separate
systems working behind the scenes.
Before we implemented Book4Time, we couldn’t
even have a conversation about guest preferences
because we didn’t have adequate reporting
capabilities. Book4Time has robust reporting
functionality that allows us to see operations at
a glance. Initially I was focused on the basics:
What are our top sellers? Who are our most
frequent guests? When are our busiest times?
From there, it’s easy to make decisions and ask
more complicated questions, such as: How do we
incentivize our top guests to bring a friend? If our
weekends are becoming busy, should we charge
more for services during those times? How much?
If we see services are underperforming, it’s an
easy decision to eliminate them. Likewise, we
can create new services based on the ones that
consistently perform well. With Book4Time, it’s
easy to see trends and make fast decisions around
incentives, pricing, and services.
Even though we don’t use all of the platform’s
functionalities, that’s part of its appeal. It’s not a
one-size-fits-all solution, and even though it works
for us as part of a larger organization, it can also
work for smaller spas. Other divisions at Turning
Stone all have their own systems specific to their
domain, such as purchasing or rewards. If you’ve
ever worked with finance folk, you know you don’t
want to move their cheese, so to speak. It’s nice to
have a platform that interfaces with other systems
without disrupting anyone else.
Benefits for guests and staff alike
Book4Time has had such a positive impact on our
operations. Our guests can now book online 24/7
instead of waiting for the hours where someone
would be at reception. Pre-pandemic, 10% of our
guests booked through our online portal, but now
that number has jumped to 20%. Guests also
don’t have to wait for printouts after finishing their
treatments; it’s all done online.
Having remote access has also been a big
advantage to staff and service providers during the
pandemic. We reopened after lockdown in June
2020. People have been in and out of the facility
to comply with our new distancing and occupancy
guidelines, but regardless of where people are,
they can log into the system and run their own
reports, see their commissions, and schedule
appointments. I’ve been under quarantine myself
and had to work from home, and there have been
times where staff members went to my office to
connect with me, assuming I was on site based on
my activity in the system.
June 2021 Issue • p. 17

Robust reporting capabilities
allow you to see operations
at a glance and make fast
decisions around pricing
and services.
A game-changer for our organization
The market has changed since I first started using
Book4Time over 10 years ago. There’s a lot more
competition among cloud-based platforms, and
spas have ample choice. I continue to choose
Book4Time not only because of how user-friendly
it is for guests, staff, and providers, but also
because of their excellent service and support.
When we were shut down during the pandemic,
the Book4Time team was in touch with me to
discuss how they could help when we reopened.
When confronted with new customer needs
that a software platform doesn’t address, some
companies will put their hands in the air and say,
“That’s just how our software is.” Book4Time has
always been malleable in that regard, reaching
out to me for feedback on ways to improve
their product.
Multiply that experience by the 100 staff members
across facilities, finance, and IT who have increased
access to the system. Our providers can now see
what they have scheduled for any given day and
whether there have been any last-minute changes.
Before, they could only discover this information
once they arrived on site. Service providers can
also see their commissions much more clearly.
The six hours it used to take to perform payroll?
That’s a 15-minute process now, and the burden
has been entirely removed from the finance staff.
The changes we’ve made have led the Forbes
Travel Guide to award Ska:ná with a four-star
rating, the only spa in central New York to receive
that recognition. The spas at Turning Stone gained
ease and efficiency at every level, and Book4Time
has brought us into the 21st century.
The six hours it used to
take to do payroll is now a
15-minute process.

Dunton Hot Springs is a restored
19th Century mining town in
the Colorado Rockies. Now a
stunning, exclusive resort set on
a lithium hot spring.
FEATURED PROPERTY:
DUNTON HOT SPRINGS

Dunton Hot Springs is a romantic 19th Century
ghost town nestled deep in the San Juan
Mountains of the Colorado Rockies. Set in an
extraordinary alpine valley, the resort’s history is
an inherent part of its identity: Dunton, Colorado
was a small, unincorporated settlement in Dolores
County, established as a mining camp in the
late 1800s.
The population started at fewer than 50 people
and peaked at about 260 – 300 in 1905, when the
nearby Emma mine’s ore production was at its
highest. But the nearest rail connection was miles
away and Dunton suffered from isolation and a lack
of transportation. The boom was not to last and,
by 1918, the town was deserted. It was purchased
by local residents and operated as a cattle ranch,
and later a dude ranch, until the 1990s, when it
was bought by current owner Christoph Henkel,
who spent seven years renovating and restoring
the entire town.
June 2021 Issue • p. 21

Leading sustainable operation
Today Dunton Hot Springs is a stunning, exclusive
resort offering a variety of day and overnight
packages — and the entire town can be rented
exclusively for corporate retreats, family reunions,
and weddings.
The breathtaking property is an industry-leading
sustainable operation protecting the natural hot
springs on which it sits, featuring exquisitely
furnished, hand-hewn log cabins, a saloon serving
excellent food, gorgeous trails, and soothing
lithium-rich waters.
Activities include horseback riding, fly fishing,
hiking, llama hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing,
rafting, skiing, snowshoeing and more.
The Spa at Dunton Hot Springs
The Spa at Dunton Hot Springs prides itself
on providing an experience you will not
find anywhere else, providing the best of
holistic and therapeutic healing. Several
treatment and wellness areas include the
Pangolin Spa Cabin, a yoga space, and a
spa tent with an outdoor shower next to a
horse field.
The owners also have an interest in saving
the pangolin, explained Dunton’s Spa Director,
Janette Gianetti. The pangolin is a mammal
sometimes called the “scaly anteater” native
to Asia and Sub Saharan Africa. “They are
almost extinct because of poaching. So, our
spa cabin is called Pangolin.”
The calcium bicarbonate springs contain
minerals like dissolved iron, manganese,
and magnesium, as well as small amounts
of lithium. Bathing in the springs is said to
assist in opening peripheral blood vessels,
improve circulation to the body’s extremities,
and promote healthy skin. There are five
ways to take to the waters, which range in
temperature from 85°F to 106°F: under the
stars at the source, inside the restored 19th
June 2021 Issue • p. 22

century Bathhouse, in the pool outside the
Bathhouse, in the pool behind the Dunton
Store cabin and inside Well House cabin.
“People love the springs,” said Gianetti.
“Once they start soaking, they don’t want
to leave because the lithium is such a
nice, calming and balancing influence on
the body. People are just so happy when
they’re in there.”
Gianetti recently implemented Book4Time
Software at The Spa and says there are a
lot of things she loves about the system.
These include, the ease of booking and
rescheduling appointments, the ability
to not overbook or double book, and
to schedule the correct therapist for
the correct procedure, and the ease
of scheduling therapists 3-4 months
in the future.
Gianetti says, “The most enjoyable
feature is that we also are booking our
many activities almost as a separate
entity, but using many of the same
techs – we have several staff members
that have multiple talents and skills i.e.
some of them are shuttle drivers, as well
as river and fly fishing guides, hiking
guides, etc.”
Ashiatsu massage
Asked about her favorite treatment
at the spa, Gianetti, who is trained in
ashiatsu, lists the Ashiatsu Deep Barefoot
Massage. Ashiatsu is a barefoot massage
during which the therapist uses their feet
instead of their hands. “We do everything
we can with the weight of our body, so
our clients can get the deepest, most
luxurious massage with no pain.”
The massage is described thus: “Our
deepest massage — your therapist’s
skilled feet apply firm effleurage strokes
for the ultimate deep tissue experience.
Overhead bars allow your therapist to
work within your comfort level.”

Other stand-out menu items include:
Ashi-Thai
“A deeply therapeutic, full body stretching technique to relieve muscular tension,
improve circulation, boost the immune system, and energetically balance the
body.”
Rasayana Body Regeneration and Massage
“The skin is briskly polished with a mixture of herbal powders, rose water
and aroma oils. Steamed ginger tea compresses are used to condition the
skin. This treatment reactivates the metabolism and can have a firming and
slimming effect. The service is complete with a combination of deep tissue
and lymphatic drainage massage techniques with exotic oils.”
Dunton Springs Hand and Foot Ritual
“Enjoy some me time, or together time for two, in The Spa Cabin designed just
for foot and hand treatments. Lavish in the subtle scents of rare oils as your feet
and legs slide into our hot springs water. Your feet will be scrubbed, masked,
and massaged while you sip a glass of champagne, or a cocktail. Your hands
will receive the same luxuries to complete this ritual.”
A focus on luxury and wellness
Gianetti has big plans for the future. She says,
“We’re getting more of a wellness focus. We’re
offering a summer solstice retreat and we have a
yoga retreat planned for July. We’re offering quite
a few workshops that we didn’t offer before. I am
elevating the services a little bit to create more of
a luxury setting.”
June 2021 Issue • p. 24

The Wellness Asset
by global wellness
expert Sonal Uberoi
aims to show hospitality
leaders how profitable
wellness can be and
how to build successful
wellness offerings.
Sonal Uberoi is the founder of Spa
Balance Consulting. Spas, hotel
groups, and wellness companies
hire Uberoi to help them design, set
up, and manage their businesses.
She is the author of the book How
to Open a Smart Spa and recently
released her second book The
Wellness Asset: How wellness
can transform and future-proof
your hotel.
SONAL UBEROI
ON HER BOOK,
“THE WELLNESS
ASSET”
The book aims to show hospitality
leaders how profitable wellness
can be and how to build successful
wellness offerings using Uberoi’s
ESSENCE Methodology.
We spoke with Uberoi about
why she wrote this book and
what’s happening in hospitality
and wellness.

How can the book be used to improve
business operations?
This book is your go-to reference for wellness. It is
your business playbook that contains the essential
tools for you to do wellness successfully in any
hotel (even when you leave your current hotel and
move to another hotel).
To show you the true power of wellness to
transform your hotel we need to take an accurate
temperature reading of where your business is
at right now before we start. We do this using
my ESSENCE scorecard – a simple series of
questions that I’ve carefully designed to give you
the most meaningful “snapshot” of where you are
and where your potential opportunities lie. It’s a
great, free tool to learn more about your capability
to create a wellness asset at this present moment.
What compelled you to write this book?
We’re living unique times in the hospitality
and wellness industries – industries that have
essentially been built around the bricks-and-mortar
business model. And we are at a crossroads. The
old business model is broken, and the hoteliers
and wellness professionals of the future know this.
They aren’t sitting around waiting for the clock to
turn back. They’re seizing this opportunity.
Whilst some brands are struggling, others are
finding new ways to do what they’ve always done:
serve their customers.
I wrote this book to show hoteliers, even the
sceptical ones, that wellness does indeed make
business sense. And no matter how urban or
midscale your property is, incorporating wellness
into it in a meaningful and coherent way will yield
substantial dividends. I show them how as I walk
them through my unique and carefully honed
ESSENCE model.
In Part 1, we reframe your current view of wellness
and show you some fallacies. In Part 2, we’ll learn
the harsh truths of wellness in hospitality and how
to work around them. In Part 3 the heavy lifting
begins. I walk you through my proven ESSENCE
model and guide you through the exercises I do
with clients to build a profitable wellness asset.
I’ve also created a Wellness Business Essentials
Toolkit which contains all the worksheets and
templates you’ll need to work through each of
the stages.
What is going wrong with wellness in
hospitality?
Traditional hoteliers know that wellness is
something they need to offer but they haven’t quite
figured out how to tap into its full potential. They
struggle to define their wellness offering in a way
that makes them stand out from the competition
and also makes them money without a sizable
capital outlay and no return on investment.
June 2021 Issue • p. 26

The main areas traditional hoteliers struggle with when it comes to wellness are:
Concept
They lack a clearly defined wellness concept, with little to no difference
between one hotel’s wellness offering and the other’s next door. Their
wellness facilities have grown organically over time and have been squeezed
into any available space to maximise revenue per square metre.
People
They lack the right expertise and people to do wellness properly in their
hotels. They struggle to find qualified and experienced talent that their
wellness profit and loss can sustain. They promote under-qualified staff to
oversee their wellness operations, and as a result, these operations become
a constant source of headache.
Performance
They ambitiously invest large sums in building grand facilities – for example,
large hydrothermal areas, fully equipped spa suites, beautiful treatment
rooms, state-of-the-art gyms, only to later find they have a heavily subsidised
operation with high overheads and no return on investment.
People struggle with these areas because they’ve fallen victim to one or more of the myths of the
common fallacies around wellness in hospitality: False Perceptions, False Economies and False Profits.
Each of these fallacies is the result of a traditional mindset that has led hoteliers down unhelpful paths.
Can you elaborate on these
“three fallacies”?
False perceptions lead traditional hoteliers
to mistakenly believe that wellness is not a
lucrative option worth fully exploring. They either
underinvest in their wellness offering, treat it as an
amenity to their core business or stick to what they
know best: selling rooms and food and beverage.
False economies lead traditional hoteliers to
stretch their resources too thin and think they’re
saving money. The band-aid solutions of this
short-term strategy cost the business much more
than the original cost of proper investment, in
the process alienating guests and denting the
hotel’s image.
False profits lead hoteliers to think they’re making
more profits when, in reality, the gain in short-term
profits comes at an opportunity cost in the long
term. As a result, they fail to create a robust asset
ecosystem because they focus on swift gains
instead of solid and steady profits (the doomed
“asset-light” approach).
June 2021 Issue • p. 27

How have guest expectations changed?
Wellness is the new luxury that today’s consumers
are looking to our industry to provide as they
pursue a state of wellbeing that allows for a fuller
human experience than traditional hospitality
typically provides.
It has become standard to find a spa and gym
in five-star luxury hotels, but the market now
demands increasingly more sophisticated,
integrated wellness experiences.
Guests now crave a sense of connection from a
hotel stay. People who are travelling less want to
travel better and be nourished, healed, surprised
and delighted, whatever their reason for travel –
from before they arrive to during their stay and
beyond.
What is a “hybrid model” and
why is this important?
The hybrid model is the new buzzword, but it is
here to stay – we’re seeing this across all sectors
and it’s the product of the great disruption in
today’s world. For example, hybrid meetings,
hybrid workplaces, etc.
A hybrid model mixes two or more different
elements. Making your treatment rooms multipurpose,
for example. Technology is nearly always
associated with a hybrid model, but not all hybrid
models necessarily involve technology, and adding
technology doesn’t necessarily mean getting rid of
human touch or personalised assistance – which
most spa and wellness facilities fear losing. I
actually look at technology as a powerful tool to help
our therapists do remarkable work: more accurate
diagnoses, evidence-based consultations, etc.
We can’t hyper-personalise without technology,
and technology helps us achieve consistent
results by removing human error or subjective
decision-making.
What are forward thinking
hoteliers doing?
In the course of researching this book I have met
some truly inspirational hoteliers. Passionate
men and women who are leading the way, seeing
wellness as a core part of hospitality.
These hoteliers of the future are pivoting, adapting
and thriving by building and leveraging their
wellness asset to enhance their guests’ overall
experience in their hotel.
They understand that their guests’ needs have
evolved and that today’s business and leisure
travellers want more than the standard hotel
room, decent breakfast and beautiful facilities.
Today’s guests want experiences that are fulfilling,
memorable and shareable; they want experiences
that transform their overall wellbeing, even if in a
simple way.
And these passionate men and women know
that the only way they can transform their guests’
wellbeing is through the wellbeing of their teams
and surrounding community. They attract people
who think alike, and they get their teams excited
about their vision and the positive impact of
their meaningful work. They create a growth
environment where wellness is at its core.
The hotelier of the future is forward-thinking,
audacious and legacy-oriented, with a vision that
stretches far beyond short-term profitability.
Buy the book at Amazon.com
June 2021 Issue • p. 28

Let’s talk about technology
in physical spa locations at
luxury hotels and resorts
around the world. Here are 5
trends shaking up the
spa industry.
5 TRENDS
SHAKING UP
THE SPA
INDUSTRY
We hear a lot about the latest technology to
hit varying industries; but, oftentimes, the spa
industry is grouped under wellness and we
specifically hear about wearable tech, robotics,
touchless therapies etc. So, let’s get a little
more specific. Let’s talk about technology within
physical spa locations at luxury hotels and
resorts around the world.
By Emily Moxley,
Marketing Manager, Book4Time
I’m of the opinion that technology will
disrupt the status quo the industry
has established today. The customer
experience has remained untouched,
but the expectation from our guests has
changed. In turn, businesses (mainly
spas) are adapting and evolving to
change with them.
June 2021 Issue • p. 29

Here are five trends shaking up the spa industry:
1Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS platforms have entered the spa
world in full force. It’s becoming rare
to come across a luxury retreat or spa
within well-known hotels and resorts
that don’t have a platform in the cloud
to operationalize business efficiencies.
Spa owners, and directors are looking for
something that will centralize their CRM,
payment solutions, scheduling, booking
and reporting in one place. Furthermore,
there’s an appetite for software that has
a number of integrations primarily with
hotel reservation platforms like Opera or
payment gateways to make their lives
simpler.
Gone are the days of using multiple
paper diaries to track appointments,
guest names, and technician availability.
Much like you’re turning to this article
online vs. a printed copy in a delivered
newspaper, the old paper method in
life is becoming obsolete, let alone
businesses. Forward-thinking directors
and managers are shaping this change
and building a sustainable future for their
spas by implementing solutions that will
allow them to grow and check the boxes
mentioned above.
2
Business Intelligence (BI)
We’ve all heard this word before and
can often bucket it to just mean “fancy
reporting”. However, when I mention BI,
I’m talking about insight vs. data. All
spa directors, managers and owners will
always have access to their data. However,
the true advantage is having the means
to analyze it and help make intelligent
and informed business decisions. For
example, one may ask: Which one
of my spas is performing the best in
terms of number of couples treatments
booked? Granted, you can probably
tally up your appointment numbers and
run a comparison in Excel, but when
you manage multiple locations or are
comparing multiple variables, there’s a
dire need for business intelligence. The
basic reporting features and functionality
aren’t enough to truly realize how your
business can thrive during an unforeseen
situation (like the COVID-19 Pandemic).
You can find ways of optimizing spend,
technician utilization and more through
the use of business intelligence.
June 2021 Issue • p. 30

3
Contactless Experiences
We’ve all heard this before, but it’s
important to hear it again and engrain in
our minds as we think about technology
disrupting the status quo. Having a
contactless experience has quickly
become a requirement for spa-goers. It’s
not that people don’t want to have human
interaction, it’s that people want to have
the option not to. Guests are looking for
something that allows them to use their
mobile device from any location at any
time of day to look at spa menus, book
appointments, confirm reservations and
more. Mobile devices are used for more
than just calls and text messages. For
the past decade, we’ve been turning to
our mobile devices to book flights, hotels,
restaurant reservations and essentially
plan an entire trip experience. So, why
should spa bookings be left out?
Although there are those that prefer
calling into a location, 82% of travel
bookings made in 2018 were made
without any human interaction, via a
mobile app or website. Online booking
is just one element of the contactless
experience that’s becoming increasingly
necessary vs. a “nice to have”. A
contactless experience also allows the
guest to be in control of their visit. They’re
able to browse freely at a digital menu,
reserve a booking, guarantee a booking
with a credit card saved on their device
and ultimately, leave a review for your spa
once they’re all done.
4
Targeted Marketing
When you hear “targeted marketing”,
you’re probably thinking, “that’s something
the marketing department deals with, not
the spa”. However, as we continue to step
deeper into a technological era, spas are
getting smarter in how they attract guests.
By having a centralized customer portal or
a CRM in place, leading spas are now able
to gather relevant information about their
guests at each visit to help make strategic
winback or new guest campaigns. For
example, if a guest visited your spa for
a massage on their birthday and really
enjoyed the lavender lotion and coconut
infused candles, it would be helpful to have
a system that will record this information.
This way, you can run a birthday month
offer for them in the future, alert them
when specific lotions or candles go on
sale, or simply record their preferences
to create an even better experience for
when they return. Marketing is no longer
just a marketers job. We all have a handle
in creating personalized experiences for
our guests that can ultimately start smart
marketing through the use of technology.
June 2021 Issue • p. 31

Software platforms for spas that have the ability
to integrate with other hospitality services are
favourable. Spas are looking for a system that
will speak to Oracle hospitality, Adyen’s payment
gateway, GiveX to manage gift cards and more.
Without these, businesses are not building a
sustainable platform for the long-run. It might work
right now, but won’t work in the future as more and
more platforms are injected at the property level. It
sounds like a no-brainer, but definitely something
that is becoming top of mind when considering
purchasing spa software.
5
An Integrated System
I started talking about this in the beginning
of this article when discussing software.
Spa owners are now gravitating towards
centralized systems that will speak to
one another and help tie the information
together. For example, when a hotel guest
checks in, they’re typically speaking to the
front desk and providing them with their
name, room number, and general details.
As a spa manager or spa director, when
that guest wakes up tomorrow and wants
to book a treatment, wouldn’t it be great
to have that information sync over to your
system?
Like I said in the beginning, technology is
disrupting the status quo of the spa industry
(in a good way). Forward-thinking leaders
have already jumped on these trends and
are in the “implementation phases”. At
Book4Time, we’re seeing a spike in interest
for spa management software from what
people are searching for and ultimately,
purchasing our platform.
It’s one thing to read about the trends that
are up and coming, and it’s another to act
on it. If you’re interested in learning
more, click here.

Spa Executive
FOR LEADERS IN THE BUSINESS OF WELLNESS
ADVERTISE WITH US
CONTACT SAL CAPIZZI FOR MORE INFORMATION
SCAPIZZI@SPAEXECUTIVE.COM
info@spaexecutive.com | www.spaexecutive.com