Spa Executive June 2021

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