Accor’s new strategy: reinventing spas
According to an Accor survey, nearly 8 out of 10 customers now consider well-being a priority during their stay.
Hotel group Accor has just published a new white paper entitled “Making Waves: Reinventing spa and wellness to meet today’s expectations”. Based on a survey of 7,500 customers in six countries, the report reveals a revealing statistic: 79% of those questioned attach major importance to well-being during their travels.
The spa: an emotional experience
In this report, Accor stresses the importance of going beyond traditional amenities to offer visitors a truly emotional experience. According to Anne Becker Olins, General Manager Design & Technical Services – Ultra-Luxury and Luxury at Accor, an approach as attentive to the overall experience as that already adopted in the group’s restaurants could radically transform today’s spas.
The group thus emphasizes the need to design immersive, unique and distinctive wellness areas. For Emlyn Brown, General Manager, Wellness, Strategy, Design and Development, it’s essential to create thematic paths where every detail contributes to emotionally enriching the visit, from the first contact to the final treatment.
Optimized spaces for a more attractive offer from Accor hotels
The study also highlights the fact that the size of spa areas is not always a guarantee of quality or profitability. According to Ingo Schweder, Managing Director of GOCO Hospitality, it’s better to precisely target the expectations of a specific clientele than to offer a multitude of non-essential services. For example, hairdressing salons, large yoga rooms or juice bars are sometimes under-utilized areas that could be redesigned or downsized to optimize other high-traffic areas, such as multi-purpose pools or balneotherapy areas.
In fact, the study reveals that in Accor urban hotels or resorts, only 5 to 7% of customers use the spa, compared with 25 to 30% for fitness areas. This finding prompts us to rethink the very design of these facilities to better meet the real expectations of today’s travelers.
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