Hotels are so much more than just a clean and comfortable room to sleep in when you are away from home. It is all about the amenities like five star dining, a spacious pool and other amenities. Some hotels have added a spa to offer their guests a little more luxury during the stay, but hotel spas are not always as lucrative as you would expect.

It really depends on the type of clientele you typically get at your hotel. Often only a small percentage of guests can afford the extra money for a spa package so getting a constant daily traffic in and out of the spa can be challenging. Another issue for many hotels is that they tend to have bigger traffic on the weekends then during the week. Don’t worry though. With the right strategies and all employees on board, you can develop a thriving hotel spa business.

Here are some tips on how to create a successful spa for your hotel.

Take Advantage of Your Location

If your hotel is situated in a busy, urban area then extend your spa services to people off the street. People who live and work in the area may enjoy taking advantage of a membership to your spa or even a day pass. Consider also offering discount packages to employees of the hotel as well. All this extra traffic can help compensate for days when not many of the hotel guests are taking advantage of the spa. If you are in a more isolated area where you just have your customers and your employees in the vicinity, then consider opening up spa services to employees when they are not on duty.

Build Strong Relationships between Departments

If your spa is isolated from the other parts of the hotel, it could negatively affect the flow of customers. In order to ensure that each department in your hotel is thriving, make sure that everybody is aware of what each other does and that they promote the different services to the customers they interact with. Offer certain times for employees to come in and try out the spa so they have personal experience with what they are promoting.

Developing cross-promotions across departments will also help bring in more customers. Often times guests might not be aware that there are affordable spa packages they can indulge in.

Incorporate the Spa into Your Hotel Loyalty Program

Make sure that your hotel spa is a part of your hotel loyalty program. This way you can offer regular hotel customers special rewards like a discounted massage. Also, if certain repeat hotel visitors are also repeat spa customers, you can also reward them for that too. Integrating the spa into the hotel loyalty program also means your spa management team has better access to guest data which will help create more specific marketing strategies to draw more guests in.

Make Your Spa Kid-Friendly

Most hotel guests are traveling as a family so they will be more likely to indulge in a spa treatment if there are kid-friendly activities or services as well. Have someone on staff who can give kid manicures or massages and create a space inside the spa where kids can hang out and do quiet activities while mom or dad give themselves a little treat.

Don’t Underestimate Weekday Business

Because in general, less than 20% of daily guests visit the hotel spa, many hotel spa managers focus on the weekend as the big money maker, but when you do that, you miss out on a lucrative opportunity. Instead of just hoping that Saturday and Sunday will bring in enough to make up for slower business during the week, develop marketing strategies that will bring in new spa customers that will be staying at the hotel during the week.

Here are some strategies that can help you drum up more business during the week:

• Just like you may offer discounted rooms during the slower weekday period, try also offering discounted spa pricing also. Spavers love to book midweek vacations because of the cheaper prices and they would love to snag a luxury service like a spa for half its normal pricing.
• Don’t just inform the guests about your spa services at check-in. Make sure there are posters and flyers in common guest areas and ask all employees to talk the spa services up to the guests they interact with so everyone knows about the spa specials.
• On particularly slow days, have spa managers walk the hotel to offer one-time specials to guests. This could mean an extra-long massage for the same price as a shorter one. Offer them a package they can’t refuse so they may stay at the hotel a little longer to enjoy the spa services. Give your staff the freedom to break the rules a little in these situations.
• Extend your hours to capture guests you normally wouldn’t see. Especially during the week, hotel guests may be getting up early and running all day, especially if it is a work trip so they may appreciate really early or late hours. Get to know the wants and needs of your hotel guests as best as you can so you can cater to them.
• Offer commission to all hotel employees for referrals. Provide employees with spa service promo cards that they can sign and date when they give it to a guest. That way you can keep track of who referred the guest to the spa and compensate them for it in some way, whether a 10-15% commission or a free spa package of their own.

All in all, being creative and a go-getter is the name of the game. Use guest data to develop marketing strategies that will work and don’t be afraid to walk the floors of the hotel to get guests excited about the spa services you offer to open early or close late if the demand is there.Want to learn more about how to create a successful spa for your hotel. Contact MBB Management to schedule a consultation today.