Spa Pre-opening

Opulence by Pure Medical
Spa Pre-opening

The first step on the road to success for a brand-new or renovated spa is its opening. To guarantee a remarkable visitor experience, every element must be carefully chosen, painstakingly planned, and flawlessly carried out. By leveraging the value of experience to create a successful spa opening with long-lasting effects, Opulence by Pure Medical’s pre-opening services assists the hotel and spa team.

Using its pre-opening assistance programme, Opulence by Pure Medical:

Creates a thorough critical path that schedules every requirement
Sets a manning guide and annual operations budget
Encourages the development of job descriptions and executive hiring
Details the marketing strategy
Designs an innovative service menu
Determines plans for retail selection and merchandising
Creates training manuals and SOPs for properties only
Analyses IT systems
Provides training and support on-site as opening approaches
Rigorous, hands-on leadership development mentorship

Worldwide Operations Experience

We are knowledgeable about the challenges associated with opening a spa. We have first-hand experience because we operate single, and multi-site operations, including medical spas, urban, resort, and wellness destination spas. With our pre-opening services, we adopt a flexible approach by assembling the best talent for your company at the ideal moment. By doing this, we make sure we deliver your project’s unique requirements.

We mould the spa operation’s workforce and standards in close cooperation with the hotel, expertly preparing it to satisfy the most exacting clientele.

Frequently asked questions

What attributes to a successful pre-opening?

The planning process can never be too in-depth. Unfortunately, a lot of spas are opened without any planning or foresight. When compared to the time and effort put into the concept and design phases, it might take months or even years to recover from a bad launch.

What method does Opulence by Pure Medical employ?

A timeline with a description of the deliverable and the execution date should be included for each pre-opening task. The opening should be guided by a pre-opening timeline, but this is frequently never done, leaving the attempt to open and market the spa without direction and concentration.

Without a roadmap, there is a chance that the project would veer off course, which is something that can be easily avoided. More than anything else, the spa pre-opening planning has the potential to make or break a successful launch and, to some extent, the facility’s long-term financial viability.

Who should be responsible for pre-opening – the Consultant or Spa Director?

It might be appropriate in some situations to conduct every pre-opening task internally. But the pre-opening stage will significantly affect the spa’s financial performance and success, thus it deserves the respect of a reasonable budget.

The jobs’ sheer size and the variety of skill sets and experience required to complete them are the main hurdles.

Opulence by Pure Medical adopts a collaborative strategy, concentrating a group of seasoned operational professionals on the many items on a carefully compiled, exhaustive task list.

What ultimately makes or breaks a spa?

Service quality is the most crucial element in determining operational and financial success. If your spa consistently provides this, your income and bottom line will significantly improve.

However, there could be a lapse in service at any time, from when a reservation is made over the phone to the initial encounter at the front desk, to the calibre of the service, to the locker rooms, and ultimately, until the moment the guest leaves.

It’s crucial that guests have a satisfying and lasting experience. Nothing has a more detrimental effect on a spa’s bottom line than uneven or subpar experience delivery at any point of contact.

How should spa employees be trained?

Training for therapists, aestheticians and nail technicians should be completed well before the spa opens for business.

Another group that needs training includes receptionists, retail sales staff, reservationists and maintenance workers. Too often, attention is not given to these people, despite the fact that they are frequently the first people a guest or member interacts with. When a receptionist welcomes them at the front desk or over the phone, they leave a lasting impression on the customer. The spa director or owner can provide this training, but it’s crucial that every member of the team knows what is expected of them and how to do it well.

Where should spas look for employees?

One of the biggest issues facing spa operators is finding and hiring qualified staff. The most reliable sources are relationships or recommendations within the sector. Contacting institutions that offer certification programmes for these occupations is another excellent option. Your chances of finding qualified candidates for executive and non-executive positions increase as your network grows.

It’s frequently required to import competent people from elsewhere for spas that are situated in areas where there aren’t many qualified staff members.

How do you retain staff?

Equally difficult is retaining employees, and this depends on their compensation package, as well as how much training and assistance they receive. Consistent support, effective communication, resources, and growth opportunities all contribute to employee retention. Retaining employees also benefit from positively influencing their career pathways.

What should spas consider while hiring new employees?

Experience in the sector and other qualities like communication skills, customer service experience, organisational experience, leadership qualities, personality, and work ethic are the best qualities to look for. Try to concentrate on the interviewee’s personality traits and professional background.

What kind of marketing and advertising is required before the grand opening?

For spas to generate income from both within and outside the hotel or resort, a solid marketing strategy must be put into action. If the spa doesn’t successfully market itself to both of these possible customers, it won’t be able to generate the income and profit it needs to succeed. Traditional methods for attracting local community traffic that is not one of the hotel guests include advertising, emails, and direct mail.

The majority of spas tend to underestimate the benefits of developing a partnership with a local or regional PR firm. Although many spas do not include public relations as part of their operating budget, businesses should not underestimate the value of publicity and articles written about them. A good approach to make sure your spa is headed in the correct direction is to have it “shopped” by an outside organisation or to conduct a periodic operational audit of the facility.

Open house events for locals and business owners can also be quite successful.

How should the spa be advertised on-site?

It is crucial to advertise the spa to visitors inside the building using in-room amenities like menus and TV exposure, as well as at the front desk check-in area, elevators, concierge desk, and other prominent locations. This can be communicated by way of subtler means or by signage.

There may also be promotions that are intended to be included in the check-in package for hotel or resort guests.

Additionally, the positioning of retail goods and ancillary services around the site needs regular care.

The best potential for consistent financial and operational success is provided by a spa that is really integrated into the building. In order to provide seamless integration between the facility and the property, the spa director should receive training in the hotel’s culture. The spa director must forge strong ties and open lines of communication with the hotel or resort’s sales and marketing division.

How much time should pre-opening typically last?

The size, complexity, and location of the facility, as well as the spa director’s and staff’s organisational abilities, all play a role in this. Numerous tasks that need to be attended to, planned for, and carried out are typically included on the timeline for opening a spa. Frequently, the owner or developer underestimates the difficulty and length of time needed to successfully launch a spa.

The pre-opening period will often be longer for spas that are bigger and more complex. While bigger facilities (over 1,000 sq m) take between eight and twelve months to open, the director is required on-site six to twelve months before opening, smaller or modestly-sized spas (300-800 sq m) often need a programme that runs between six and nine months in advance. Spas in farther-flung locations frequently take longer to open.

There may also be promotions that are intended to be included in the check-in package for hotel or resort guests.

Additionally, the positioning of retail goods and ancillary services around the site needs regular care.