Leisure Management - Amenities part 1

Products focus

From Spa Business 2012 issue 4

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Amenities part 1

Having spa branded amenities in hotel bedrooms can increase spa enquiries by 83 per cent. We find out more

Kate Corney, The Leisure Media Company

Having spa branded amenities in hotel bedrooms can increase spa enquiries Yuri Arcurs/shutterstock.com

Providing branded amenities has become a popular service offered by many high-end hotels and various travel businesses. While this could reflect a growing expectation among guests for branded products, how does the business actually impact spa brands, and the hotels themselves? A trial conducted by spa brand Sundari showed that enquiries at a Florida hotel spa rose by 83 per cent when its amenities were added to guest bedrooms.

Matching the right brands is key in creating a win-win business partnership, so what are spa brands looking for from potential hospitality partners and vice versa? Ideally the brands should work perfectly together to, ultimately, sell the idea of a spa treatment, first at the hotel reception and then again in the bedroom before the guest happily saunters to the spa. We review some of the offerings in our two-part amenities special.

VOYA

The range: Voya offers hair, skin and bodycare products for hotel bedrooms, public areas and changing rooms at various price points. It also has accessories such as teas, candles, vanity products and shower caps, which can be branded and supplied accordingly. Most Voya amenities contain the same formulations as its retail products with less active content when price is an issue.

Clients: The Burj Al Arab Dubai, The Martinhal in Portugal and The Chateau in Malaysia (see SB12/3 p36).

Requirements: Voya requires a treatment offering and commitment to stock its retail line from partners.

Why amenities? Amenities alone generate little profit, but Voya regards the business as marketing tool, enabling customers to sample its products in the bedrooms and creating treatment and retail sale opportunities.

Effectivity: A client hotel switched to Voya amenities after using a lower cost option, and found that the profit from Voya retail sales covered the entire costs of the bedroom amenities for the hotel.

Plans for expansion? Voya is updating its packaging and formulation to be even more eco-friendly and high-end.

SPA-KIT.NET KEYWORD: voya

CLARINS

The range: The line includes shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body milk, body exfoliator, small bottles of Eau Dynamisante, cream bar soaps and glycerine bar soap, in Clarins branding and spa formula. A non-branded matching accessory range (shower caps and vanity kits) by Groupe GM, Clarins’ amenity supplier (see below) also available. The amenities are offered in hotel rooms and in public areas, pool, health club and spa and public bathrooms.

Clients: Hotel Royal Monceau, Paris (see SB11/3 p64); Gran Melia hotels; Breitner House, Amsterdam; and Hotel Russel London. Clarins also supplies cruise companies and luxury clinics.

Requirements: Hotels need to have a five-star rating or a Clarins Spa. Some four-star hotels with an exceptional location as well as an excellent image may be eligible.

Why amenities? Clarins launched its amenities range in 2008 to accompany its growing spa development in hotels.

Effectivity: Clarins amenities are not a revenue generator but are used to develop brand awareness and to enhance the Clarins image.

SPA-KIT.NET KEYWORD: Clarins

ELEMENTAL HERBOLOGY

The range: Shampoo, conditioner, bath and shower gel, body lotion, hand soap, facial moisturiser, facial spray, hand cream, lip balm, refreshing towel, hand wash and eye cream amenities are offered by Elemental Herbology. The products are placed in bedrooms, spas, health clubs, pool areas and changing rooms. Formulations and packaging are the same as its professional line.

Clients: Mira Hotel, Hong Kong; Kempinski Spas; The Greenwich, New York (see SB11/1 p44); Desroches Island Resort, the Seychelles; and The Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas.

Requirements: Elemental Herbology looks for a brand match based on hotel look, feel and positioning, rather than room count.

Why amenities? Elemental Herbology launched its amenities this year as a business opportunity to generate awareness for its spa business and brand.

Plans for expansion? The plan to offer ranges of retail skincare kits as VIP amenities packages. Airline and cruise liners are a key future target.

Spa-kit.net keyword: Elemental

GROUPE GM

The range: Shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, hair and body gel, bar soaps and dispensers are included in Groupe GM’s organic certified amenities that come with matching accessories. The products are offered in hotel bedrooms, public areas, restaurant bathrooms, spa and gym bathrooms and changing rooms and cruise ship cabin bedrooms.

Clients: Groupe GM supplies independent and boutique hotels as well as large international chains worldwide. It also supplies cruise ship companies, airlines and luxury clinics.

Why amenities? Groupe GM began creating and selling guest amenities in 1975. As well as its own range of amenities, it also supplies 11 spa branded ranges.

SPA-KIT.NET KEYWORD: Groupe GM

CINQ MONDES

The range: Cinq Mondes amenity items include shampoo, conditioner, soap, body balm, moisturiser, facial cream, hand cream, facial spray, lip balm and refreshing towel sachets. There’s also a vanity box to store unbranded accessory items including sewing kit, shower cap and shoe mitt. These are supplied in public areas, hotel spas, health clubs, changing rooms and pool areas.

Clients: Beau-Rivage Palace, Switzerland; Monte Carlo Bay Hotel; Kempinski Dubai; Le Méridien Hotels globally; and Club Med’s 5 Trident luxury hotels.

Requirements: Partners are picked according to look, feel and positioning.

Why amenities? Cinq Mondes launched amenities hotels in 2007, and for airlines earlier this year. It did so to have a strong brand exposure and to supply guests with a well-know cosmetic brand instead of a generic product and to create more traffic to the spa.

Effectivity: Anecdotal evidence of guests carrying a Cinq Mondes amenity into the spa suggests a strengthened connection with hotel bedrooms.

Plans for expansion? Cinq Mondes is developing a dispenser range.

Spa-kit.net keywords: Cinq Mondes

ELEMIS

The range: Revitalise Me shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and skin nourishing soap which match the spa formulation. The range is supplied to hotel bedrooms and vanity areas in large dispensers. The products are manufactured by amenity specialist Pacific Direct.

Client: Center Parcs, UK; the Colony Club in Barbados, Holland and America; and the exclusive Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club. It also supplies amenities to 1,200 spas and salons globally and hotel, airline and cruise ships (its parent company is cruise line operator Steiner Leisure).

Why amenities? Elemis launched its amenities in 2004 to create a link between the spa and retail and assist sales by placing the brand into the hands of as many people as possible.

Effectivity: Guests who visit the spa sometimes mention the amenities they’ve sampled in-room, indicating increased awareness of the brand.

Plans for expansion? A brand refresh is underway on all Elemis amenities to mirror the Elemis’ Spa@home bodycare range launched in 2011.

Spa-kit.net keyword: Elemis

SUNDARI

The range: Sundari’s amenities comprise shower gels, shampoos, conditioners, tubes of body lotion and hair and body gel, bar soaps, Ecopump bottles and matching presentation trays, plus unbranded matching accessories if required. The products use the same fragrance, and ingredients as its main skincare line. The packaging uses motifs from its spa products.

Clients: Seaham Hall, UK; Villa Kerasy, France; Park Central, Miami; Chikusenso, Japan; and Sweet Atlantic Hotel & Spa in Portugal.

Requirements: A minimum star qualification for hotels varying from country to country.

Why amenities? Sundari amenities were launched in 2011 to offer a complete brand experience for hotel guests and to increase the interaction points with the brand to raise the chances of more business at the spa.

Effectivity: A trial at a Florida resort showed in-room amenity brand interaction increased enquiries at its spa by 83 per cent, lending support to the idea of amenities business benefits.

Spa-kit.net keyword: Sundari

Originally published in Spa Business 2012 issue 4