Spa treatments are a hot activity on incentive trips. In my experience, both men and women enjoy time at the spa. Spa treatments can also be one of the trickier parts of the program for incentive planners to manage – particularly if you have a large group. Too many times, appointments go unused, travel staff scrambles and money is wasted.
Here is a list of negotiation tips, and tips in general for spa success:
- It is important to keep track of spa appointments closely. I have found that meeting with the spa manager nightly and reconciling the day’s appointments with the spa appointment software is key.
- So that the spa will know which appointments are in your spa block, have your guests include the name of the company when they sign the check. This will prevent you from getting charged for extra spa appointments.
- Upon arrival on the trip, consider having your guests sign the spa waiver when they receive their welcome packets.
- When guests sign up for spa, be sure to ask about preferences – i.e., male or female therapists so that the spa can plan ahead.
- Remind guests of the spa gratuities policy. Are gratuities included? Will the client be covering extra gratuities if they choose to add them on?
- Keep a spa menu at the hospitality desk in case your guests want to make an appointment.
- Send spa confirmation cards to guests’ rooms the day before their appointment to avoid missed sessions or to make changes if needed.
- If you are working with a large group, extending spa hours or calling in therapists may be necessary depending on demand. Having a good working relationship with the spa manager is key to maintaining happy guests and a clean final bill.
- When planning, it’s a great idea to negotiate a cancellation policy that will work with your particular group. Being able to switch names is key, as people will forget their appointments or will want to switch times.
- Negotiating a lenient cancellation policy (4 hours instead of 2 days) is also beneficial to the bottom line, especially for large groups.
- When cancellations do occur on a program, offer them to VIPs or an unhappy guest to grow your relationships. Be sure to get the VIPs’ cell phone numbers to contact them if time is tight.
