Urban Escapism
Chic new spas broaden the markets for city center hotels in Barcelona and Hong Kong.
By Mary Scoviak, Features Editor -- Hotels, 7/31/2005 11:00:00 PM
 Chromo therapy lights balance energy and boost the design impact of the treatment rooms at the new Spa by Six Senses at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts.  Warm wood paneling and sleek lines marry Asian serenity with Western chic to play up the escapist appeal of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts’ Six Senses spa.  White, black and sleek all over, the rooms and suites on the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Plateau spa floor play up a residential feel with contemporary furnishings, angular glass walls and the shine of metal and mirrors.  Soothing colors and poolside views reinforce the resort mood in Plateau’s restaurants.  Treatment rooms should stimulate all of the senses. Plateau delivers a sensual experience with its mix of geometric lines, soothing aromas and relaxing views of the lush landscaping.  Designer John Morford uses custom-made futons and signature art accents to give personality to the Plateau floor’s guestrooms and suites. They also make it practical. Futons can be moved so that special tables can be brought in for in-room treatments. |
Urban hotel spas are the new arenas of cool. Taking a cue from the success of design-driven hotel restaurants and bars, city spas are breaking fresh aesthetic ground with bold colors, contrasting textures and inventive lighting. “The days of the dark, isolated urban spa are over,” says Janet M. Fernandez, spa director for the 6-month-old Six Senses spa at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts, Barcelona.
Double Your Selling Power
To maximize the market reach and profit potential of the spa, treat it like a freestanding business. “The spa has to have a unique identity of its own,” says Niamh O’Connell, spa director of Plateau, the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s self-contained, US$10 million “super floor” spa resort. Few hotels can duplicate Plateau’s 80,000 sq. ft. (7,432 sq. m) destination within a destination concept, complete with its own lobby, restaurants, 14 elite guestrooms and suites sheltered from the urban jungle by more than 1,000 trees, gardens, pools and a waterfall. But they can take away the ideas that are bringing in more than 1,500 bookings a month: a modern open look achieved with light woods, chrome, granite and white furnishings. The spa also has an unexpected art program—Plateau’s commissioned black and white images by French photographer Vera Mercer—and the operator achieves seamless integration of every element from the weave of the terry towels and linens to the sleek china, silver and staff uniforms chosen specifically for Plateau.
Inclusion of guestrooms and suites as part of this urban resort floor drives revenue potential faster than adding “just another executive floor.” Interior designer John Morford, Morford & Co., Hong Kong, makes each room a private spa. Custom-made futon beds can be moved aside and replaced with massage tables. The floors are cool, polished granite; the bathtub is forgotten in favor of a chin-deep soaking tub. A realist, Morford includes a low-level workstation, but hides away high-tech intrusions in the wooden base of the unit.
Plateau’s success is opening up further opportunities within Hyatt. “Are there plans to duplicate this at oth
er Hyatts? Conceptually, yes; in terms of its aesthetic, no. The goal is to be entrepreneurial rather than cookie cutter.
All of our spas are zero-based,” says Gordon Tareta, Hyatt International’s director of spa operations.
Market The Experience
Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts’ Six Senses spa covers just 9,688 sq. ft. (900 sq. m) but there is nothing small about the impact. What pumps up the business volume is the immediate break from the hotel experience: from the vibrational music and the aromas to the sophisticated colors and sleek furnishings. “The essential oils, the music, the sofa in the reception area—they are all cues to relax, unwind and take a deep breath,” Fernandez says.
Natural design elements blend with technology to forge a city-center edge. GCA Arquitectes Associats, Barcelona, created a water wall that delivers visual impact and soothing sounds of tranquility. Chromo therapy lighting in every treatment room not only balances energy but also intensifies the residentially contemporary design. This is a different world suffused with color and candlelight. “Urban spas have to work harder to create a sense of tranquility. Your guests are in the city; they still may be conducting business. Through attention to design, detail and service, you have to put them in a ‘spa’ frame of mind,” says Fernandez, whose target is 10% capture by the end of the first year of operation.
| Study In Design |
| What makes a spa marketable? |
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Sensuality.That means touching all the senses with music, lighting (including candles or colored lights) interesting textures and, of course, scent. “Aromatherapy is here to stay. It is hard to imagine anything replacing it,” says Janet Fernandez, Six Senses spa, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts. Residential appeal. The spa lobby should not look like a shop. Make displays discreet and turn the focus to plush residential seating, lower lighting levels and a polished color palette. Forget anything “industrial/commercial,” advises Gordon Tareta, Hyatt International’s director of spa operations. Full menu. Do not give the guest any excuse to leave. “Everything should be close at hand,” Tareta says. That means treatments, products, services and food—even some good books for between-session relaxation. Thoughtful details. Rooms with a view have more sales power. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Arts located its spa on the 43rd floor to take advantage of ocean views. Multifunctional design opens up added opportunities for working with small groups. |
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