SPECIAL REPORT
CONNECTING TO THE GUESTS
It ’ s no wonder that destination spas can charge up to US $ 2,000 a night . They employ a staff of specialists trained in physiology , medicine and nutrition , yoga and massage . Some bring in highly paid doctors or fitness experts for particular programs , but for all of them , the relationship with guests is more intimate compared to a traditional hotel or resort .
Jim Root , general manager at Sedona , Arizona-based Mii Amo , looks for people who are empathetic and good listeners .
Back of the house workers such as engineers , housekeepers , cooks and locker room attendants are trained in the ethos of the resort and are briefed on guests before they arrive . The staffing “ triangle ,” Root says , incudes therapists and other providers along with front and back of house . “ They all are connected to the story of our guests ,” he says .
For Rocco Bova , general manager at Chablé Resort & Spa in Mexico ’ s Yucatan peninsula , the most difficult staffing challenge is finding managers who can adapt to the local culture . “ There ’ s a lot of coaching involved ,” he says .
For the line staff , Bova looks for warmth and a smile . “ You can tell from the moment they walk in , from their body language , their face , their smile ,” he says . “ We don ’ t have the fastest waiters , but they are genuine .”
“ SOMETIMES IT ’ S NOT ABOUT SEARCHING BUT ACCEPTING WHERE YOU ALREADY ARE AT … WHEN WE TAKE PEOPLE THROUGH THIS , MORE OFTEN THAN NOT , YOU CAN SEE THE LIGHT BULB GO OFF .”
JIM ROOT , MII AMO
PERSONAL JOURNEYS Smaller , high-end resort properties are dipping into the transformation business , says Arizona wellness consultant Amy McDonald . One resort she has worked with , in St . Bart ’ s ( which is preparing to reopen following hurricane damage ), may bring in a happiness coach or fitness celebrity for a weekend and advertise it . The hotel ’ s message : “ Join us as our guest anytime but if you want to do yoga and wine , or yoga and happiness , these are the dates we ’ re offering a special experience with celebrity X ,” McDonald says .
Can travelers book a destination spa trip with the assurance that they ’ ll achieve transformation ? Or is transformation an unexpected but happy byproduct of a spa visit ? At the Mii Amo spa in Sedona , Arizona , “ we never use the word transformation because that implies that ‘ something is going to happen , all I have to do is show up ,’” says General Manager Jim Root .
Complaints by arriving guests of poor sleep , stress or weight gain usually are symptoms of deeper ills , he says . For that reason the resort doesn ’ t slot people into programs but co-creates a personal “ journey .” He adds : “ If you don ’ t connect on the journey , you ’ ll never get to transformation .”
Some resorts venture into the clinical
22 hotelsmag . com October 2019