taylor crist valavicius
Reméde Spa Manager
The St. Regis Aspen Resort
ASPEn, coLoRAdo
Humor. It’s a simple concept, but one
that can be lost in our day-to-day inter-
actions with people. Taylor Crist
Valavicius, Remède Spa
manager at The St.
Regis Aspen
Resort in Aspen,
Colorado,
believes making
a customer
smile can make
that customer’s
day. “Personally, I try to
make every customer I interact with
selling retail can be an
extension of excellent
customer service when
approached the right way.
laugh or smile,” she notes. “Humor is
such a wonderful way to bond with
other people and it allows for a truly
human interaction.”
To Valavicius, customer service is key
because a spa’s main focus is escape
and relaxation. She makes sure her team
knows it is their job to think for their
clients, The clients are there to
disconnect, not overthink.
“When doing their intake waiver, I
always tell the client the date,” she tells
us. “People are pleasantly surprised by
this gesture. Some people feel like I read
their mind, but I always tell them that
when one is on vacation, there is no
need to know today’s date.” She tells her
staff to help the guest forget about time
and schedules saying, “they are on spa
time.”
Valavicius also believes individual-
ization takes customer service to a new
level. A couple new to the area looking
for things to do gets a personalized note
at checkout with suggestions on hiking
trails or great restaurants in town. A
client who noted how much she loved
her complimentary tea upon arrival gets
a free tea bag to take back to her room.
Valavicius has even gone out of her way
to take individualization beyond the spa.
“I received a call from a wedding
planner who was feeling overwhelmed.
Her bride had to be down-lifted from her
mountain top rehearsal dinner because
she was suffering from altitude
sickness,” Valavicius recalls. “The
planner was beside herself, she felt like
she had tried everything, but no
success. I could feel the distress in the
planner’s voice, she wanted so desper-
ately for the bride to have the wedding
of her dreams. To ease everyone’s
anxiety, I offered to personally deliver an
oxygen machine to the bride’s hotel
room where I conducted a demon-
stration on how the machine worked.
After a 15-minute in-room oxygen
treatment, the stress of the situation was
relieved, and both the bride and the
planner were overly grateful. A little
extra care goes a long way.” n
tiP: Memorize the Plays
“Make the effort to remember the
guest’s name and use it throughout
your interactions. It is such a nice
feeling to be recognized and
welcomed. Plus, it shows an elevated
level of care and concern for the
guest experience. Also, don’t forget
to introduce yourself, this shows the
guest that you are personally
invested in their spa experience.”
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PULSE
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June 2018