member profile
FASTFACTS
With its owner’s personal
experience of the healing
powers of mineral waters,
Bonneville Hot Springs Resort
& Spa promotes the benefits
of hot springs by offering an
aquatic class called Arthritis
Relief Workout. Based after
the Arthritis Foundation
Aquatics Program, the class
is designed to help reduce
arthritis pain and is facilitated
by a certified arthritis
foundation instructor.
“Our signature treatment is an antiaging format called ‘The Optimizer,” she
says. The 80-minute, $145 facial infuses
the skin with collagen, elastin, wild rose
and hops to create anti-aging results.
The menu has evolved since the spa’s
inception, with only a couple of changes
made in the past three years. One new
addition is a hydrafacial system that
actually hydrates and exfoliates the skin
while minimizing fine lines and pigmentation.
“It’s more effective than microdermabrasion,” she claims. “And it doesn’t
[leave the skin] red. The results are very
subtle and definite.”
Products and Experience
Yon-Ka Paris products are favorites at
Bonneville. The botanically based
system utilizes revitalizing essential oils
that are charged with solar energy and
contain vitamins, trace elements, and
fruit acids. Kerstin Florian Spa products
are also offered.
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December 2011
Part of the Bonneville experience is
enjoying the abundance of lodging comforts, outdoor activities and dining at the
resort’s Pacific Crest Dining Room or
Cascade Lounge. Guest rooms have hot
springs Jacuzzis. There are also special
hot tub guest rooms—spas within the
spa—equipped with a large, outdoor
mineral spring-fed hot tub. However,
many people come just for the day, most
of them repeat customers.
Two jetted soaking pools, naturally
heated to 84 degrees, and an Olympicsize swimming pool are free for all
registered hotel spa guests. They are
filled with mineral water rich in sulfates
and other minerals that can help reduce
joint pain. The larger pool earned Fodor’s
Choice Gold 2010 Award as one of the
top 10 U.S. hotel pools.
Competitive Edge
Despite the lagging economy, Bonneville
has grown its customer base over the
last three years. Mathany attributes this
in large part to the choice location,
which is easily accessible to city-dwellers
looking for a nearby getaway.
“Because we cater to so many areas,
we kind of have an edge,” she says.
Additionally, she noted, the staff go out
of their way to spend plenty of time
with each guest.
“It’s hard to be a newbie with other
big-name resorts unless you’re doing
something really different. But at the same
time, th at’s one of our biggest assets. The
challenge is in finding added value
because customers want to get what they
paid for. So even if you are here just for
one special occasion, we treat you the
same as we do everyone else.”
Most of the staff have backgrounds
in the hospitality industry. But finding
qualified employees in the area has been
a challenge at times. There is a limited
pool in the small town of Bonneville, so
management has had to advertise
nationally. To further help in recruit(CONTINUED ON PAGE 16)