TRENDS
(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28)
in order to make a smart solution.
Sometimes, it’s all about new thinking to
an old thing, like the spa mobile cart.
According to Suite Spa co-founder Vickie
Bennett, the mobile cart—which
includes elements such as a facial
steamer, towel warmer, pedicure bowl,
attachable massage table and sound and
point-of-sale systems—allows spas to
provide its services in the guest’s hotel
room or spa, offering a highly personable experience without increasing their
overhead. “Guests love using their own
shower and being able to crawl into a
luxury bed for a nap when the treatment
ends,” Bennett says.
“It is essential that we stay ahead of
the curve with technology, from the way a
guest checks in to the thank-you note
automatically generated at the conclusion
of the service provided,” says Bennett.
Trend: Mobile Marketing
“Mobile devices are transforming the
way we engage with the world,” says
Frank Pitsikalis, founder and CEO of
ResortSuite. “Our expectation of what is
possible is changing every day. As spa
guests start to use apps that give them
instant, real-time access in other parts of
their lives, they will begin to expect it
from any business—including their
favorite spa.
Pitsikalis envisions guests to soon
expect the equivalent of a “mobile
concierge,” where they can check their
spa itinerary, explore services offered,
check availability and make reservations
on their cell phone. To capitalize on
this, ResortSuite has developed mobile
and social applications spas can use to
better connect with their guests.
ResortSuite Mobile enables spas to
create an application that provides consumers with information on the spa, its
amenities and services. Guests can use
the app to browse available service s and
preview their itineraries. In conjunction,
ResortSuite Social allows guests to book
their reservations directly from the spa’s
Facebook fan page.
“Once guests are used to quickly and
easily booking their reservation through
their mobile device when standing in
line at the bank, sitting by the pool or
even at their desk at work, they will be
much less inclined to call a spa and
spend time on the phone to book an
appointment,” Pitsikalis predicts. “In the
future, the spas that only offer phone
reservations will experience a decline in
business and guest engagement.”
As mobile marketing becomes more
sophisticated, it will also become more
personable, says Pitsikalis. “Mobile-marketing opportunities will be highly
relevant and timely and, therefore, more
engaging,” he says, predicting mobile
apps to soon have free built-in notification mechanisms that will no longer
require expensive text messaging. As he
explains, they will be location-aware, so
that although a customer may have
opted into something like a “spa lastminute club,” the spa-goer will not
receive a notification if he or she is away
from the local area. “Instead of ‘blasting’
to everyone in a spa’s database, guests
will be able to define their communication preferences much more granularly
and increase the probability that they
respond to something they are actually
interested in and not opt-out completely,” Pitsikalis continues.
“Personalization and customization will
be the expectation, and anything less
will increasingly be viewed as an annoyance.”
Thomas Roessler, managing director
of Austrian software vendor TAC
Informationstechnologie GmbH (The
Assistant Company) sees this consumer
expectation changing the spa’s focus,
especially when it comes to hospitality
technology, from traditional employeefacing solutions to customer-facing
solutions. “That means our development
team is spending much more time on
new additions to the Reservation
“Personalization and customization will be the
expectation, and anything less will increasingly
be viewed as an annoyance,” says ResortSuite
CEO Frank Pitsikalis who envisions a “mobile
concierge” where guests can check spa itinerary, services, availability and reserve spa
services—all using the mobile phone.
30 PULSE
n
June 2012