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t’s your revenue generator. It sets your standards for guest
experience and it represents your brand. your menu of services
is what guests review as they make their decisions about your
facility, your services, your quality and your value. The menu
needs to be easy to read, yet packed with pertinent infor-
mation. It needs to list the available spa services, pricing, pictures,
contact and booking information, amenities available, hours of
operations, awards and even staff expertise. The spa menu is the
lifeblood of your organization. It should be thoughtfully designed
and evaluated frequently.
ACCORDING TO ISPA MEMBERS, updating
a spa menu is a common occurrence. in fact, when
asked about their future plans, 2018 iSPa research
indicated that 60 percent of spas planned to add or
create new treatment offerings, 45 percent
indicated they would introduce new product lines
and 28 percent planned to create a new spa menu.
change is good. it’s just important to know what to
change. study 46 percent of spa bookings occur at the spa’s front
desk. using your computer reservations system to identify
what services you have available, create a simple walk-up
menu which lists your most readily available and popular
services. This helps reduce choice, allowing the guest to
make a quick decision and avoiding having to repeatedly
tell them “unfortunately, we’re booked for that service
today.” Too many no’s often results in a turn-away. if this
menu is electronic, it can be tailored daily to help
maximize your bookings.
Here are six tips to help you
optimize your menu of services: 2. PROMOTE VALUE NOT PRICE
1. SIMPLIFY THE CHOICES
it is easy to overcomplicate a menu and think more is
better. however, guests can easily suffer “decision
paralysis” when they are asked to select between
numerous services, especially between services that seem
similar. Too many service options complicate the
decision-making process and can ultimately cause a guest
to walkaway rather than decide. They become
overwhelmed with options and fear making the wrong
decision.
i’d recommend limiting the number of services per
category to about seven. Ensure there is enough differen-
tiation within the services to allow the consumer to
quickly understand the differences. Service names should
give the guest an indication of the service benefit, too.
having a good walk-up menu at the front desk is
important, too. according to an american Spa industry
according to iSPa’s 2018 research data, the average
amount a guest spends at a resort or hotel spa is about
$141 per visit and about $81 per visit at a day spa. This
number has continued to improve year-over-year. of
course, the optimist in me thinks that’s good news, but
the cynic in me worries a bit. Spa directors are contin-
ually competing for the consumer’s dollar.
for instance, i could spend $141, the average spend
per visit at a resort spa, in many ways. i could buy at
least a weeks’ worth of groceries at Trader Joe’s for two
people, about eight bottles of decent wine or even a new
pair of my favorite Blundstone boots. So, remember: to
attract your consumer and ensure they commit to
spending money at your spa, your menu of services must
convey a greater value than other spending options. The
benefit or value the guest receives from the spa visit must
be greater than the price.
To this end, your descriptions should identify
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