Place of Spa Resorts in Hospitality Business - Research Paper Example

Hospitality Spa and Resort Contents Contents 2 Introduction 3 Aim of the study 3 Background 3 Methodology 4 Findings and analysis 4 Customer satisfaction 4 Marketing services 5 Service delivery 6 Cutting costs of unnecessary services 6 Offer specialised services 7 Offer diverse services but meet specific customer needs 7 Conclusion 7 Reference list: 9 Introduction The number of spas has increased around the world in the recent years, with so many people looking for ways to move away from the busy urban life and go to a place where the buzz of the city is forgotten (DAngelo, 2009). The spa business has boomed and many establishments have popped up in the name of offering spa services. The problems is the fact that there are many types of spas and many businesses that offer these services are not even aware of what differentiates these services (Boone & Kurtz, 2011). Yet, there are no clear definitions of any of these types of spa and the customers who visit these spas always have their own unique conception of a spa. This is very important because the spa industry is becoming a multibillion industry in China (Yuann & Inch, 2008). Aim of the study This study aims at looking at the definition of the resort spa services and how these services can be delivered. This is study intends to have a clear definition of the resort spa in order to provide the parameters of resort spa which can be used by providers of these services in a competent way. The need for doing this is the fact that the modern spa industry does not have a good definition of the different spa services thus making it harder for most if these businesses to provide specialised services. Due to the ambiguity of the various spa services, most of the hospitality businesses which offer these services are therefore forced to offer a mixture of these services without regard to the consumers who may be looking for specific spa services. Background Not only are the lay people not clear about the definition of the various types of spas, but even in some cases the professionals who run these spas may not be completely and competently aware of the definitions of the various types of spas. One type of spa that has not received the right definition is the resort spa. While is it not easy to give the definition of a resort spa in a single sentence, it is possible to give the parameters which define the report spa. These parameters are defined in regard to the sort of services the spa offers, the kind of clientele it targets and the area it serves. For this reason, it is necessary to have a good definition for the resort spa. Methodology Due to the nature of the topic, the methodology which was used to get the information was basically gained through a review of literature. The concept of spa is a relatively new one and getting statistical data about is difficult (Capellini, 2012). Apart from that this participate research was dealing with a topic that did not require statistics data. The aim was to get the link between the definition of spa services to marketing processes and customer satisfaction. A close look on the available literature revealed that there is close link between the two, that is, the definition of resort spa and the customer satisfaction. The research also used literature review to identify the various definitions of resort spa as means of looking at the ways in which different people advertise these services. Findings and analysis The study revealed a number of issues with regard to the definition of resort spa. These issues regard the marketing processes, customer service and service delivery. There are some advantages which have been identified regarding having a clear definition of resort spa. These advantages range from the panoramic ones, which influence the industry as a whole, to the specific one which affects the specific businesses. Customer satisfaction China is a market which has a very huge potential in regard to the spa industry (Castillo & Canizares, 2005).One of the main issues which resort spas face is customer dissatisfaction after the customers have visited the spas and failed to have their expectations met (Schmitt, 2010). Most of the reasons why the customers are dissatisfied are because they did not get the services they were expecting in the spas. For instance, most customers go to the resort spa expecting something different and this means that if they don’t get these services, they will be dissatisfied. According to Morgan and Lugosi (2010) satisfaction and dissatisfaction in the hospitality industry is driven mostly by the difference between the customer expectations and the ability of the hotel to be able to meet these expectations. This indicates that there is indispensable need for spa to harmonise the definition of the services they give in order to make sure that the customers are able to know what to expect. This will reduce the rates of customer dissatisfaction and will increase the prosperity of the resort spa business. According to OFallon and Rutherford (2010), a typical resort spa has about fifteeen to twenty treatment rooms. Having a clear definition of the spa will be useful in helping to give the right services to the customers. Resort spas are usually those which attract customers from within the local community, and these customers are looking for a spa experience for only one or two days (Mill, 2012). Unlike destinations spas which offer an opportunity for the people visiting to develop healthy living (Brown, 2013), resort spas offer a holiday experience without requiring the visitors to engage in dieting, training (such as cooking lessons etc) ((Brown, 2013). Customers who visit a resort spa are those customers who are looking for a night or two of out-of-home experience. These customers are free to eat anything in the spa and are not looking for health services (DAngelo, 2009). Because of this, such customers who visit the resort spas are less likely to enjoy the health-oriented services offered by the destination spas. In this regard, it is necessary for the managers to understand exactly what kind of spa they are running in order to k now the kind of spa services they will offer to the visitors. This will help in ensuring that the consumers are enlightened of the services they will get, and thus avoid unnecessary customer disappointment (Uhrig, 2008). Marketing services According to Brown (2013), one of the biggest mistakes that most Spa managers do is advertising the wrong spa services which lead to the customers being misled. In a Chinese market environment, this can be a challenge especially considering that most Chinese people are very specific with regard to what they want (Bodeker & Marc, 2009). For instance, as she says, mot resort spas today are advertising their businesses as destination spas became the terms destinations spa is the most searched in the internet. In this regard, most managers who manage resort spas end up advertising their services as destination spas and this can lead to a misunderstanding by the customers (Bowie & Buttle, 2012). When the customers arrive at the resort spa expecting to receive the services expected to be available in a destination spa, they are likely to be dissatisfied and this may lead to a big issue. According to Smith (2007), the success of marketing a spa is good communication and making sure that the customers understand the kind of services they are likely to get once they get to the spa. In this regard, giving a spa the wrong name such as calling a destination spa a resort spa just to attract the customers is a false move and can lead to the customers being unsatisfied. Having the right definition of the spa and the kind of hospitality services it offers is therefore a very important part of marketing the same services. According to Foss and Stone (2001), it is never a wise thing to deceive the customers and in this case, the management of the hospitality industry must be honest with their customers. The other issue which comes with the definition of a spa is the fact that it helps the spa facility in terms of planning the services of the spa. As already discussed, there are various types of spas and it is necessary for each kind of spa to know which services it is offering. In cases where one facility is offering various types of spa services, a good definition will help in classifying these series and help in making sure that the customer can choose the exact spa services they require. Service delivery Having a proper definition of the spa business is useful in guaranteeing service delivery. Like any other business, businesses in the hospitality industry need to deliver the best quality to the customers (Bodeker & Cohen, 2012). According to Griffiths and Toms (2008) one of the most important issues in business strategy is being able to be able to define the services that the business offers. In this regard, there is always a need for a spa business to define its business in a clear way. In the spa business, the fact that there are a variety of very different services has led to the need to have clear definitions in order to help spa services to deliver in a clear way and to help in making sure that the customers are well guided and can choose the specific services they need. In the Chinese spa industry, customers come looking for different spa services and many businesses are looking forward to having well defined services. In light of this, it is indispensable to have very clear service packages in order to help the customers to choose the services they need and the ones they are willing to pay for (China Economic Review, 2005). Cutting costs of unnecessary services Having the right definition of the resort spa can help in specialising in giving the specific services to customers. By specialising, it becomes possible for the spa to be able to offer specific services and this helps them to be able to offer best services. Resort spas which have no clear definition of the services they offer end up offering a collection of service which may not be related to each other. This can be seen in cases where destination spas end up giving resort spa services to their clients. At the same time, there are some resort spas which offer destination spa services to its customers and this creates not only confusion but leads to more cists. When a spa business in able to define its services it is able to achieve one of the following; Offer specialised services Once the business is able to define the spa services, it is able to decide which specific spa services it wants to offer the customers depending on the competencies of the business and the resources it has (Williams, 2006). If for instance, the business realizes that it has the resources to offer a resort spa and not destination spa, it can specialise with this and this will help in service delivery. At the same time, if the business realizes that it only has the resources to deliver resort spa services and not destination spa services, it can specialise in the resort spa and help in delivering best service to the customer. Offer diverse services but meet specific customer needs In case that after the definition of the spa services the business realises that it has both the resources as well as the competencies to deliver all sorts of spa services, it will be easier for the business to package its services rather than offering a buffet of spa services. Packaging will help in a number of ways such as being able to give specific services to the customer and at the same time satisfy the various types of customer (Bodeker & Cohen, 2012). If a spa hotel decides to offer the different types of spa services, it is better for the business to find ways in which the services will be executed to the various kinds of customers who are looking for different spa experiences. In this regard, it is beneficial for such a business to be able to have clear understanding of the spa services and know how to package them in order to help in increasing the quality and standard of service delivery. As it has already been identified, most dissatisfaction by many spa customers is caused by the fact that the customer was not given the type of spa services they were looking for. For example, if a customer is looking for a resort spa services and ends up getting destination spa services, they will definitely be disappointed and dissatisfied. Conclusion It is clear that there is a problem of definition of the spa services. The issue is that this is a relatively new area which has not been explored completely and many businesses offering these services have not completely consolidated the spa business. There is also a lot of myth going around the spa business especially with many people believing in the healing power of spa services (DAngelo, 2009). This has led to confusion in the industry and many businesses that offer spa services need up mixing different spa services. Having a good definition of what the different spa services include is necessary in order to help in customer service delivery. Like in any other hospitality services, there are different products within the spa services and it is necessary to package these services in order to help the customers to choose the specific services they want. Spa businesses must to look at the ways in which they will define and deliver the various spa services in order to meet specific customer needs. Reference list: Bodeker, C. & Marc, C. (2009). Understanding the Global Spa Industry. London, Uk: Routledge. Bodeker, G. & Cohen, M. (2012). Understanding the Global Spa Industry. London, UK: Routledge. Bowie, D. & Buttle, F. (2012). Hospitality Marketing. London, UK: Routledge. Brown, A. (2013, January 04). What Is A Destination Spa? Retrieved October 11, 2013, from About.com Spa: http://spas.about.com/od/destinationspas/p/destinationspa.htm Brown, A. (2013, January 4). What Is A Resort Spa and How Do You Find The Right Resort Spa For You? Retrieved October 11, 2013, from Resort Spa: http://spas.about.com/od/resortspas/a/resortspa.htm Capellini, S. (2012). The Complete Spa Book for Massage Therapists. London, UK: Cengage Learning. Castillo, E.A. & Canizares, G. (2005). Spa & Health Club Design. Kempen: teNeues. China Economic Review. (2005). China Foreign Enterprise Directory 2006. London, UK: China Economic Review Publishing. DAngelo, J. (2009). Spa Business Strategies: A Plan for Success: A Plan for Success. London, UK: Cengage Learning. Foss, B. & Stone, M. (2001). Successful Customer Relationship Marketing: New Thinking, New Strategies, New Tools for Getting Closer to Your Customers. New York City, NY: Kogan Page Publishers. Griffiths, A. & Toms, A. (2008). 101 Ways to Build a Successful Network Marketing Business. Crows Nest, AU: Andrew Griffiths, Wayne Toms. Mill, P. (2012). Managing Spa Services . New York, NY: Penguin Publishers. Morgan, M. & Lugosi P.J. (2010). The Tourism and Leisure Experience: Consumer and Managerial Perspectives. New York City, NY: Channel View Publications. OFallon, M.J. & Rutherford, D.G. (2010). Hotel Management and Operations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Schmitt, B. (2010). Customer Experience Management: A Revolutionary Approach to Connecting with Your Customers . Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Uhrig, J. (2008). The Little Book with Big Impact For Day Spas - How To Create Instant Client Promotions and Sales Letters. New York, NY: Lulu.com. Smith, S. (2007). Spa Secrets of Success: Unlocking the Secret Behind Successful Spas... New York: Author House. Williams, A. (2006). Spa Bodywork: A Guide for Massage Therapists. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Yuann, J.K. & Inch, J. (2008). Supertrends of Future China: Billion Dollar Business Opportunities for Chinas Olympic Decade. Singapore, SP: World Scientific. Read More