MASSAGES and Jacuzzis are now standard features at the average Caribbean hotel, but few have made the commitment to open an authentic spa as Europeans would recognise it.
Those that have – Sandals Resorts being the classic example – claim that many properties have been branded as spa hotels when they only offer the most basic of services.
Often the acid test for whether a spa is genuine or not is determined by whether guests have to pay extra for treatments and facilities.
Sandals managing director for international markets Chris May said: “No hotel could afford to operate a genuine stand-alone spa with a wide range of treatments and professionally trained therapists if they didn’t charge for it.”
Sandals has invested $15m in the development of spa facilities at six of its Caribbean resorts.
“Our new ultra spa programme has been another way to distinguish ourselves from our competition,” said May.
Sandals is considering introducing pre-bookable spa packages – which will be commissionable to operators and travel agents – by the end of the year.
Affluent visitors are increasingly demanding a European-style spa, according to the Jalousie Hilton Resort and Spa on St Lucia.
Sales and marketing director Stuart Freeman said:”We know that many of our guests choose to stay here as opposed to other hotels on St Lucia because of our spa and itslocation. Most other spas are surrounded by buildings, ours is in the middle of the rainforest between the island’s volcanic Pitons.”
Freeman believes the fact that Jalousie is not all-inclusive is an added attraction. He said: “As an European plan hotel our spa does not have the assembly-line atmosphere that some all-inclusives do,” he said.
Jalousie has recognised the growing need to target specific niche markets and has created a series of imaginative spa packages, many of which use indigenous rainforest ingredients in their treatments.
Packages include what it claims is the Caribbean’s only men-only spa programme, the Beach Spa where treatments are taken on the beach, and a Honeymoon Spa package. Prices range from $2 to $150 per treatment.