MEMBER PERSPECTIVES
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“ I would say [ the guests ] adjust . If they truly want to visit your location , they will find a time within your operating hours to come see you .”
— KACEY O ’ ROURKE flexible option where they could , instead of coming in at 3:00 , they could come in at 1:00 and still get their full hours ,” Raymond says .“ We still have to split shifts , but we are giving them the opportunity to still get their full hours . They really appreciated that .”
In addition to being flexible around scheduling , Raymond notes that the spa also increased the number of service enhancements they offered to guests , which helped make up for whatever earnings may have been lost through the reduction of operating hours .“ It was actually really cool — the therapists are making more money per hour with those enhancements , so they ’ re more encouraged to use them . And as a result , the spa ’ s revenue has stayed consistent , so it was really fun to be able to show our owners that we were able to give the staff that relief and still be able to make the same amount ,” says Raymond .
MAKING THOUGHTFUL ADJUSTMENTS At 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge ’ s Bamford Wellness Spa in New York City , Spa Director Kacey O ’ Rourke took a deep dive into her staff availability and booking history when her spa adjusted its hours of operation .“ We took two things into consideration . The first was do we have enough staff to fill the hours we are open , and the other was the demand from guests ,” O ’ Rourke says .“ If we only have one or two providers that can start at the 9 am hour , does it make sense to open at 9 am for two appointments , or does it make sense to open at 10 am instead , when six providers are available ?” The answer to that question may seem self-evident , but it can be easy to simply accept the status quo and maintain a schedule that may not be the best fit for your team and may even be a detriment to the bottom line .
To make sure that a reduction in hours didn ’ t equate to a reduction in revenues , O ’ Rourke says she carefully analyzed the spa ’ s bookings to ensure that hours of operation and staff scheduling were built to maximize earnings .“ We analyzed when the guests were calling for appointments , and in our location , it was mid-morning and early afternoon , so we condensed our hours to ensure the providers were working at the times the guests were booking .”
The shift in hours ( the spa is now open from 10 am to 5 pm Monday through Thursday and from 9 am to 6 pm Friday
26 PULSE n JULY 2022