founder and CEO of ResortSuite. “These are consumers who now demand the freedom
to explore and book all services, programs and activities with a single electronic
payment at any time of the day.”
2. CLOUD TECHNOLOGY
3. INTERNET OF THINGS
In 2017, business runs on the cloud. The cloud makes it easy to communicate both on
the front and back ends of your business and connects all sectors of a business from
sales to customer service. “Spa directors should be moving their operations to the
cloud,” says Samer Hamadeh, CEO of Zeel. “Paper manuals and physical calendars will
increasingly give way to app-based programs, for anything from training to staffing.”
According to Rick Stollmeyer, co-founder and CEO of MINDBODY, the cloud will
help keep you more connected and make business operations seamless. “Through
cloud-based technologies both staff and clients can interface via web and mobile
devices,” he notes. “Cloud technologies keep everyone in the business connected.”
Probably the buzziest term in tech right now is the Internet of Things (IoT), which,
simply put, this is the concept of basically connecting any device with an on and off
switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes everything from
cellphones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices
and almost anything else you can think of.
Spas will soon be using this growing technology market to improve guest
experience. Digital tracking and interactivity enables better customer profiling. It also
allows for customized services for each customer and thus earning their loyalties.
Think guestroom automation and hyper-personalized spa experiences. “An integrated
personalized guest experience is what everyone will soon need to offer their clients to
improve loyalty and retention,” says Roger Sholanki, founder and CEO of Book4Time.
Where do you think the relationship between spa and technology is headed? n
“These are
consumers
who now
demand the
freedom to
explore and
book all
services.
programs
and activities
with a single
electronic
payment at
any time of
the day.”
F E AT U R E D S O U R C E S
SAMER HAMADEH FRANK PITSIKALIS RICK STOLLMEYER ROGER SHOLANKI
CEO
Zeel Founder & CEO
ResortSuite CEO & Co-Founder
MINDBODY Founder & CEO
Book4Time
NEW YORK, NY TORONTO, CANADA SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA ONTARIO, CANADA
June 2017
■
PULSE
29