“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.”
benefits. The goal of a service description is to highlight
the spa service’s process, products and benefits in a
succinct manner. a cumbersome description is not
helpful. instead, speak to the value of the product or
process.
it’s also important to reduce the focus on price. it’s
well-known in the restaurant industry that utilizing a
smaller font and eliminating the dollar sign derails the
consumer’s focus on price in the decision-making process.
avoid formatting the pricing with a trailing dotted line
from the description to the right margin which tends to
draw the eye directly toward the price. The price is best
when nested under the service description.
3. RETHINK ENHANCEMENT STRATEGY
There is a lot of debate around the use of enhancements.
many menus list basic services and offer the guest the
option of adding various enhancements to upgrade or
personalize the service. under this format, the guest is
forced to make additional decisions and check the value to
cost ratio. i tend to recommend differentiating each of the
services, rather than requiring the guest to add on and pay
an additional surcharge for service upgrades or differenti-
ation. for example, rather than offering a basic massage
with a separate list of enhancements and leaving it to the
guest to add on (or the receptionist and therapist to upsell),
create a service that includes the benefits and provide a
more specialized and valued service.
after all, enhancements are often just components of
a standard service and can be incorporated within the
same resource time. Whether you decide to differentiate
the service listings or to provide basic services with the
option to add enhancements, don’t add small increments
of time to the service. This will reduce your ability to
maximize resource revenue. Think of the enhancement
as an “add-in” not an add-on”. Lastly, ensure your price
per minute is the same for all lengths of service; after all,
the resource—time—is the same.
4. ENGAGE YOUR STAFF
Spa directors have an extremely valuable resource
walking through the halls every day and should take
advantage of it. in any given period, our entire staff
interacts with the guest during their experience; whether
it’s making the reservation, assisting in the locker room
and lounges, or providing the actual treatment. Take the
time to engage your staff when creating or updating a
menu. after all, they have firsthand guest knowledge
about your treatments. They know what guests like and
why they booked it, because guests often give direct
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march 2019