HOW TO WOW THE FIRST-TIME SPA-GOER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
needs are . Newcomers come and they don ’ t really know what they want . We know what we do , but they don ’ t , so it ’ s really important , especially when they ’ re coming for the first time and they have those questions , that we ’ re able to guide them through and cultivate an experience that ’ s going to be memorable .”
Erin Stremcha agrees , noting that effective messaging and guest education won ’ t outweigh the way a spa experience makes them feel . “ Marketing is only as good as what ’ s being delivered on the other side of it ,” she says . They ’ re not just going to remember the massage ; they ’ re going to remember every aspect of it . Did they feel like they were taken care of from the very first touch point of an email to the time that they left and were thanked for their visit ?”
Providing that high-level guest experience is , in itself , a key part of the cycle of bringing a steady stream of first-timers into a spa , because those who aren ’ t being referred by a friend or family member rely so heavily on other word-of-mouth sources , such as Yelp and TripAdvisor .“ For new spa-goers , [ reviews are ] so important ,” says Stremcha .“ If you ’ re a new spa-goer , you ’ re going to do your homework . [ You ’ re ] going to investigate and see what other people are saying and what their experience is about .” Despite spas ’ best efforts , the occasional negative review can still pop up . And because potential first-time spa-goers rely so heavily on those reviews , it ’ s up to spa leaders to monitor them and take steps to acknowledge and address the reviewers who had less-than-stellar experiences .“ You have to respond to both the good and the bad . In fact , it ’ s more important to respond to the bad than the good .”
From their initial contact with a spa ’ s marketing materials to the moment they walk out the door , a spa-goer ’ s first experience is certain to play a huge role in their likelihood to return . The stakes of those first visits , then , are particularly high in cultivating an ever-broadening clientele . But spas are used to setting — and exceeding — high expectations for themselves , and that moment when a newcomer makes spa-going a part of their routine , it ’ s more than worth it .“ That ’ s what we love ,” says Mark Kennedy Smith .“ When we hear back from someone who was here for the first time that they loved the spa , loved the products , and they ’ re going to come back every year .” n
At properties like Vail , Trilogy Spa Holdings has found that a newcomer ’ s first impression of the spa experience is highly likely to affect their plan to return .
20 PULSE ■ NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2020