came on board, the previous managing
director had a different vision. “I started
in January 2016, which was also a time
of change. The previous managing
director had steered the spa away from
wellness. Today, we are working to put
wellness back, front and center, establish
the new Carillon brand and build
awareness of all the amazing things we
have to offer,” Terry says.
Unfortunately, marketing a holistic
wellness offering in a beauty-focused
market is not the only challenge the spa
has to face. At the onset, the spa has
had its baptism by fire.
“When the spa was launched in
November 2008, it was owned by
Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. and
managed by Canyon Ranch. It opened
during the financial crisis and Lehman
Brothers was one of the first companies
to collapse during that time. The
property was put into bankruptcy. In
2014, Z Capital Partners won the
property in bankruptcy court and took
over ownership in 2015,” she says.
New Owners, New Challenges
Expectedly, along with new ownership
came new set of challenges. Z Capital
opted to part ways with Canyon Ranch
to become an independent operator. As
a result, all operating infrastructures
were unplugged. “When hotels are part
of a conglomerate, they have the benefit
of being able to plug into central reservations systems, property management,
point-of-sales systems, standardized
policies and procedures, accounting
systems, etc. As a new independent,
these systems needed to be put into
place,” Terry says.
Like in any startup business, it can be
overwhelming to put all the pieces
together, but the key in making all fit is
to have the right pieces in the right
places. “The situation could be summed
up as trying to assemble a bicycle while
riding it. Today, we are still working
through a lot of related challenges, but
we are establishing a talented team with
Guests at the spa get to enjoy a view of the sand and sea while working out.
October 2016
■
PULSE
17