staff ,” Marxer said .“ To me , it ’ s never been more important … as they are the ones caring for our guests .”
Viviana Quesada Jimenez , senior spa director at The Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto , agreed that employee well-being must be the top priority for spa leaders .“ We have to treat employees well , and then everything will be fine . If the employees are well taken care of , they will take care of the guests , and they will take care of the facility ,” explained Jimenez , adding that it ’ s critical to remember that service providers and other employees are just as affected by the strain that high demand can place on shortstaffed spas as leaders are .“[ Employees ] are also stressed . They are also going through the same process that we are as leaders , [ but ] in a different way . Probably even more because they ’ re more exposed to guests on a more constant basis ,” she added .
Like the other panelists , Jimenez advocated for overcommunication to guests as a way to reduce potential confrontations . Despite that approach , she admitted that the occasional conflict is inevitable , and advised those in attendance to be firm in supporting staff tasked with enforcing policies that may cause consternation among some guests .“ Support the team . Give them the proper information for them to have the tools to respond ,” she said , adding that spa leaders must resist the temptation to say ‘ yes ’ to guest requests that frontline staff , due to spa policy , have said ‘ no ’ to .“ If we are giving a direction , we also have to be careful to stick to that direction as well ,” said Jimenez . Doing so , she noted , will send a clear signal to both staff and guests that management will stand behind their team , as well as give employees greater confidence to say ‘ no ’ when it ’ s appropriate .
TRY FOR A WIN-WIN One additional consideration that the Town Hall panelists touched on during their discussion was the financial impact that enforcing spa policies has on service providers , especially if that enforcement leads to the cancellation of a service .
One positive of the high levels of demand that many spas are now seeing is that , in the event of a cancellation , there is often an opportunity to fill that spot and avoid the issue altogether , said Charlotte Prescott .“ We usually try to make multiple people happy by sliding in somebody else that was turned away , and then it ’ s a win-win for the spa and for the therapist ,” she said . Viviana Quesada Jimenez said that her spa ’ s approach is similar , but if the booking cannot be filled with a guest from the waiting list , the spa will still compensate the therapist for the lost commission .
Prescott reiterated the importance of such an approach , describing supporting her employees this way as “ the cost of doing business ” at the present moment . However , she doesn ’ t consider this compensation as money “ lost .” Rather , she noted , it illustrates a commitment to the team that won ’ t go unnoticed by employees .“ We ’ ve talked about how difficult it is to retain talent , so keeping this loyalty and trust [ among staff ] is important .”
The old axiom that the customer is “ always right ” must be viewed by spa leaders with fresh eyes , eyes focused as much on creating a supportive and consistent environment for employees as on ensuring that every guest ’ s visit is entirely devoid of disappointment . That doesn ’ t mean , of course , that incredible service will stop being a crucial part of spa ’ s offerings . Rather , it ’ s merely an acknowledgement that employees with confidence in leadership and their own importance in the view of those running the spa will be better equipped to deliver the guest experience every spa strives to provide . �
“ We need to jealously guard the well-being of our staff . To me , it ’ s never been more important … as they are the ones caring for our guests .”
– SIMON MARXER
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52 PULSE � OCTOBER 2021