ESPA appoints Hayley Warman as director of spa operations, EMEA & APAC

ESPA has appointed Hayley Warman as director of spa operations for the EMEA & APAC regions

Her role is to lead ESPA’s regional spa business, strengthening partnerships and supporting the continued growth of the brand’s  luxury hospitality portfolio.

Warman will work closely with Catherine Wong, vice-president of spa operations – Asia and the wider regional team to build on the strong momentum already established across the region.

The team has recently celebrated several openings across APAC, including ESPA at the Ritz-Carlton, Bangkok, at El Nido Resorts in the Philippines and Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan.

Alongside the established portfolio, she will focus on expanding into strategic growth markets, including the brand’s relaunch into China, continued growth across Thailand and Australia, and exploring opportunities to re-establish ESPA in India.

Expanding the portfolio

Warman has spent more than 18 years in the luxury spa and wellness industry, including over 15 years leading spa operations and teams across international markets.

Her career has included managing luxury spas onboard international cruise liners, to leading the pre-opening of Hilton’s first eforea Spa in the UK. She also over saw the relaunch of the spa concept at Luxury Family Hotels in the New Forest.

Global spa partnerships

Warman joined ESPA more than eight years ago and has since worked alongside some of the world’s leading luxury hospitality brands.

These include One&Only, Waldorf Astoria, Corinthia and the Ritz-Carlton, supporting the development and performance of their spa businesses.

During that time she has progressed through leadership roles, most recently as head of spa operations for Europe and rest of world. She was responsible for more than 80 luxury hotel and resort spa partners across EMEA.

Her appointment as director of spa for EMEA and APAC builds on this journey, leading ESPA’s regional spa business across more than 100 luxury hospitality partners.

Vision for the future

“My priority is to spend time with our partners and regional teams, listening, learning and understanding where we can create even greater value together,” said Warman.

“I’ve always felt most at home in a spa. Being on property, working alongside passionate teams, sharing ideas and experiences, and helping them identify opportunities beyond the treatment menu is the part of the role I enjoy most.

“Whether it’s enhancing the guest journey, strengthening commercial performance or developing the team, I believe the best ideas come from working collaboratively with the people who know their guests best.”

Developing the ESPA offer

Warman said she is excited to be working with the international team and has plans to develop leadership within the teams too.

“Alongside expanding our international footprint, one of the initiatives I’m particularly excited about is the relaunch of our ESPA Spa Leadership Programme later this year,” she said.

“The programme has been redesigned into a flexible virtual format, making it more accessible for our partners around the world and enabling us to invest in the next generation of spa leaders across our global network.”

“I’m also developing new ways to recognise and celebrate excellence across our spa community, ensuring we continue to support not only the growth of our partners’ businesses, but also the incredible people behind them.”