Industry opinion: managing high-volume spas (part three)

Our three-part opinion piece has considered the challenges and pitfalls of running a spa with high guest volumes.

So far, we have spoken with Carden Park’s Emma Pridding and Jane Tregonning​​​​, spa manager at the Spa Hotel at Ribby Hall Village, as well as Laura Freeman, group spa manager at Aqua Sana.

In this final instalment, spa leaders from Pennyhill Park and Rudding Park talk to European Spa about how they manage high footfall.

Sarah Johnson, head of spa, Rudding Park

“Rudding Park’s highest volume days are Friday to Monday. Between January and June 2024 we have seen an average of 200 guests per day in the spa, but this can reach 300 over the weekend.

“We limit overall spa day packages to 150 per day, with residents and members making up the remainder of the volume. We run 90 stations – which are essentially seats – per hour, per day on the Rooftop Spa in summer season, reduced to 70 during autumn and winter.

“When the spa was built, we had no idea that guests would want to simply sit in the Rooftop Spa garden, have a glass of fizz and socialise, but this is now the experience guests gravitate to. It’s our very clear social space and is where the fun takes place!

“As a result, the majority of our guests aren’t expecting the quiet, serene environment many other spas offer.

“This helps when we have busy days. I would say the term ‘luxury volume’ best describes Rudding Park.

Leveraging spa technology

“The most pertinent challenges of running a high-volume spa are keeping the team vibrant and happy, and ensuring we employ the right in people leadership roles. We need staff who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment on the spa floor.

“We use access bands with VDA technology, which are timed to the guest individual package times. This is linked to set locked doors – guests are only able to gain access through these doors if their band is coded to that specific area.

“We also use technology to monitor footfall in our Rooftop Spa. A special camera records the number of guests moving in and out of the area, with pre-set capacity limits.

“The space is carefully managed – it’s a game of Tetris that plays out throughout the day.

“We receive notifications if the space is nearing capacity, alerting the team to complete additional checks and assign staff to support any pinch points.”

Rolling check-in and out

“We restrict the number of guests checking in and out to a maximum of 80 over any given hour, to protect the arrival experience.

“Our packages have rolling check-in and out times and there’s a fine balancing act that goes into deciding the packages available for sale in line with optimum volumes, versus maximising revenue.

“Rates are managed via dynamic pricing and, as a lot of our business is direct, we can manage lower rates that could potentially bring in groups of rowdy guests. We also limit groups to a maximum of ten, and we only have one group booked in at any one time.

Managing alcohol consumption

“In terms of alcohol, we do allow it in the spa, as it creates a significant additional revenue stream and adds a touch of luxury. But we have Personal Licence holders, a duty manager on at all times, and the team are empowered to make a judgement call in any situation.

“I think we have found the sweet spot now, to ensure that we have a perfect balance between maximising the space and revenue, while meeting the expectations of our guest type.”

Charlene Phipp, spa manager, the Spa at Pennyhill Park

“Fridays and Saturdays will always be our highest volume days at Pennyhill, as our leisure occupancy in our hotel is higher.

“On average we have around 300 guests come through the spa in one day, a combination of hotel residents, spa members and spa day guests.

“Our maximum capacity is 530 and one of the most important aspects to running a spa of this size is managing the business mix, to ensure that we can deliver a luxury experience on those high demand days.

“As the spa is a standalone building, it operates independently with its own duty management team. We carry out walk rounds of the entire spa every two hours throughout the day, to ensure all parts of journey are operating to the highest standard.

“We also spend time cross training the teams – ever team member across all departments can work cohesively to deliver a seamless spa experience.

“Due to the sheer size of the Spa at Pennyhill Park we can accommodate many guests on a daily basis, and create various revenue generating opportunities.

“However, it also means our spa guests can enjoy a completely unique and tailored experience with no two spa journeys exactly the same.

Preventing overcrowding

“To minimise overcrowding in popular areas, we offer mini ‘wows’ throughout the day. This can be anything from a small smoothie or an ice cream to the application of product from a therapist to guests enjoying the pool areas.

“This enhances the experience for everyone enjoying the spa and maintains a flow of guests to quieter areas.

“Our spa turns from a Mediterranean-feel escape in the summer to an indulgent thermal heaven in the winter. We know our large outdoor area is most popular on hot and sunny days, so it’s an area we carefully manage and continually invest in.”

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