Roger Sholanki launched Book4Time, the first cloud-based spa management system, in 2004
The biggest challenge we’re tackling today is how to keep our clients’ schedules full,” says Roger Sholanki, founder and CEO of spa and wellness software brand, Book4Time.
“The aim of spa and wellness businesses is to achieve 100 per cent utilisation, but on average, we’ve established that spas are 40-50 per cent under-utilised across the industry.
“Our goal is to figure out innovative ways to keep the books full at the highest profit margin and we’re in the process of launching a new solution to address this problem,” he confides.
Fast response As the creator of the first ever cloud-based spa software, Book4Time has a reputation for being fast to respond to the changing needs of the industry, as Sholanki explains: “We’ve pivoted the company four times and launched a stream of new releases of our product – as well as bringing new products to market and uncovering gaps in the market that weren’t being met.
“Book4Time is committed to the wellness technology industry. We’ll continue innovating and bring new solutions to market that help advance the global wellness cause,” he says.
“Our aim, as innovators, has always been to find solutions for our clients and today, we’re working on a unique new product offering that’s currently under wraps, but which will connect spas and wellness businesses with a leading marketplace – more news to come on this soon.”
Launching in 2004 “As we celebrate 15 years of Book4Time and look back at the journey we’ve been on, we could never have imagined when we started out that we would have been on such a journey,” reflects Sholanki. “Our initial purpose was to build a simple software booking system and sell it to anybody anywhere who wanted to book an appointment,” he explains.
“In the early days we had clients such as car services and veterinary clinics – a mix of businesses – and that’s when we created the name Book4Time.
“Then an opportunity came up to work with a day spa chain which had four locations. They were trying to grow the business and wanted to have a centralised call centre to book their appointments, which wasn’t possible with the on-premise software they were using.
“I investigated, but couldn’t find anyone with a cloud-based solution for the spa and wellness market and it inspired me to solve that problem,” he says.
“The early vendors of spa and wellness software had been focusing on independent business owners, so we developed our vision to become the standard for more complex businesses and enterprise hotel and resort chains,” he continues.
“We saw immediate interest from hotel and resort spas and quickly realised how unique and different their processes and requirements were. We decided to pivot the company and focus on the wellness and spa industry, within the hotel and resort market and large day spa market.”
Growing market As the market has grown, so has Book4Time, with no end in sight for what’s possible, as Sholanki explains: “According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy is at US$4.2 trillion and we’re finding there are lots of new trends emerging and those, in turn, are creating new business challenges and opportunities for us to work on that still haven’t been solved.
“The outlook for wellness is very positive,” he says, “with lots of room for new and innovative services and products that have yet to come to fruition.
“We’re already seeing AI playing an important role across many industries and I believe it will make a huge impact on the wellness market over the next decade,” he says.
“Wellness is also reaching almost all industries in some way or other, to help improve lifestyle choices and overall physical and mental wellbeing.”
Global clients “The businesses that benefit most from our solutions are typically hotel and resort chains, multi-location day spas, as well as beauty and fitness chains that require enterprise-level capabilities, such as centralised client profiles and reporting,” says Sholanki.
Book4Time’s strong client list reads like a who’s who of the spa and hospitality industry, with locations from Shangri-La and Fairmont using the system and properties such as Four Seasons Toronto, Hyatt Zilara Cancun, and St Regis Saadiyat Island on board.
Software features include online booking for single and group reservations, central reservations across multiple visits, booking for activities and classes and a native app for iOS and Android.
Book4Time also offers an API which enables operators to build their own branded online booking experiences or mobile apps.
Staying ahead So how does Sholanki stay on top of such a fast moving business? “I have a daily exercise regimen that I cannot go without,” he says, “regardless of how busy I am – It keeps me focused on the bigger picture.
“I also learned some valuable lessons in my last business that I still use today. It comes down to making sure your team is aligned and that they understand the ‘Why?’ behind your passion. It’s also critical to keep focused on your vision and purpose.”
Roger Sholanki’s favourites
Passions
Collecting exotic cars and cooking
Relaxation
Spending time with family
Community
Coaching young entrepreneurs
Food
Homemade hot sauce
Book
Anything to do with personal development
Spa Treatment
Hot stone massage
Book4Time announces CardConnect partnership
A new collaboration with CardConnect sees the addition of a Book4Time all-in-one payment system, creating a fully-integrated solution so operators can manage both their business and payments, enabling them to streamline operations, reduce costs and elevate their business.
The software offers a host of features including: intuitive pricing and implementation processes, more payment options, real-time reporting, PCI compliance and dedicated support.
Roger Sholanki, CEO and founder of Book4Time, said: “We began this integration with the entire business ecosystem in mind. When used as part of Book4Time’s suite of wellness resource management products, it streamlines business work flows and improves customer experience for both frontline personnel and the customer.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 2
Promotional feature: Lemi - Italian Touch
From humble beginnings in a small Italian village, Lemi has grown a hugely successful global business in the massage bed market. As it celebrates its 30th anniversary year, we talk to GM Matteo Brusaferri
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Olivia Newton-John skincare, Sounds of Africa and jet lag butlers feature in our programming series
Interview: Dale Hipsh
The senior VP of hotels at Hard Rock International tells Katie Barnes why its music-centric spa menu is striking the right chord with consumers and the media
Promotional feature: ISPA
After almost three decades serving members and contributing to the growth of the industry, we talk to ISPA’s Crystal Ducker about the work of the association and the future of spa
Spa Design: Jungle VIP
Kim Megson ventures deep into Mexico’s jungle to discover how two Chablé resorts with Mayan spas are aiming to redefine wellness
Interview: John & Karina Stewart
The inspirational couple behind Kamalaya in Thailand talk to Neena Dhillon about emotional therapies, why stress-busting is the new detox and how they’re evolving the concept
Promotional feature: Gharieni - Luxury Recognition
Gharieni has long been known as an industry innovator. Now, Forbes Travel Guide has named the company as its official Spa & Wellness Equipment Manufacturer. Sammy Gharieni tells us more
Promotional feature: Comfort Zone - Beauty Reloaded
Skincare brand Comfort Zone has partnered with Wellness for Cancer to create a new programme of spa treatments for people touched by cancer. Barbara Gavazzoli tells us more
Family spa: Multi-story
With the rise in multi-generational tourism, family spas are growing in popularity. Jane Kitchen reports
Software: Training & education
From bespoke training programmes to 24/7 support teams and company super-users, how are software suppliers helping spas get the most out of their systems?
Roger Sholanki launched Book4Time, the first cloud-based spa management system, in 2004
The biggest challenge we’re tackling today is how to keep our clients’ schedules full,” says Roger Sholanki, founder and CEO of spa and wellness software brand, Book4Time.
“The aim of spa and wellness businesses is to achieve 100 per cent utilisation, but on average, we’ve established that spas are 40-50 per cent under-utilised across the industry.
“Our goal is to figure out innovative ways to keep the books full at the highest profit margin and we’re in the process of launching a new solution to address this problem,” he confides.
Fast response As the creator of the first ever cloud-based spa software, Book4Time has a reputation for being fast to respond to the changing needs of the industry, as Sholanki explains: “We’ve pivoted the company four times and launched a stream of new releases of our product – as well as bringing new products to market and uncovering gaps in the market that weren’t being met.
“Book4Time is committed to the wellness technology industry. We’ll continue innovating and bring new solutions to market that help advance the global wellness cause,” he says.
“Our aim, as innovators, has always been to find solutions for our clients and today, we’re working on a unique new product offering that’s currently under wraps, but which will connect spas and wellness businesses with a leading marketplace – more news to come on this soon.”
Launching in 2004 “As we celebrate 15 years of Book4Time and look back at the journey we’ve been on, we could never have imagined when we started out that we would have been on such a journey,” reflects Sholanki. “Our initial purpose was to build a simple software booking system and sell it to anybody anywhere who wanted to book an appointment,” he explains.
“In the early days we had clients such as car services and veterinary clinics – a mix of businesses – and that’s when we created the name Book4Time.
“Then an opportunity came up to work with a day spa chain which had four locations. They were trying to grow the business and wanted to have a centralised call centre to book their appointments, which wasn’t possible with the on-premise software they were using.
“I investigated, but couldn’t find anyone with a cloud-based solution for the spa and wellness market and it inspired me to solve that problem,” he says.
“The early vendors of spa and wellness software had been focusing on independent business owners, so we developed our vision to become the standard for more complex businesses and enterprise hotel and resort chains,” he continues.
“We saw immediate interest from hotel and resort spas and quickly realised how unique and different their processes and requirements were. We decided to pivot the company and focus on the wellness and spa industry, within the hotel and resort market and large day spa market.”
Growing market As the market has grown, so has Book4Time, with no end in sight for what’s possible, as Sholanki explains: “According to the Global Wellness Institute, the global wellness economy is at US$4.2 trillion and we’re finding there are lots of new trends emerging and those, in turn, are creating new business challenges and opportunities for us to work on that still haven’t been solved.
“The outlook for wellness is very positive,” he says, “with lots of room for new and innovative services and products that have yet to come to fruition.
“We’re already seeing AI playing an important role across many industries and I believe it will make a huge impact on the wellness market over the next decade,” he says.
“Wellness is also reaching almost all industries in some way or other, to help improve lifestyle choices and overall physical and mental wellbeing.”
Global clients “The businesses that benefit most from our solutions are typically hotel and resort chains, multi-location day spas, as well as beauty and fitness chains that require enterprise-level capabilities, such as centralised client profiles and reporting,” says Sholanki.
Book4Time’s strong client list reads like a who’s who of the spa and hospitality industry, with locations from Shangri-La and Fairmont using the system and properties such as Four Seasons Toronto, Hyatt Zilara Cancun, and St Regis Saadiyat Island on board.
Software features include online booking for single and group reservations, central reservations across multiple visits, booking for activities and classes and a native app for iOS and Android.
Book4Time also offers an API which enables operators to build their own branded online booking experiences or mobile apps.
Staying ahead So how does Sholanki stay on top of such a fast moving business? “I have a daily exercise regimen that I cannot go without,” he says, “regardless of how busy I am – It keeps me focused on the bigger picture.
“I also learned some valuable lessons in my last business that I still use today. It comes down to making sure your team is aligned and that they understand the ‘Why?’ behind your passion. It’s also critical to keep focused on your vision and purpose.”
Roger Sholanki’s favourites
Passions
Collecting exotic cars and cooking
Relaxation
Spending time with family
Community
Coaching young entrepreneurs
Food
Homemade hot sauce
Book
Anything to do with personal development
Spa Treatment
Hot stone massage
Book4Time announces CardConnect partnership
A new collaboration with CardConnect sees the addition of a Book4Time all-in-one payment system, creating a fully-integrated solution so operators can manage both their business and payments, enabling them to streamline operations, reduce costs and elevate their business.
The software offers a host of features including: intuitive pricing and implementation processes, more payment options, real-time reporting, PCI compliance and dedicated support.
Roger Sholanki, CEO and founder of Book4Time, said: “We began this integration with the entire business ecosystem in mind. When used as part of Book4Time’s suite of wellness resource management products, it streamlines business work flows and improves customer experience for both frontline personnel and the customer.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2019 issue 2
Promotional feature: Lemi - Italian Touch
From humble beginnings in a small Italian village, Lemi has grown a hugely successful global business in the massage bed market. As it celebrates its 30th anniversary year, we talk to GM Matteo Brusaferri
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Olivia Newton-John skincare, Sounds of Africa and jet lag butlers feature in our programming series
Interview: Dale Hipsh
The senior VP of hotels at Hard Rock International tells Katie Barnes why its music-centric spa menu is striking the right chord with consumers and the media
Promotional feature: ISPA
After almost three decades serving members and contributing to the growth of the industry, we talk to ISPA’s Crystal Ducker about the work of the association and the future of spa
Spa Design: Jungle VIP
Kim Megson ventures deep into Mexico’s jungle to discover how two Chablé resorts with Mayan spas are aiming to redefine wellness
Interview: John & Karina Stewart
The inspirational couple behind Kamalaya in Thailand talk to Neena Dhillon about emotional therapies, why stress-busting is the new detox and how they’re evolving the concept
Promotional feature: Gharieni - Luxury Recognition
Gharieni has long been known as an industry innovator. Now, Forbes Travel Guide has named the company as its official Spa & Wellness Equipment Manufacturer. Sammy Gharieni tells us more
Promotional feature: Comfort Zone - Beauty Reloaded
Skincare brand Comfort Zone has partnered with Wellness for Cancer to create a new programme of spa treatments for people touched by cancer. Barbara Gavazzoli tells us more
Family spa: Multi-story
With the rise in multi-generational tourism, family spas are growing in popularity. Jane Kitchen reports
Software: Training & education
From bespoke training programmes to 24/7 support teams and company super-users, how are software suppliers helping spas get the most out of their systems?
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
Hotel de France, located on the British Isle of Jersey, has created a wellness retreat package
that includes a hot yoga session that will take place in Jersey Zoo’s butterfly sanctuary.
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
+ More news
COMPANY PROFILES
Sally Corporation Our services include: Dark ride design & build; Redevelopment of existing attractions; High-quality [more...]
Holovis Holovis is a privately owned company
established in 2004 by CEO Stuart
Hetherington. [more...]
instantprint We’re a Yorkshire-based online printer, founded
in 2009 by Adam Carnell and James Kinsella. [more...]
Polin Waterparks Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin
has since grown into a leading company in
the waterpa [more...]
