Newcombe says the aim is to create a whole floor of well rooms in Los Angeles
"My role is to bring spa and wellness from an amenity to a core pillar,” says Michael Newcombe of his new appointment as vice president spa & wellness for Four Seasons. Alongside his main post as general manager of Four Seasons Los Angeles, Newcombe has been chair of the group’s spa task force – representing some 106 facilities worldwide – for just over a year.
"The global wellness economy, as defined by the Global Wellness Institute, is a US$3.7tn industry – twice the dollar spend of the global pharmaceutical industry,” he says. “This is a trend about prevention rather than cure. People want to avoid getting sick rather than fixing themselves. It’s about mindfulness, lifestyle and life balance and any brand has to contemplate its global positioning very carefully and that’s what we’re doing.
“Above all, we’re listening to our guests,” he adds, explaining that web click throughs for spa in the business is growing by 50-75 per cent. “There’s a big, big focus internally on wellness.”
Well rooms One obvious step towards wellness is Four Seasons’ collaboration with Delos to launch Wellness Rooms at Newcombe’s Beverly Hills site in Los Angeles. Five guestrooms and three suites, located on the fourth floor spa level, have been created to optimise physical and emotional wellbeing with features such as circadian lighting and air and water purification systems.
"I suffer a bit from allergens, dust, hay fever and asthma and when I slept in the room I really did feel a greater sense of purity when I woke up," testifies Newcombe.
“We’re only two months into the pilot, but we’re tracking sales and so far we’ve seen a 35 per cent increase on the suites and 50 per cent increase on regular rooms.” On top of this, the hotel can charge a premium for the rooms.
Typical customers include the busy executive who wants to have wellness options on the road, he says, and those coming to town for minor non-invasive procedures (like dermatology work) who want downtime pre- and post-treatment.
Guests in the well rooms have access to sleep and nutrition programmes developed by the Cleveland Clinic, guided meditation videos by Deepak Chopra, exercise equipment and yoga mats, as well as healthy in-room snack options.
“We partnered with Delos because its elements are all based on scientific evidence – they even have a sleep lab at the Mayo Clinic,” says Newcombe, adding that Four Seasons put its own look and design on the rooms.
Another personal touch has been to emphasise spa collateral. Well room guests get an 80-minute treatment for the price of 50 minutes and a special Surrender therapy has been designed costing US$210 (€170, £150) for 50 minutes or US$280 (€230, £200) for 80 minutes. “Jean-Guy de Gabriac of Tip Touch International worked with our senior therapists to create it. He asked them what move or stroke they felt best benefited different muscle groups. They came up with the word ‘surrender’ to define it because they want guests to surrender a bit of their time in their busy schedules.”
Newcombe confirms all of this is having a very positive impact on the spa itself as the capture rate is up by an impressive 30 per cent.
The new norm Moving forward, Newcombe says to watch out for more in the Four Seasons Los Angeles wellness sphere. The idea is to eventually convert the remaining eight guestrooms on the fourth floor into Wellness Rooms to create a ‘spa floor’ for the hotel.
But when it comes to global plans, he’s not giving much away and won’t confirm whether the concept will roll out across the group. “We’ll be interacting closely with our guests to gauge the success of the pilot and then review further options,” he says.
He’s also keen to point out that even if there is a rollout, well rooms “will not uniquely define us. Four Seasons has multi-segment hotels and wellness is a strong option but it’s not the only option. It’s about increasing choices but not forcing a concept on a guest.”
That said, he does see well rooms becoming the ‘new norm’ in the industry. “I go back to when non-smoking became the norm,” concludes Newcombe. “Now you’ll hardly find a smoking room anywhere. And I suspect wellness features will also be absorbed into regular guestrooms.
“At the same time you’ll also see advancements. As science progresses and the traveller becomes more discerning, wellness features will become more customisable – mood lighting will follow the guest’s waking itinerary, foods will match specific [weight or health] objectives. The bar will rise from guests expecting a ‘feel good’ stay, to demanding a ‘feel great’ one. And that’s exciting.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2018 issue 2
People profile: Garrett Mersberger
Garrett Mersberger on the overhaul of Kohler Waters’ flagship spa in Europe, plus his vision for ISPA following his appointment as chair of the association
Spa programmes: On the menu
Underwater yoga, healing breathwork and genetics all feature in Spa Business’ brand new series revealing the latest treatments, programmes and retreats in spas
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSysteme
Cold therapy is suddenly all the rage, but Zimmer MedizinSysteme’s icelab takes it a step further, creating a cold sauna for the whole body. Rainer Bolsinger explains more about this cutting-edge therapy
Promotional feature: The Tides: pure Dutch nature inside
Modern living might be tough on our minds and bodies, but newly-launched Dutch wellness and self-care brand The Tides offers just the antidote with a new class of pure, raw products and treatments
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
Newcombe says the aim is to create a whole floor of well rooms in Los Angeles
"My role is to bring spa and wellness from an amenity to a core pillar,” says Michael Newcombe of his new appointment as vice president spa & wellness for Four Seasons. Alongside his main post as general manager of Four Seasons Los Angeles, Newcombe has been chair of the group’s spa task force – representing some 106 facilities worldwide – for just over a year.
"The global wellness economy, as defined by the Global Wellness Institute, is a US$3.7tn industry – twice the dollar spend of the global pharmaceutical industry,” he says. “This is a trend about prevention rather than cure. People want to avoid getting sick rather than fixing themselves. It’s about mindfulness, lifestyle and life balance and any brand has to contemplate its global positioning very carefully and that’s what we’re doing.
“Above all, we’re listening to our guests,” he adds, explaining that web click throughs for spa in the business is growing by 50-75 per cent. “There’s a big, big focus internally on wellness.”
Well rooms One obvious step towards wellness is Four Seasons’ collaboration with Delos to launch Wellness Rooms at Newcombe’s Beverly Hills site in Los Angeles. Five guestrooms and three suites, located on the fourth floor spa level, have been created to optimise physical and emotional wellbeing with features such as circadian lighting and air and water purification systems.
"I suffer a bit from allergens, dust, hay fever and asthma and when I slept in the room I really did feel a greater sense of purity when I woke up," testifies Newcombe.
“We’re only two months into the pilot, but we’re tracking sales and so far we’ve seen a 35 per cent increase on the suites and 50 per cent increase on regular rooms.” On top of this, the hotel can charge a premium for the rooms.
Typical customers include the busy executive who wants to have wellness options on the road, he says, and those coming to town for minor non-invasive procedures (like dermatology work) who want downtime pre- and post-treatment.
Guests in the well rooms have access to sleep and nutrition programmes developed by the Cleveland Clinic, guided meditation videos by Deepak Chopra, exercise equipment and yoga mats, as well as healthy in-room snack options.
“We partnered with Delos because its elements are all based on scientific evidence – they even have a sleep lab at the Mayo Clinic,” says Newcombe, adding that Four Seasons put its own look and design on the rooms.
Another personal touch has been to emphasise spa collateral. Well room guests get an 80-minute treatment for the price of 50 minutes and a special Surrender therapy has been designed costing US$210 (€170, £150) for 50 minutes or US$280 (€230, £200) for 80 minutes. “Jean-Guy de Gabriac of Tip Touch International worked with our senior therapists to create it. He asked them what move or stroke they felt best benefited different muscle groups. They came up with the word ‘surrender’ to define it because they want guests to surrender a bit of their time in their busy schedules.”
Newcombe confirms all of this is having a very positive impact on the spa itself as the capture rate is up by an impressive 30 per cent.
The new norm Moving forward, Newcombe says to watch out for more in the Four Seasons Los Angeles wellness sphere. The idea is to eventually convert the remaining eight guestrooms on the fourth floor into Wellness Rooms to create a ‘spa floor’ for the hotel.
But when it comes to global plans, he’s not giving much away and won’t confirm whether the concept will roll out across the group. “We’ll be interacting closely with our guests to gauge the success of the pilot and then review further options,” he says.
He’s also keen to point out that even if there is a rollout, well rooms “will not uniquely define us. Four Seasons has multi-segment hotels and wellness is a strong option but it’s not the only option. It’s about increasing choices but not forcing a concept on a guest.”
That said, he does see well rooms becoming the ‘new norm’ in the industry. “I go back to when non-smoking became the norm,” concludes Newcombe. “Now you’ll hardly find a smoking room anywhere. And I suspect wellness features will also be absorbed into regular guestrooms.
“At the same time you’ll also see advancements. As science progresses and the traveller becomes more discerning, wellness features will become more customisable – mood lighting will follow the guest’s waking itinerary, foods will match specific [weight or health] objectives. The bar will rise from guests expecting a ‘feel good’ stay, to demanding a ‘feel great’ one. And that’s exciting.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2018 issue 2
People profile: Garrett Mersberger
Garrett Mersberger on the overhaul of Kohler Waters’ flagship spa in Europe, plus his vision for ISPA following his appointment as chair of the association
Spa programmes: On the menu
Underwater yoga, healing breathwork and genetics all feature in Spa Business’ brand new series revealing the latest treatments, programmes and retreats in spas
Promotional feature: Zimmer MedizinSysteme
Cold therapy is suddenly all the rage, but Zimmer MedizinSysteme’s icelab takes it a step further, creating a cold sauna for the whole body. Rainer Bolsinger explains more about this cutting-edge therapy
Promotional feature: The Tides: pure Dutch nature inside
Modern living might be tough on our minds and bodies, but newly-launched Dutch wellness and self-care brand The Tides offers just the antidote with a new class of pure, raw products and treatments
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.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
Royal Caribbean has revealed its Hero of the Seas cruise ship, home to the most pools at sea
(nine), and a record-breaking 28 dining venues, as well as attractions including a waterpark
with two new family raft slides.
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