Moore, a well-known industry figure, is tackling spa staffing issues head on with her new company
After six years at MSpa, overseeing spas for Minor Hotels across the world, Kathryn Moore has set up her own company to fill a training and recruitment void in the industry.
Moore, who most recently oversaw 60 facilities as MSpa’s director of spa in Asia, says the launch of Spa Connectors was inspired by her experience in the industry. “We saw the same problems, year after year,” she explains. “There’s always a shortage of therapists, and there’s always an issue with training.”
Spa Connectors works with colleges in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Morocco to source high-quality therapists – screening them for English fluency, experience, motivation and attitude – before interviewing them and doing reference checks.
Once selected, therapists can then take one of two courses: a three-month course for those with no experience, or a two-week course for experienced therapists. The courses include Spa Connectors’ X-factor module, which teaches employee engagement, anticipating guests’ needs, up-selling, empathy and more.
Spa Connectors is aiming its services at five-star resorts in the Middle East, Asia and the Indian Ocean, with plans to expand into China and Africa. The organisation will also train therapists in two specific protocols for the hotel they’re going to work in. “They’ll be ready to go and start generating revenue as soon as they start,” Moore says.
Hotels pay US$1,000 (€916, £698) for a trained therapist, and turn-around time is between two weeks and three months.
Spa Connectors also offers a corporate social responsibility division and has partnered with Harmony House in India and BaliWISE in Bali to help place disadvantaged women into spa careers.
“A lot of hotels have massive CSR budgets that they could use for this,” says Moore. Instead of spending that CSR budget on planting trees or painting a school, she explains, they can put their money towards training a disadvantaged woman to be a therapist who works for them – a win/win situation. “I’m really excited about this division.... I think we can make a really big difference,” she says.
Spa Connectors also offers spa pre-opening services and audits in addition to specialised spa manager training and recruitment. Moore says: “We’re working with a lot of consultants because they don’t want to do the training and recruitment, so they build our services into the package.”
Spa Connectors had a soft launch at the Global Wellness Summit in November, but officially got up and running in January and expects to have its first students ready at the end of March. The company also includes Julie-Anne Kelly, training and culture director; Simon Eadon, commercial director; Jaime Svensson, operations director; and Lisa McCarthy, marketing and PR manager.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 1
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
Marriott’s global head of spa talks exclusively to Katie Barnes about the new ‘game-changing’ Ritz-Carlton Spa brand and market domination
Promotional feature: Steve Kass Consulting
Steve Kass, founder and former CEO of American Leisure, has launched a new business, Steve Kass Consulting. The global leader explains his goals as an innovative concept and design creator
Research: Work it out
Ophelia Yeung gives a sneak preview of a new study on workplace wellness that debuts later this month
Fitness: Competitive edge
Could a touch of rivalry help spas to engage more people in fitness? Niamh Madigan finds out
Promotional feature: Ojmar
A growing number of spa operators across the UK are working with Ojmar to upgrade their traditional keyed locking systems to electronic solutions
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
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next phase. [more...]
Moore, a well-known industry figure, is tackling spa staffing issues head on with her new company
After six years at MSpa, overseeing spas for Minor Hotels across the world, Kathryn Moore has set up her own company to fill a training and recruitment void in the industry.
Moore, who most recently oversaw 60 facilities as MSpa’s director of spa in Asia, says the launch of Spa Connectors was inspired by her experience in the industry. “We saw the same problems, year after year,” she explains. “There’s always a shortage of therapists, and there’s always an issue with training.”
Spa Connectors works with colleges in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Morocco to source high-quality therapists – screening them for English fluency, experience, motivation and attitude – before interviewing them and doing reference checks.
Once selected, therapists can then take one of two courses: a three-month course for those with no experience, or a two-week course for experienced therapists. The courses include Spa Connectors’ X-factor module, which teaches employee engagement, anticipating guests’ needs, up-selling, empathy and more.
Spa Connectors is aiming its services at five-star resorts in the Middle East, Asia and the Indian Ocean, with plans to expand into China and Africa. The organisation will also train therapists in two specific protocols for the hotel they’re going to work in. “They’ll be ready to go and start generating revenue as soon as they start,” Moore says.
Hotels pay US$1,000 (€916, £698) for a trained therapist, and turn-around time is between two weeks and three months.
Spa Connectors also offers a corporate social responsibility division and has partnered with Harmony House in India and BaliWISE in Bali to help place disadvantaged women into spa careers.
“A lot of hotels have massive CSR budgets that they could use for this,” says Moore. Instead of spending that CSR budget on planting trees or painting a school, she explains, they can put their money towards training a disadvantaged woman to be a therapist who works for them – a win/win situation. “I’m really excited about this division.... I think we can make a really big difference,” she says.
Spa Connectors also offers spa pre-opening services and audits in addition to specialised spa manager training and recruitment. Moore says: “We’re working with a lot of consultants because they don’t want to do the training and recruitment, so they build our services into the package.”
Spa Connectors had a soft launch at the Global Wellness Summit in November, but officially got up and running in January and expects to have its first students ready at the end of March. The company also includes Julie-Anne Kelly, training and culture director; Simon Eadon, commercial director; Jaime Svensson, operations director; and Lisa McCarthy, marketing and PR manager.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 1
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
Marriott’s global head of spa talks exclusively to Katie Barnes about the new ‘game-changing’ Ritz-Carlton Spa brand and market domination
Promotional feature: Steve Kass Consulting
Steve Kass, founder and former CEO of American Leisure, has launched a new business, Steve Kass Consulting. The global leader explains his goals as an innovative concept and design creator
Research: Work it out
Ophelia Yeung gives a sneak preview of a new study on workplace wellness that debuts later this month
Fitness: Competitive edge
Could a touch of rivalry help spas to engage more people in fitness? Niamh Madigan finds out
Promotional feature: Ojmar
A growing number of spa operators across the UK are working with Ojmar to upgrade their traditional keyed locking systems to electronic solutions
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.
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.
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