Horwath HTL Spa Consulting

Andrew Jacka, President Thai Spa Association; Director Spa Origins Co., Ltd (formerly Horwath Spa Consulting Co., Ltd.) will be speaking on 4th November at in-cosmetics Asia, BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand.  The event is a must visit for cosmetic manufacturers, formulators, scientists and sales & marketing experts keen to meet exhibiting personal care ingredient suppliers from around the globe.

What Role Do Cosmetics Play in the Spa Industry Today?
Throughout the world of spa, a range of trends have emerged over recent years. Natural, Organic, Indigenous, Medicine, Men, Wellness & Home Spa are some of the most significant trends that always seem to feature.   Only a few of these trends suggest any correlation between the cosmetic industry and spa industry, yet many countries enjoy spa industries that have evolved from the beauty sector, so whether or not we are prepared to accept it openly, the two industries are related, and not diametrically opposed as some would have us believe.

For more details about the event www.in-cosmeticsasia.com

The male market is growing in significance and while Asia Spa has had a ‘Mens Supplement’ for a number of years, the recently launched Spa China Magazine are also adding a spa magazine targeted to the male market, to their portfolio.  This is a bi-lingual publication, can be view at: www.spachina.com/Emag/SpaChina-Guy-2010

Back in April, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) announced the introduction of new Oriental Essence spa therapy.  Is this a sign of the times?  Has a company that has become synonymous with luxury and indulgence changed their spa template of success?   I think rather that change the template MOHG are showing that they are in tune with their customers and can anticipate or react to what their customers are asking for, rather than getting bogged down in hype, bureaucracy or operational red-tape.  All too often a Spa opens with a fixed menu, a fixed marketing plan (if they are lucky), and a fixed product line and that is the model that is followed until the spa closes its doors.  Too few spas are flexible and make changes once they are open.  Yes, you need to set operational standards, but you have to be in tune with the market and be flexible enough that you can react to changes.  If you cannot then you are doomed to slow but certain foreclosure when you could and should be leading a thriving successful business.

Too few spas every review their menus, instead, often just adding the occasional ‘new’ treatment, but oh so rarely do they actually adjust it according to their menu sales analysis, or even bother to ask their customers about the service and standards that they offer.  If a company as large and prestigious as the MOHG can anticipate or react to a changing market, why cannot the rest of the spa industry?  If we were a little more in tune with our customers and a little less in tune with our own egos, you may well find a very different and more sustainable business model.

Nominations are now open for the prestigious AsiaSpa Awards 2010.  Please just click on the link http://www.asiaspaawards.com/show_form.html and fill in the details to nominate in one of the many categories available.

Be patient as you have to fill in all the details for each and every category that you nominate.

For more information about AsiaSpa Awards 2010: www.asiaspaawards.com

Science and organic brands have displaced more traditional beauty brands in the US spa market, accounting for almost all sales, claims a new study by Diagonal Reports.

The failure of established cosmetic brands to develop suitable spa-specific lines has left a gap in the market, which has been fi lled by results-driven science brands and organic, green or natural product lines, according to the authors of the US Spa Market 2010 report.

The report – based on interviews with spa managers and experts in March and April 2010 – also found that customers were increasingly choosing basic over luxury services, with massage and facials generating more than half of all spa revenues. Meanwhile, demand for expensive treatments collapsed in 2008, with no signifi cant upturn in spa spending expected until at least 2011.

But while many described 2009 as very challenging, some said, “the shakeout was overdue and will benefi t the sector.” According to the report: “Spas can no longer be viewed as a license to print money… businesses must control costs and offer services clients want.”

Details: www.diagonalreports.com

Spa Opportunities: issue  89, 18 June – 1 July 2010 page 2.

Horwath HTL and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), co-hosts and organizers of the annual Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP), have announced that entries for the HICAP 2010 Sustainable Hotel Awards are now being accepted. Deadline for submissions: 31 August 2010.  For entry details go to: www.hicapconference.com

The 21st annual HICAP will be held 13-15 October 2010, at the InterContinental Hong Kong.

The Sustainable Hotel Awards were launched at HICAP in 2007 to recognize hotels in the Asia Pacific region demonstrating exemplary sustainable best practices. The institution of the Awards is hoped to inspire industry wide commitment to embracing and proliferating sustainable development and operations as standard practice in contribution to the preservation of our global and local environments and cultures.

The 21st annual HICAP will be held 13-15 October 2010, at the InterContinental Hong Kong.

Known for her for “saying it like it is” some of her statements at the Summit definitely are fuel for thought.

• You say that the spa industry is very much about water….but I don’t see any ‘reverence’ for the water.
• When I travel to spas, I see a lot of copy-cat.
• If your spa industry were to differentiate more, it would be stronger.  Similarity makes you weaker.
• Very few people have really given much thought to how the huge wave of aging baby boomers will affect the spa industry.
• It is absolutely foolish to think about a category of “over 65”.  A person at 65 and a person at 90 are hardly similar.  Our industry needs to wake up to the aging baby boomer and begin thinking about spas for these various age groups.

For more about Edie’s presentation : http://blog.spafinder.com/spa-industry/fresh-inspiration/

With a growing awareness of environmental issues, the publishers of the Thai Spa magazine, the magazine of the Thai Spa Association that is distributed free of charge to the spa industry across Asia and around the world, have taken the step towards a greener future.  From the June/July issue, the publishers will be using GreenPrint: Environment Responsible Printing

• Computer-to-plate technology has brought with it a number of benefits. By eliminating the film intermediary and imaging digital data directly to plate. Further, reducing the amount of chemicals and materials required to produce a print job
• XM hybrid & CIP 3 are decrease using of inks at least 10-15% and also eliminated paper waste from setting up printing machine.
• Print on 100% tree farms, hence preserving natural forests

Quality of printing

• Improve print quality significantly by using XM hybrid most advanced screening option. Its cross-modulated (XM) screening technology is designed to dramatically eliminates subject moiré by using high line screen frequencies
• XM hybrid determines the smallest and easiest reproducible dot on press for different applications – that becomes the smallest dot that Sublima generates.
• XM hybrid generates screen rulings of 210, 240, 280 and 340 lpi.
• CTP can now deliver more detail than the press can hold
• CIP3 automates ink-key settings greatly reducing make-ready times on the press. This eliminates paper waste and the need manually adjust ink zone coverage.

Now, we are approaching to Carbon FootPrint Project. We will have a carbon footprint logo. It shows how many carbon has been reduced(per page of magazine or per weight of magazine) by Print City Company Limited.

For more details contact nathachai@printcity.co.th

In 2009, Thailand took out 5 of AsiaSpa awards, including Asia Spa Capital.  AsiaSpa have just announced that they will be accepting nominations in the 2010 awards from 28th June – 29th August 2010.  With a total of 27 categories, these prestigious awards will be presented in Hongkong in November.

For category details http://www.asiaspaawards.com/pdf/ASA2010_Categories_Description.pdf or just log onto www.asiaspaawards.com

On 7th June, The Financial Chronicle, in New Delhi reported that the Indian spa industry, which is growing at around 20-30 per cent annually due to increased affluence of people and lifestyle related ailments, is still unregulated and lacks trained therapists, according to experts.  This is a partial exert of the article.

An absence of a monitoring authority to set standards and accreditation for the Indian spa industry is also a cause of worry.  A study by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) suggests that the wellness industry in the country is growing at close to 20 per cent annually and currently stands at Rs 1,500 crore. (approx USD316,000,000)

According to a CII report, India needs 20,000 trained therapists and there are over 2300 spas that have created direct and indirect employment for about 400,000 people in the country.  Blossom Kochhar, Chairperson, Blossom Kochhar Group pointed out that without professional training spa services can do more harm than good.

According to a 2009 FICCI-Ernst & Young report, wellness industry, including spas, wellness centres and gyms, are expected to sustain the growth rate of 20 to 30 per cent till 2010.  Some experts opine that accreditation or certification by any central authority would not work in an industry which is best judged by the clients or consumers.  “The Spa and Wellness Association of India has tried to bring the industry under one umbrella. But I think spas are experiences and perhaps best judged and accredited by clients or consumers,” says Ramesh Ramanathan, MD, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Ltd.

Expecting a flow of tourists during Commonwealth games, the spa centres are gearing up in the metropolitan cities to cash in on the demand.

According to an industry report, in the next four years, 700 new spas, both homegrown and international brands, will open in India to meet the growing demand.  Presently India has around 20-25 major spa centres, most of them spread in the southern states — Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Source: www.mydigitalfc.com