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Why Hire a Consultant?

The task of opening a big spa, salon or fitness center is large indeed! Thus why not hire consultant? There are hundreds of tasks to finalize, all in an organized approach. Therefore, it is needed to take your vision from a thought of a consultant to achieve an operating, profitable business endeavor.
 
If you have not maneuvered within the industry prior to opening your business, it is more than advisable to seek out experts who have not only worked in the successful enterprises but have set up spas all over the globe.  Those who are currently working in the industry will also benefit from thorough a consultant.
 
The reason to hire a spa developer is : to save an enormous amount of time and finances, to simplify the entire process and to give valuable input in the decision making process. You can choose the level of involvement in the development by choosing which phase you need assistance on. Or it could be the entire process such as turnkey projects. The minimal level involved is mystery shopping or day testing by performance analysis. Everyone is unique and has a separate set of needs in expertise requirements.
 
Did you know it takes the same exact steps to open a 47,000 square foot spa  are also necessary to open a 4,700 square foot spa? Well yes, it’s true only 10% of the size of the space, but 100% of the planning, development and preparation needed to open the facility.
In small operations, a small amount of personnel is responsible for the large workload. Important details can definitely slip through the cracks and often the owner who should be marketing, image creating and overseeing the projects are left to execute consuming tasks. What is important to remember is there is someone who has gone through the process many times over to help you stay focused through the project , handle large portions for you and you therefore save time and dollars.
 
Find yourself thinking traditional business development and business plans are all you need to set up a spa, think again, securing financing and a location are the most minimal of the essential details. When it comes to hiring staff and development treatments, marketing permits, licenses, computer systems and much more. We are able to handle the details you wouldn’t think of, such as knowing when distance is vital when you are watching out for fire hazards, in the line of spa you must understand when dealing with water, electricity, and the balance its important to have an expert.
 
Global spa development brings a set of industry specific issues that aren’t found in other business ventures. Hiring a spa consultant in the planning phases of development is a universal among spas and salons that are highly triumphant. What you are paying for is the experience and expertise of someone who has spent the time, energy and resources to learn the industry struggles and has formed strategic associations with a range of professionals who bring quality work to the table, from contractors, to interior designers to even water specialists as well as therapists who obtain the widest of skills.
When you are planning a project it is at the most urgency to keep your project on a budget and on time, hiring a consultant ultimately saves you effort and money. Opening a new spa or fitness centre involves the services of a variety of individuals and many resources.  Architects for spa design and layout, space allocation planners, designers, project managers, trainers, concept and Culture Creators, experts in management and human resources are all individuals a new business owner will need or, choose to fill themselves. As you can imagine, the job can be overwhelming. Our approach integrates the work elements from all of these specific experts into a clear, concise and concept driven project model. We do the work for you!
 
Looking back over the past decades, we have observed the Spa Industry quadruple in size. At that time, many had not experienced a fully fledged service spa with amenities, not understanding a 5* experience, nor could they conceptualize a business environment designed not only for plainly therapeutic purposes, but also for pure relaxation and stress reduction. Spas have become an essential amenity demanded by almost all hotel and resort guests. Resort spas have begun to focus not only on hotel guests, but local as well. Day Spas have created niches in their markets by truly creating exciting environments and, are priced much lower than their resort competitors, though they cannot compete with the facilities and experience a resort spa has without a impeccable team of experts.
 
Today you will spa trends per annum; you will find highly effective treatments whose benefits last for weeks.  It is not about trends realistically it is scientifically proven, comprehensive research, planning, space planning and design, service development, staffing, education, evaluation and leadership. That in a whole all comes together to create that special spa.

What does a spa developer do, and why hire one?

Over the past decade, the spa market has grown outstandingly due to the consumer demand, and simultaneously the spa guest experience and business model has become mature, thus needing highly qualified, professional spa consultants.

Some Spa Consultant Skills:

  • Conceptualization
  • Business Development
  • Management
  • Training
  • Menu design
  • Spa hands on skills
  • Operational soft skills
  • Spa equipment
  • Spa employee culture
  • Spa retail
  • Financial management
  • Staff training
  • Market segments: club spas, fitness centres, wellness hotels and resort spas, or medical spas.
  • Spa consultants truly deliver bottom line value that is tenfold its cost.

How do I know if I need A consultant?

Each company or project has its own set of requirements with that comes challenges, the ultimate goals and available resources  to achieve said goals.
Some of the situations which warrant hiring a spa developer include:
• The company lacks the  skills to make decisions regarding the spa operational aspects and  how to solve problems
• Some current efforts have not given desired results
• The company lacks resources to the project where as a consultant would be able to give 100% quality time.

Some of the common pitfalls spa owners and developers fall into include:

• Assuming that the architect or designer are fully capable and qualified to develop an operationally workable and market appropriate spa design and business model
• Not performing enough or adequate research and market feasibility to guide the development process and the financial commitment
• Perceiving familiarity with a handful of spa facilities or concepts as a sufficient base of knowledge from which to develop a spa on their very own, without actual operational or development experience
• Unrealistic expense and revenue projections
• Hiring a spa consultant after initial plans have been developed & submitted to planning heads
• Allowing a Spa Director to develop the spa who lacks the appropriate experience and skill set, it is a completely different job description.
When a company decides to build a new spa, or to renovate or optimize operations in an existing one, it is important to utilize expert development resources to ensure the best result. It’s ultimately faster to ask for a spa consultant with the necessary experience, and ability than to follow a approach which ultimately may jeopardize the success of the entire project through serious errors made in critical planning .

Common spa consulting scopes of work

• Market Analysis, Site Analysis & Financial Feasibility
• Concept Development & Facility planning in conjunction with the design team
• Architecture & Interior Design ,evaluation and Value Engineering
• Equipment and Supplies Specification
• Vendor Recommendations, Negotiations
• Spa Menu of Services & Software Programming
• Business Operations Planning & Development
• Retail Development understanding the retail power
• Financial Forecasts and the financial Analysis
• Staff Development & Training for soft and hands on skills
• Remuneration Strategies
• Marketing & Branding
• Management and Staff Recruitment, Interviews, and Selection
• Management & Staff Training for soft skills and hands on
• Formulation and monitoring of a Pre-opening Critical Path
• Pre opening Onsite Assistance
• Post opening Audits of Management, Customer Service, Facility, and Financials

The advantages of hiring the spa consultant

• Professional standards of conduct and competence
• Confidentiality
• Integrity, taking the workload for you down to a minimum
• Agreements in writing and clear communication throughout
• 100 % Client satisfaction
The consultant selection process
An advance retainer is typically required for the consultant to commence work, and payment becomes due for each phase as the work is completed. You should receive a written agreement detailing the scope of work tasks and associated work deliverable for each phase.
Travel, accommodations, and miscellaneous expenses such as copying, binding, and phone calls are the main reimbursable expenses which are not usually included in the consulting fees. As with many goods and services, the highest price does not always ensure the best quality, nor does a low price necessarily indicate inferior capabilities. It takes proper intuition on choosing the right consultant for you.
It is never wise to make a choice based upon price alone, as when comparing consultant’s proposals, do make sure that you are comparing in terms of knowledge, forms of expertise and scope of the type of work. There is no set format and consultants may offer a range of services with varying amounts of detail included in all types of work.
The global spa development website is designed so you can skip through easily and research the capabilities, and after reading through this page you can find yourself knowing that our explanations have already helped you narrow down your search to the spa industry’s finest consultant.  ©