Wellness Today is privileged to have the opportunity to speak with Andrew Gibson about the Spas at Mandarin Oriental. Andrew is the Director of Spa & Wellness at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group based in Hong Kong.

▲ Mr. Andrew Gibson, Director of Spa & Wellness
    at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

[WT] The award winning Spas at Mandarin Oriental are often found at the top of a seasoned traveler’s favorite spa. In 2011, the Forbes ‘Five Star Spa’ award was granted to a record eight hotels, more than any other hotel group in the world. What makes Mandarin Oriental unique?

          
I think that attention to detail is probably the most important characteristic required to enable our spas to reach the standards they have. This starts from the fact that we have an experienced and dedicated spa team that work from concept through to post opening. Many other hotel groups contract out this work. We have an amazing set of standards and tools to help get started and maintain the operation of our spas. We project manage every one of our spas from concept through to opening. Our Spa Directors visit Hong Kong for an induction that includes spa experiences at three of our properties so they understand the level of support they will receive and they experience the oriental heritage that permeates through each of our properties. We measure and monitor success and we try to recruit people that have a genuine desire to provide hospitality. If all of those things come together the guest will have a memorable experience in every aspect of their visit and will not see all the details that go behind the delivery of excellent service.

[WT] The Oriental Spa at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong was recently awarded “Hotel Spa of the Year, Asia and Australasia” at the inaugural World Spa Awards 2012. In a region known for a number of high-end hotel spas, that is quite an achievement. What makes this site stand-out?

The Oriental Spa was a landmark creation in more than just name. The spa set design standards and facilities so high that many spas now use it as the benchmark to follow. Design, however, is just one aspect of the experience and today we have been able to deliver a high level of service and creativity to the local Hong Kong market as well as the hotel guests. The General Manager of the hotel takes a personal interest in the spa and ensures that the entire hotel team supports the operation. The Spa Director sits in the Executive committee so that the spa is included in operations and that important events in the hotel are fed back to the spa. As a result the spa plays a significant role in attracting local community into the hotel and works together with all other departments to ensure that the guest enjoys the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

[WT] Mandarin Oriental spas are designed to envelop guests in simple, effective and authentic spa experience. What principles guide the Mandarin Oriental Spa philosophy?

I have copied our guiding principle below since this is such a simple and short paragraph:

The Spas at Mandarin Oriental are born out of a sincere understanding and passion for wellness, which we define as a way of life that focuses on physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. The Group is committed to delivering all aspects of wellness with integrity and honesty, providing inspiration for lifestyle change, in an environment that delights all the senses.

The Spas at Mandarin Oriental are havens for contemplation and discovery. Guided by our Oriental heritage but influenced by local cultural diversity, the Group has created distinctive concepts with a unique sense of place in every location.

The main message is that we have always focused on wellness. This is important because it makes you look beyond just a treatment. By keeping our focus clear and staying true to our philosophy we have been able to reinforce this with hiring and training teams that have the desire to help people.

One of the points of difference is how we deliver the concept of Oriental heritage since this is a subtle use of oriental principles and customs blended with a strong sense of place. None of our spas are the same but everyone has a distinctly Mandarin Oriental feel about it and has a core of standards, products, treatments and service guidelines that are consistent throughout.

[WT] Mandarin Oriental spas also provide fitness options, nutrition counseling and a variety of other disciplines. What additional services may the guest find?

The type of services offered by our spas depends on their location the availability of specialists and the type of guests that stay at the hotel. In Chang Mai we have the most complete wellness offering with visiting practitioners, resident Ayurveda doctors and programmes that are tailor made for guest. There is an organic garden and we work with experts and local community to grow indigenous plants that can be used in healing and treatments. In Sanya we are more focused on Chinese traditional treatments and have an excellent TCM Doctor, a Shaolin monk that teaches meditation and a range of Chinese based treatments. In Las Vegas there is a dedicated foot massage salon that caters for people that spend all day walking the Las Vegas strip, in the Landmark, Hong Kong we have Pilates and Yoga that is also open to the local community. New York has an excellent line up of practitioners that provide therapeutic treatments. They are so good that some of the therapists have guest booked a year in advance. We also have a consultant natural health practitioner that is engaged by several of our hotels to assist with healthy eating options for guests and employees. As you can see each spa has the ability to adapt the wellness spectrum according to their market demand.

[WT] In 2009, Mandarin Oriental launched its Signature Spa Product Line. What does this encompass?

In 2007 we identified the need to create a strong brand image for Mandarin Oriental and one of the ways was to create a signature product line. Our spa philosophy is strong and consistent and we wanted the product line to reflect the philosophy. Since the majority of our treatments were body based and mainly some form of massage we decided this was the area to focus on. Two of the main considerations to product development were the need to identify signature treatments and the ability to distribute the product globally. In keeping with our Oriental Heritage and desire to offer treatments that have a therapeutic value (i.e. providing wellness) we collected Chinese Doctors, Holistic practitioners, aroma therapists and our team of trainers and met in London to do a work shop that would identify the treatments we wanted to cover. Our solution was to create a customized massage that could be adapted based on a lifestyle questionnaire, a diagnostic and a smell test. The massage would be based on TCM and the aroma oils would reinforce the therapeutic benefit of the treatment. The solution was to produce our oils and scrub. These products could also satisfy our commitment to sustainability, the oils are natural, the packaging and containers, distribution and storage were all considered to provide the most ethically responsible way of delivering these oils. The result was a fantastic creation of oils, scrubs and candles that truly represent our brand. The product line is simple and concentrates on the core of our treatments. This also leaves us free to work with companies that are expert at skin care, men’s lines, etc so that our spas have a core element and a sense of place.

[WT] Mandarin Oriental has a well-designed global print advertising campaign which gathers ‘fans’ from around the world. The campaign simply and elegantly connects the Group’s highly-recognized symbol – the fan- with international celebrities who regularly stay at the hotels and are true fans of the Group. Have the spas played a part in the ”She’s/He’s a Fan” campaign?

Our marketing strategy is controlled by our Group Communications and Marketing Departments. They take great care to ensure that the entire Mandarin Oriental product is presented. Spa is one our Mandarin Oriental core competencies and therefore is included in all group initiatives. Our group videos included elements from all parts of life in Mandarin Oriental but we also have a dedicated spa video. One of the reasons that the fan campaign is successful is because the fans speak of the entire Mandarin Oriental experience.

[WT] For many guests, time spent at the spa is a way to escape from a daily routine inundated by gadgets and technology. However, in managing a highly recognized global spa brand, the spas likely use guest-centric technology to ensure your jet-setting guests receive top level service at any Mandarin Oriental Spa.

The three mantras I preach to our spa team are: Keep it simple, be consistent and always do your best. Keeping things simple provides a better opportunity to train well and deliver excellent service. If our teams are confident they can then provide better service and our guest will feel more relaxed and secure. Technology is also a core competency for Mandarin Oriental and behind the scenes we are fanatic at collecting and analyzing data. We have a dedicated finance and data management person in the spa corporate team that works to help provide the Spa Directors with accurate information. By improving our data analysis and measuring quality and finance we can allow the operations team to spend more time with the guests. This enables us to provide better service to our guests. It also provides information to help justify why we need specific facilities that might not be seen to generate revenue.

[WT] Statistics indicate hotels in Asia Pacific closed out 2011 at a healthy 9.8% RevPAR growth over 2010, with Southeast Asia at a staggering 18.8%. Growth looks set to continue through 2013. How are the Spas at Mandarin Oriental positioned for growth in the coming years?

2012 is turning out to be a very unpredictable year. Nothing can be taken for granted and our teams have to work diligently and quickly to maintain business levels and control overheads. In 2009 we were very quick to react to the drop in hotel occupancies by focusing on local community use of the spas. With a global brand we are able to take best practices that work in one location and deploy them into other regions. Our spas are well positioned to cope with the uncertainty ahead. The operations teams are experienced, the systems are in place and we can react quickly to changes. We are continually striving to improve the guest experience and have a healthy level of competition amongst our spa directors to be the best in the company. With many new projects in Asia, Europe and the Middle East we are continuing to expand. In 2013 we shall have between 4 – 6 news spas to add to the portfolio.

[WT] With the luxury travel industry becoming increasingly environmentally conscious, what is Mandarin Oriental’s position?

Mandarin Oriental has many stories of sustainable practices throughout our properties. We have just published our strategy on sustainability. This report represents Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s collective accomplishments and programs to advance sustainability, to champion the communities in which we operate and to deliver excellence. It also illustrates challenges and opportunities for the future. For us, sustainability is about caring for the environment, now and for generations to come. In everything we do, we strive to create value for our stakeholders by enhancing environmental quality and the communities where we operate.

As with anything we tackle we want to do it well.

Wellness Today would like to thank Andrew Gibson for his generous participation in this interview.

About Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group is the award-winning owner and operator of some of the world's most prestigious hotels and resorts. The Group now operates, or has under development, 45 hotels representing almost 11,000 rooms in 28 countries, with 19 hotels in Asia, 13 in The Americas and 13 in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. In addition, the Group operates, or has under development, 14 Residences at Mandarin Oriental connected to its properties.