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Hotel Spa and Wellness Services in Crete: A Marketing Analysis

Hotel Spa and Wellness Services in Crete: A Marketing Analysis

Marios D. Sotiriadis (University of South Africa (UNISA), South Africa)
Copyright: © 2020 |Pages: 9
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2469-5.ch006
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Abstract

The focus of this contribution is on the analysis of main components and characteristics of Spa & Wellness Services provided by hotel businesses in Crete, Greece. A brief definition of the concept and a typology are presented in the first section. A business environment analysis with the main trends and developments in this field is the topic of the second section. This is followed by the main section reporting on a field research conducted in 2012 in Crete, Greece. This research has been carried out by applying the method of a personal interview to hotel & spa managers offering these types of services. In particular, the following issues have been investigated: Services, Products and equipment, Consulting services, Human resources, Financial issues, Market, and Business performance conditions. This means that a marketing analysis requires an integrated approach to all related business managerial issues. The main conclusions of this research lead in shaping and defining a framework of factors for successful Spa and Wellness services in a well-established holiday destination.
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1. Literature Review: Concepts And Typology

This section deals with concept and typology of spa and wellness tourism. International Spa Association (2010) defines spas as ‘places devoted to overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit.’ The term spa is associated with water treatment, also known as balneotherapy (Erfurt-Cooper & Cooper, 2009). Spas typically offer various health treatments, and the main types are shown in Table 1.

Table 1.
Typology of Spas
Ayurveda spaSpa in which all treatments and products are natural. It is often used as alternative medicine.
Club spaFacility whose primary purpose is fitness and which offers a variety of professionally administered spa services on a daily basis.
Resort/hotel spaOwned by and located within a resort or hotel providing professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness components and spa cuisine menu choices
Day spaOffering a variety of professionally administered spa services to clients on a daily basis. It is a form of beauty salon. The main differentiation from Resort/hotel spa are the clients (permanent residents) and treatments (result-orientated).
Destination spaFacility with the primary purpose of guiding individual spa-goers to develop healthy habits; for personal care treatments aimed at the well-being of body and spirit. A lifestyle stay providing a comprehensive program that includes spa services, physical fitness activities, wellness education, and healthy cuisine.
Medical spaFacility that operates under the full-time, on-site supervision of a licensed health care professional whose primary purpose is to provide comprehensive medical and wellness care in an environment that integrates spa services, as well as traditional, complimentary and/or alternative therapies and treatments. The facility operates within the scope of practice of its staff, which can include both aesthetic/cosmetic and prevention/wellness procedures and services. These spas typically use balneotherapy.
Mineral springs spaOffering an on-site source of natural mineral, thermal or seawater used in hydrotherapy treatments.

Source: retrieved from ATLAS, 2011; Bodeker & Cohen, 2008; Smith & Puczko, 2009.

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