Hotel & Motel Management - June 16, 2008 - (Page 48) 48 News H&MM June 16, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Global Spa Summit Continued from page 4 quently not recognized as an industry by governments,” Yeung said. “In fact, there is data on the spa industry in only 20 countries, leaving 190 countries [out]. In the end, we decided to be inclusive.” The study’s creators decided to define spas as “establishments that promote wellness through the provision of therapeutic and other professional services aimed at renewing body, mind and spirit.” The report estimates $60.3 billion in core spa industry revenue, such as spa facilities, capital investments, education, consulting, media, associations and events; and $194 billion in spa-related hospitality, tourism and real-estate. “The spa industry is growing at a breakneck pace, but its diversity and scope always have made it difficult to quantify its size and financial strength, as well as to harness the full power of its collaborative voice,” said SpaFinder c.e.o. Pete Ellis, who also serves as the chairman of the board for the Global Spa Summit. “For the first time ever, this report shows decisionmakers from investors to policymakers to the industry’s own leaders just how big the industry is, and how integral it is to the global economy.” The report’s findings derive from interviews with more than 50 industry executives, 1,000 responses to a global survey of industry sources and data collected from more than 210 countries— 10 times more than in previous spa industry reviews, according to the survey’s creators. According to Johnston, there has been a high level of growth in the spa industry—averaging 1020 percent but as high as 30 percent in some places. Yeung noted the spa industry is part of a wellness and health industry that totals $1 trillion in economic impact. That larger segment includes beauty and beauty products, fitness, medical beauty (cosmetic surgery, etc.) and health foods. Johnston said she hoped this first study “will spur the spa industries in more countries to study their own economies.” The summit, which welcomed 220 delegates—up from 150 last year—also featured a number of breakout sessions. During a panel on investment, Richard Dusseau, c.e.o. of Spatality, said between now and 2017, $9.7 trillion will change hands as baby boomers pass on inheritances to their children. “The question is, how do we get a piece of that pie?” Dusseau said. Byron Carlock Jr., president and c.e.o. of CNL Lifestyle Properties, said, “There is currently an abysmal capital market, but this is an industry that’s all about a better lifestyle, and as the industry matures it will make itself more attractive to investors.” Dusseau said studies show consumers will pay $76 in premium rates for a resort with a spa. Neil Jacobs, president of Starwood Capital Group, said spas would bring a 15-20-percent premium on real-estate prices, “but they would have to be a destination spa like a Miraval or a Canyon Ranch.” One development that would make spas of greater interest to investors would be insurance reim- Ophelia Yeung, director of SRI International’s economics program, pointed out that the spa segment is part of the growing wellness and health industry that totals $1 trillion in economic impact. bursements, Carlock said. “When a massage therapist has as much credibility as a psychologist, we will be there.” He also foresaw wellness centers under one roof, similar to medical complexes, with yoga, massage and chiropractic services. In a keynote speech, Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general from 2002-2006, said spas can play an important role in worldwide health care. He called the U.S. medical system a “sick care system, with a large portion of ill health the result of poor behavior and practices.” Next year’s Global Spa Summit will be in Interlaken, Switzerland, May 17-19 in conjunction with the Lausanne Hotel School. hmm@questex.com Waldorf Continued from page 4 of a name presence here than abroad,” said Ted Ratcliff, senior v.p., Hilton and Doubletree operations - East, at a “topping out” ceremony in the midst of construction of the joint Waldorf=Astoria and Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek project in Orlando. “There is a tremendous amount of global opportunity,” said Tim Bridwell, v.p., new projects - Florida, Hilton. However, Hilton executives are first looking to expand the Waldorf=Astoria brand in Park City, Utah, with the condohotel Dakota Mountain Lodge, which is both brands’ first ski lodge. The 197-guestroom and 65 condo-unit property is scheduled to open in spring of 2009. Next up, the 498-room Waldorf=Astoria will open alongside the Hilton Bonnet Creek—which features more than 1,000 guestrooms—in September 2009, in Orlando. This joint project has been marketed to meeting planners for more than a year as Hilton’s largest project to date, with the two properties on about 480 acres near Walt Disney World. The next scheduled Waldorf=Astoria property is a 225-room hotel that will be built as part of a mixed-use project in Sara- Hilton executives [from left] Ted Ratcliff, senior v.p., Hilton/Doubletree Operations-East; Mike Schugt, regional v.p. Southeast, U.S., Latin America, Caribbean sales and marketing; Tim Bridwell, v.p., new projects - Florida; and Tom Parke, director of marketing, The Waldorf=Astoria. sota, Fla. It is scheduled for completion by late 2010. While Hilton has not yet announced other planned Waldorf=Astoria locales, it is looking in major U.S. cities. “We want a presence in key gateway cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York,” Ratcliff said. Meanwhile, the Orlando Waldorf= As- toria will carry through many of the characteristics that made the New York property famous, including its culture, its restaurant and foodservice offerings, and its lobby clock tower. “The key component is to take what is culturally ingrained in New York to here [Orlando]. The look of each Waldorf=Astoria will include some original features like the clock tower but will be akin to where you are,” Ratcliff said. The foodservice offerings and culture will be transferred from New York to the Orlando location with the poaching of some of the culinary staff from New York. “We have sort of an incubator in New York, to get the service and pride we want to deliver. It is a reason we are doing hotels with the Waldorf=Astoria name. It is the iconic name value,” Ratcliff said. In addition, iconic restaurant concepts that originated at Waldorf=Astoria New York will be replicated in Orlando, including Oscar’s, Bull & Bear Steakhouse and Peacock Alley. Other features of the Orlando Waldorf=Astoria include 144,000 square feet of meeting space, an 18-hole golf course designed by Rees Jones and the Waldorf=Astoria Spa by Guerlain. “We are attached to the first Waldorf outside New York, but we have more of a resort feel, being near Disney,” said Val Baret Tate, senior sales and marketing account executive, Hilton Bonnet Creek and Waldorf=Astoria. The Hilton Bonnet Creek also is catering its property to both business and leisure travelers, with its proximity near Disney World and its 122,000 square feet of meeting space. hmm@questex.com HILTON HOTELS CORP. SPAFINDER http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition
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