Hotels and Resorts

The emergence of spas is not recent. Earlier spas were located near a natural spring offering holistic wellness treatment to the visiting public. The term is more than often referred in conjunction with healing and curing than wellness. Spas got a make over from the Roman royals. They developed spas with a touch of class and a feel of luxury. In fact, they started using spas more or less like wellness centres, soaking in spring water, taking steam or hot air bath in a marble clad chamber, giving the body the luxury of soft massage, taking a cool dip in spring water and finishing with a relaxing drink.

Present day hectic pace of life, a busy social lifestyle of the lap top carrying corporate executives has created a profitable business opportunity for the hospitality industry – wellness travel. The concept of wellness is quite different than curative or medical travel. Wellness is for healthy people wanting to live healthier, whereas medical travel is for patients wanting to get well. This fine distinction makes wellness travel or spa tourism an interesting marketing proposition.

The term spa is derived from its Latin origin – salus per aquam, literally translating as water gifted health. No wonder then that the earlier wellness spots were located near natural springs as aqua therapy is considered mother of all detox therapies. The German health destinations like Baden Baden and Bad Neunehar, to name a few, have the prefix Bad, meaning spa or literally bath. Spa hotels and resorts today offer holistic wellness, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual in luxurious surroundings and atmosphere.

According to the first ever spa report published by Christine Tetreault at the 2008 Global Spa Summit in New York, the global spa economy stood at US$ 250 billion. This confirms the fact that the economic slow down had no impact on wellness business.

Spa business has come of age generating employment opportunities by millions. It has become very focused, specialised and professional. Spas can be classified into three categories – the day spa, offering a specific therapy, destination spa- as the name suggests, these are spas where guests stay, get healthier, have an entertaining time as the spa offers a whole range of body pampering treatments and therapies, and finally the medical spas which are more on clinical and medicine based treatments. The industry thrives on day spas in the city hotels and destination spas in resort hotels.

Spa planning for a luxury city hotel and a spa resort is a very complex exercise. Since wellness is the main marketing tool, the planning and implementing team must be fully aware of various processes and procedures, the flow of activity, space planning, knowledge of latest spa, gym and therapy equipments, technology, lay outs etc. The spa planning and executing team normally consists of a technical resource, interior decorator and the facility planner.

Staff in a spa plays an important role. They are educated and well trained in various therapies, processes and operations. These include massages – Swedish, Thai, deep tissue etc, water therapies like flotation, water dance, Jacuzzi etc. Most spas offer yoga sessions and various alternate therapies like Chinese, Egyptian and many more.

Wellness being the focus of the entire concept, beauty therapies become an integral part of a spa. These are available for both men and women. The beauty segment includes areas like hair, facial and body treatments. Food and nutrition counselling is part of spa management for the resident and day spa users.

A well-planned spa hotel or a spa resort has all the essentials of a luxury city hotel or a luxury resort hotel. Wellness becomes the core activity for the guests as well as the management. Well appointed guest rooms, state of the art fitted bath rooms, a wow lobby, gourmet restaurants, bars, discotheque, lounges, business centre, swimming pool and sports complex etc make the product complete.

As we look ahead, we must remember that enjoying good health and well being is the most desired wish of humans, the demand for a luxury, upscale spa hotel or spa resort will always remain high, it is an evergreen business niche. Forget get well! Keep well! is the mantra for a beautiful and enjoyable life.
You have permission to publish this article without any change what so ever electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author by-lines are included.

At times it is said that paradise is a state of mind. But when you visit Puerto Vallarta, you come to realize that it can also be a place. Puerto Vallarta is a world renowned resort city which is located on the Bay of Banderas in the Pacific Ocean. It has been named after a former Governor of Jalisco, Ignacio Vallarta. It is called Vallarta in Spanish and the English speaking population prefers to shorten it to PV.

The climate in this resort city is typically tropical and wet & dry. During the months of July to September, there is high humidity in the air which makes the weather almost intolerable.

The city was just a small fishing village till the turn of the century and then also till the late 60s and 70s it continued to be a small town which was slowly developing into a tourist place. Then in the 1990s, Puerto Vallarta experienced some reforms which resulted in a boom in the infrastructure and construction fields.

At present Puerto Vallarta is one of the leading tourist destinations in Mexico and also has a vibrant economy. Tourism contributes to nearly 50% of the total share in the economy. The busiest tourist season is from late November till March. Puerto Vallarta is very popular among the students on the West Coast of USA who like to come here for their spring break holiday. Given such a conducive environment, numerous hotels and resorts have cropped up in the area, which cater to the lodging needs of the visitors from all walks of life.

There are lots of activities which capture the fantasy and imagination of the travelers to Puerto Vallarta. One can easily swim with the dolphins in the Bahia Banderas or enjoy putting on the long stretches of the various golf courses strewn across the place. Visitors can also enjoy horse back riding while in the city. There is no scope at all for anyone to get bored in this place because there is an abundance of activities and entertainment.

Some of the best resorts and hotels are located in the cities which offer amenities and services suited to the international standards. Puerto Vallarta is a very scenic place and has a perfect setting for spending the best romantic moments of your life here. There are plenty of luxury and boutique hotels which cater specifically to the Adults Only population.

Some of the best romantic destinations in Puerto Vallarta could include:

Villa Premiere Hotel & Spa is an adults only small luxury hotel which is a combination of exotic setting with an impeccable service, designed to pamper the fantasies of the guests. It is located just a short distance away from the coast line and it is the perfect place to relax and unwind.

Then there is also the Casa Velas Boutique Hotel which is an all-inclusive resort which is located on the Marina Vallarta Golf Course with the Banderas Bay a few minutes away. It is an enchanting tropical paradise which rejuvenates your body, mind and soul.

Apart from these hotels there are many more resorts in the city which provide beautiful, tranquil surroundings to have those special moments with your loved ones. Puerto Vallarta is a place which beckons everyone for a second and a third visit after you have spent some time here.

There are many islands in the world, so why chose the tropical island Phuket in Thailand for your next vacation? Phuket island has been blessed by nature with the most extraordinary and varied beauty. From palm fringed beaches to hills covered with greenery, its varied landscape and climate makes Phuket one of the most bio-diverse islands of its size in the world.

A wide range of attractions combined with good infrastructure and convenient flights to Phuket, a deep sea port and good surfaced roads, schools and health services at international standards have made Phuket island extremely popular as a home of choice for many foreigners from many different countries. The Phuket experience is different for everyone. Whether you are looking for a quiet corner to enjoy a peaceful retreat at one of the many Phuket Beaches or an action packed place like Patong, with plenty of colourful nightlife, Phuket has it all.

The ocean facing west coast is lined with bays with white sandy beaches between two rocky points. Phuket’s fresh and tranquil beaches have made it a vacation haven suitable for Hollywood celebrities. In Phuket you still can find relatively intimate places rather than one big unbroken stretch of beach with high rise hotels packed with people. Each beach has its own character. Larger beach resorts like Patong, really come to life at night. While others offer quiet havens away from the crowds. In between, there are places like Kamala – only 15 minutes by car from Patong, yet far enough for some peaceful relaxation.

If you are looking at the map of Spain, featuring all the gorgeous Mediterranean beaches and stunning Spanish islands, you can easily understand why this destination has many high-quality resorts. However, all of these holiday resorts will not be the kind that will make you want to pack your sun block and bikini. Spain actually ranks second just to Switzerland for being the European country with the most mountainous areas, so you should not be surprised to know that you can find first-rate ski resorts in this region. The following are some of the leading ski resorts in Spain.

Baqueria-Beret is easily the most popular, largest and also the most extraordinary ski resort in this region and can be found in the Catalan Pyrenees, which is around 200km away from Barcelona. It is a popular destination for the Spaniards weekend getaway and provides excellent ski runs to suit all levels of experience. From over 80km of designated runs, you can find 4 greens, 4 blacks, 25 blues and 20 reds.

La Molina resort is similar to Baqueria-Beret in location, providing a fantastic day excursion from Barcelona. This spot retains the title for being the most ancient ski site in this country with skiers enjoying the slopes from 1909. La Molina first hotel was opened in 1925, plus the very first pull lift had been set up in 1943. Right now, this totally modern ski resort provides 50km of designated runs, which includes 3 greens, 6 blacks, 12 blues and 15 reds.

As opposed to nearby Baqueria-Beret, the La Molina in fact is equipped with train service that will travel from Barcelona and also a bus which operates frequently in between the ski resort and the train station. Even though this resort area is a somewhat popular for day-trip for Barcelona Spaniards, it will be out of the way for the majority of tour operators who are not Spanish.

Hospitality is an ever evolving industry. It caters to needs and desires of its users. As these desires keep changing with the ever evolving life style, the hospitality product offer makes micro adjustments to address these fresh demands. They say wealth gives birth to desire, how true it is. As people get more spendable income, we see new demand generation in almost all areas of our daily life.

We saw the introduction of health concept in city hotels in early seventies when the luxury hotels embraced something called a health club. Those days it consisted of only a gym, steam and sauna rooms. Good health clubs also had a few body massage rooms. The demand for a beauty parlor followed soon. No one wanted to step out of the health club without a proper facial or hair do. This made the beginning of a new era for hospitality industry – the wellness age. Those who recognized it as an opportunity exploited it to remain competitive.

Today, after four decades, things are different. The concept of health club has undergone a drastic change. It is now one of the key revenue generators for luxury hotels. Things are very specialized. No more just a gym and massages, now they offer a whole range of products, treatments and therapies and services for holistic wellness. There are specialists offering counseling on diet, nutrition, weight loss, slimming, fitness, beauty, body care and general well-being. The underlying philosophy being to help the guests remain healthier.

The demand for wellness travel has given the hospitality industry a new niche, the wellness hotels or a resort. A well planned wellness resort in an attractive resort location offers all the luxuries of a resort hotel. In addition, it offers a well equipped Wellness product. The facilities in these resorts vary but generally include a range of restaurants or food outlets, bars and clubs, business facilities, meetings and conferencing, entertainment and indoor and outdoor sports. The main emphasis in these resorts is the wellness center.

A luxury wellness center will include a well equipped and fitted gym with personal counselors and trainers, a range of body baths, steam, sauna, solar therapy and so on. Wellness hotels located in an area with natural springs even offer natural spring water soaks, dips or baths, a number of swimming pools, different types of body and massage therapies, yoga, aroma and color therapy, skin treatment therapies, beauty treatments and the list is ever-increasing. Needless to say that the hotel employs specialists in all areas to counsel and physically render various therapies to the guests and residents.

Some wellness resorts, with enough landscape offer their own gated jogging tracks within the resort. Wellness resorts offer enough outdoor activity to its residents. They have tennis courts and badminton courts on the premises. Alternatively they have arrangements with a local club for use of facilities by its residents.

The resort management does everything to ensure that the resident spends minimum time in the room by offering a range of wellness, leisure and entertainment activities and facilities in the resort. The food menu in the restaurants offers a wellness food section offering a range of organic and nutritional selections. One can find a choice of diet and health dishes even on the buffet spreads. A special feature in some wellness food menus is that they also mention the nutritional values of the dish, including the calories. There is enough evening activity in a wellness resort to keep the residents occupied before retiring to bed.

A wellness hotel or resort could be anywhere or in any location. However those located in well-known vacation spots or resort location are more successful than the city center ones. The wellness hotels located in resort locations like a hill resort, ski resort or a beach resort offer the opportunity to combine vacation with wellness. Of late, it is observed that big corporations also patronize wellness resorts as their meetings and conference venues, combining business with wellness.

Branding of a wellness hotel or resort plays an important role in its success and within the hotel, the branding of the wellness product is absolutely crucial. It must be ensured that the brand has strong market presence and backing of an even stronger brand ambassador. In recent years the industry has witnessed launch of a number of highly successful brands, some belonging to large hotel chains and some to stand-alone hotels.

The most important aspect of a wellness hotel or resort is its initial conceptualization and planning. This is the most complex exercise. One can not simply have a hotel and add to it a state of the art health club. Wellness hotels need an in-depth study and research on needs and demands of its potential guests, the competition with in the area and how to ensure that the resort remains competitive for at least the next four to five years. While Big hotel chain have their own in-house wellness facility planners, the independent investor will be well advised to retain a professional consultant to create a unique and competitive product. It pays back in the long run.

A good wellness resort with attractive activities give room for one complaint – why the sun rises so late and the night comes so soon? One is so busy the whole day that the day never seemed to have come in the first instance. Wellness resorts, on one hand define your life style, and, on the other they offer a perfect opportunity to fuse your holidays with your well-being. Live healthy for you only live once!

You are free to publish this article without any change in the content electronically, in print, in your e-book, or on your web site, free of charge, as long as the author resource details are included.

If money is no object you only have 3 choices of places to stay:

Bellagio, Palazzo (Venetian) or Encore (Wynn). The choice will depend on what you value most, such as casino (Wynn and Venetian have fabulous casinos, whilst Bellagio mostly caters to higher-rollers). We have stayed many times at these 3 resorts and we love them all, for different reasons. The Palazzo o Venetian suites are fabulous; the Encore rooms are fresh and modern; Bellagio does not have equally huge rooms (but of course you can always opt for a suite) but the service here is second to none. Amazing spa, amazing gym: you are amongst the elite here.

If you are on a budget – you can safely choose from the still very good MGM, Mirage (we stay at these two resorts very often), Treasure Island (but the rooms are small at TI, so beware, though it’s a very nice little place in every aspect, though the pool area is a little too small for us) or, if you really need to save as much as possible, Montecarlo (the pool area here is not that great, though, just small and incredibly noisy: you can barely here each other scream). Below these you will seriously compromise on comfort, atmosphere, smells, noise, cigarette smoke everywhere or just an overall-run-down atmosphere you can only overlook if you are drunk all the time. A note on cigarette smoking: of the super cheap resorts, the Circus Circus is the only one which, in terms of rooms, have a real policy of smoking and non-smoking: if you are a smoker Circus Circus will treat you well and, if you are a non-smoker, you will be equally respected and they will assure you that you will not stay in a room where you breath other people’s smoke. Out of the low budget resorts, in our extensive experience, Circus Circus is the only one with excellent security and every customer is treated truly equally in this respect. Maybe because they cater for families too and not only to crazy-partiers, but if we are on a strict budget and want to breathe in our own room we always go here.