The Spa Retail Management process is comprised of key components that allow you to develop a foundation that will enhance your business strategy and positively effect your bottom-line. The Retail Concept is one of the first things that need to be defined. This focuses on determining your target market's needs and how you will satisfy those needs more effectively and efficiently. Who do you currently serve and how well are you serving them? Take a look at your current spa offering to determine what you sell and who is buying it. What do you sell? What is your retail mix? How have you integrated all that you do? These are just a few questions that need to be answered to define your retail concept. READ MORE

Theories and concepts compete constantly for our attention with most fleeing out minds as quickly as they entered. A few, however, begin to appear with such frequency that it is hard to ignore. Concepts that become of continual concern shift from simply ideas or musings to solidified trends. As the members of the Generation X leave the work force, multiple movements are made within the business world that potentially affects your organization. While we cannot predict the future, these six trends will contribute to the way in which many of our future business practices and processes operate. READ MORE

It's simple. It's all about control! A retail management agreement typically provides a hotel owner with much greater control over the day-to-day operations of a retail facility than a retail lease does. The first question a hotel owner should ask is, "do I really want control over the day-to-day operations of the retail facility?" The answer may vary from facility to facility. For example, the hotel owner may not wish to delve into the day-to-day operations of the sundry shop, but the food and beverage operation, that may be quite a different matter because the food and beverage experience is closely tied to the overall guest experience. READ MORE

In the last decade spa has become synonymous with luxury and upper- upscale hotel markets, building a five star resort without a spa is now unthinkable and has become a standard of entry into this market segment. While growth of spas within the five star hotel markets is expected to continue, the four star hotel markets has also steadily begun to incorporate spa into the facility footprint; especially in resort markets. Furthermore, spa is beginning to emerge in the three star hotel market. READ MORE

You know that getting more value from your energy dollar is always important. The lodging industry spends over $5.5 billion per year on energy. That is a lot room for potential savings. And greater profitability. The need to improve your electric energy efficiency is especially important. Electricity is an amazing energy source, and demand for it today is at record levels. Looking ahead 25 years, the nation's population is anticipated to grow by 23 percent. The country's GDP is projected to double in that time. And both events lead experts to predict that electricity use will grow 40 percent by 2030. One way that hotels can improve their overall energy efficiency is by taking the ENERGY STAR Challenge READ MORE