Expert Opinion: SPA (Salus per Aquam) was never meant to be a Silo, it has always been a System

Susanne Fisch, founder of PurestLife Consultancy, has been immersed in the international luxury hospitality industry for over 20 years, not only designing individual wellness concepts but also bringing them to life.

Susanne Fisch - founder of PurestLife consultancy

Modern hospitality operations have evolved far beyond single-department objectives, yet we often find that the Spa & Wellness departments are still often viewed as luxurious add-ons, peripheral to the main business; a perspective that limits its ability to contribute meaningfully to guest satisfaction and may harm your profitability.

Real value arises, when stakeholders across all departments are able to fully grasp the relevance of the wellness offering, which can be as simple as: Housekeeping timing its turndown service with sleep rituals; chefs aliging their menus with programs centering around specific outcomes, such as gut-health; Finance allocating budgets with ROI clarity; or Human Resources weaving psychological and emotional safety into their employee relations. None of these suggestions are major innovations, yet they require us to establish a shared understanding and a willingness to align operational objectives.

Such integration takes intentional process design, clarity around roles and expectations and most importantly a leadership team that is able to frame wellness as a strategic business asset instead of merely a guest-facing service.

Structure Enables Impact

Starting with recruitment, a strong onboarding process and subsequent training that is facilitated with an interconnected view of the operation becomes a key aspect, as well as establishing performance metrics that are shared across departments to instill a unified perspective amongst team members, rather than one based on departmental competition.

We know that transparent processes build trust and have the power to reduce turnover by creating purpose, clarity, and consistency, three things that every (wellness) professionals deeply values. A property-wide understanding of the wellness offerings, how the spa & wellness department operates, and how it supports the broader business goals, has the power to foster active engagement and support amongst team members.

A close view of operational analysis reveals that most wellness offerings fall short of expectations ,not because of a to lack of guest demand, but moreso because they are lacking the necessary structures that enable a long-lasting implementation, as without clear SOPs, integrated calendars, or shared KPIs, even the most innovative programs will struggle to scale.

Consequently these structures contribute to brand integrity and enhance the guest journey, as for today’s wellness-conscious traveler, transparency, professionalism, and personalization are not mere luxuries anymore but form part of the overall expectations. Therefore effectively communicating relevant information, from clear pricing to contraindications is the kind of operational excellence that will ultimately contribute to building strong guest loyalty; and loyal guests spend more, recommend more, and return more.

It is clear that this integrated strategy to business requires commitment and the financial impact may not show itself immediate, but we can be certain that results will enduring as business become more agile and resilitient. What we once knew as the isolated domain of the spa, wellness has become a central pillar of the guest experience, creating brand differentiation, and long-term revenue growth. Wellness must become integrated into the very operational DNA of your entire property; and while this process may not feel glamorous, it will become a defining trait of every future-ready hospitality business.