Not so long ago, spas in hotels were limited to exclusive resort destinations. Then, around 20 years ago, an interesting thing happened. Hotels decided spas should now be a part of their overall service offering. What followed was a boom time for hotel spas. Or, perhaps more correctly, a boom time for the industry that emerged around hotel spas. It was a time of  ‘If you build it, he will come’. This worked fine for Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams but the same can not be said for hotel spas.

As with many emerging industries, facts and figures often give way to hyperbole. Hotel owners and managers were caught up in the euphoria of what the spa prophets promised them – a beautiful new facility within your hotel that will be a license to print money.

In fairness to us spa people, it wasn’t a deliberate act of deception. We too got caught up in the moment. We genuinely believed that your guests would flock to the spa. Why wouldn’t they? Who wouldn’t want to be pampered from head to toe and come out feeling relaxed and refreshed?