Health and Wellness Tourism: Spas and Hot Springs - Assignment Example

Health and Wellness Tourism: Spas and Hot Springs Introduction Alysium spa is located in Hilton hotel, Sydney, Australia. Drawing its inspirations from Greek mythology, the spa offers quality range of products, treatments and services. These include massages, essential facial treatments, body treatments, hand and feet treatments, ritual treatments and waxing. This discussion evaluates the quality of the spa according to the findings of the site inspection I conducted on Alysium spa as an anonymous customer. My report primarily focuses on the service I experienced (Hot Stone Massage), assessing it in line with my expectations and developing a ranking system for the service. The aim of the report is to produce a detailed practical criterion for evaluation of the hot stone massage service. An effective evaluation and assessment of hospitality organizations’ operations, from both an internal and external perspective is critical for efficient hospitality management. Internally, the evaluation can make a significant difference in how well an organization performs by helping managers to make sound decisions and reap more benefits for its stakeholders (Negi, & Manoher, 2009).  On the external front, a good assessment can aid in diagnosis of programmatic or operating problems that have been identified but that cannot be totally resolved through the findings of internal evaluation. The theories learnt in the classroom enable one to attain a better understanding of the expectations required for effective running and maintenance of a business’ operations. Analysis and evaluation Expectations before service: Rating: 5 stars excellent (expecting excellent service) I conducted an online research on the business’ website before my visit to the spa to have a rough idea about the services offered and the quality of the service to customers. According to the business website, Alysium Day Spa is a luxurious haven that derives its inspiration from ancient Greek mythology that refers to Alysium as a place where the gods go to rest. The business boasts of having skilled therapists with a capacity to provide a comprehensive health and wellness care surrounding that incorporates conventional and holistic methods with a classic sensorial experience. My expectation of the service in line with my research was that it was of quality standard and enjoyable. This meant that a clean, revitalizing, rejuvenating, memorable service and most importantly high-level staff and guests interactions. Perceived value concepts of service: Rating: 5 stars excellent (expecting excellent service) Prior to the service, the following value concepts of service are perceived to affect the consumers, overall experience overall: Functional performance: due to its rating as a 5 star day spa, my level of expectations for the spas functional performance was very high. I expected the equipment used to be in perfect working condition, clean and the staff friendly and highly professional (alysium.com). Emotional performance: I wanted to enjoy the service and eventually be able to get an emotionally fulfilling experience. I perceived the service to be a unique and deeply relaxing treatment, relieving my body of stress leaving me in a calm sense of well-being. Social value: the service was meant to act as a stress-reliever for my long week hassles and self-esteem booster before undertaking my upcoming planned tasks and involvements. For any organization in the hospitality industry, the quality of product delivered to customers and duration of service are critical factors for efficient revenue management. In this case of a hot stone massage offered in a wide range of durations, consumers have a choice of duration of service to suit their particular needs and wants. If the quality of service is maintained at a high level, charges become more as the duration increases thus the organization obtains more revenue (O’fallon & Rutherford, 2011). Ambiance during service: Rating: 4stars (very good service) On entering the dimly lit room, my valuables were picked up and placed strategically in one visible end of the room. The slow music playing in the room was really appealing, making me feel calm, peaceful, composed and relaxed. I was particularly intrigued by the fresh scent in the room from the oils that made the experience more memorable. One interesting thing I discovered was the variety of stone types such as Malachite, Zinc and Black Granite used and that each type was used for a specific part of the body. The therapists were open, willing to engage a bit in conversations and answer my questions. As a client, this signified value, caring and loving which form a basis for meeting the needs of a customer. The ambiance during the service gives the business a unique image and special touch. It is employed as a marketing strategy to helps the business effectively tackle change and competition in the market. Customer service: Rating: 4stars (very good service) My experience was very appealing from the start. I was then warmly welcomed to the massage parlor by a lady receptionist who walked to the hot stone massage room. It was particularly amazing that the lady already expected I was coming and even referred to me by my name. The therapist provided me with a consultation for prior to my treatment to help determine the best possible treatment for my personal needs. This level of service and customer relation really impressed me at this point. It was evident that the staff put customer needs first and I was feeling like I was totally in the right place. The therapist went further to give me a general explanation on how Alysium Day Spa conducts their hot stone massage and inquired about any questions or concerns I might have. At this point I was eagerly waiting for the experience to commence! It’s majorly important that customers have knowledge of their responsibility during service interactions as this has an effect on their expectations (JHA, 2008). Quality customer service prior to the experience, aids in creating loyalty. The unique bonus elements of the service that customers receive play a critical role in meeting their expectations and eventually satisfying their needs (Ford, Sturman & Heaton, 2012). Health and wellness: Rating 3 stars (good service) I expected the service at Alysium Day Spa to serve both as an experience for my assignment and a prospect for me to help my health and well-being.my anticipation was to get uniqueness and harmony at my service as described in the spa’s brochure. The service was unique compared to my previous experiences, the ambiance at Alysium Day Spa was excellent with no distractions and the customer service made me feel valued and appreciated. It left me rejuvenated, relaxed and energetic. My wellbeing was nurtured to my level of expectation. Health and wellness tourism provides relief from day-to-day stresses without the need for medical intervention. This sector is increasingly growing in popularity in the entire world (Cooper and Cooper, 2009) .Spas serve a customer’s health and wellness interests by offering a wide variety of services that integrate the customers desire to achieve a perfect health status. Alysium Day Spa for example has services ranging from jet lag treatment, skin care & facial add-on, sports de stress foot treatment and facial treatments. Recommendations: Develop customer feedback in form of surveys or questionnaires as this would help the management be able to improve the quality of service to meet requirements and satisfaction. Provide more detailed explanations to customers about the procedures of treatment, products used to determine any problems the customers may have concerning the products. Create adverts for the other products and services offered by Alysium Day Spa that the customers may be interested in but may lack information about. During the treatment, ask clients how they feel e.g. if the pressure of the massage is okay for them. Conclusion From the high quality experience encountered at Alysium Day Spa, it can be deduced that there are a variety of elements that require consideration in the operation of a spa. Customer service being the most critical element helps a business acquire customer loyalty .its is also significant that the management implements effective strategies in the health and wellness element which serves the face of any spa (Smith and Puczkó, 2009). Generally, the experience at the spa was good as expected. My rating of the star would be a 4-star, as some parts in the elements of customer service were below my perceived expectations. I expected the spa to have ways of evaluating customer service though feedback but was disappointed that there were no mechanisms for the customers to air their views to the management about the service. Nevertheless, I would still consider going back to Alysium Day Spa for another memorable experience. Contents Page Cover page page 1 Contents page2 Establishment Information Details page 3 Introduction page 4 Analysis and evaluation page 5 Recommendations page 9 Conclusion page 10 Reference list page 11 Establishment Information Details Day spa name: Alysium spa Source: Alysium Day Spa Service experienced: Hot Stone Treatment (90mins) $190 Location: Hilton hotel Sydney, Australia Date visited: Wednesday 7th November 2012 Time visited: 2pm Trading hours: Monday, Tuesday &Wednesday: 10am – 7pm Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday: 9am – 8pm Public Holidays: 10am – 4pm Bibliography ERFURT-COOPER, P., & COOPER, M. (2009). Health and wellness tourism: spas and hot springs. Bristol, UK, Channel View Publications. FORD, R. C., STURMAN, M. C., & HEATON, C. P. (2012). Managing quality service in hospitality: how organizations achieve excellence in the guest experience. Clifton Park, N.Y., Delmar, Cengage Learning. JHA, L. (2008). Customer relationship management: a strategic approach. New Delhi, Global NEGI, J., & MANOHER, G. (2009). Hospitality management: current trends and practices. New Delhi, University Science Press.India Publications. O'FALLON, M. J., & RUTHERFORD, D. G. (2011). Hotel management and operations. Hoboken, N.J., Wiley. SMITH, M. K., & PUCZKÓ, L. (2009). Health and wellness tourism. Amsterdam, Elsevier/Butterworth-Heinemann. www.alysium.com.au/ Read More