Last year, hotel spas in the United States notched 72.8 percent occupancy and grew average daily rate 3.5 percent to $287.45, according to the 2019 edition of CBRE’s “Trends in the Hotel Spa Industry” report. And while hotel spas grew total revenue 4.8 percent, labor costs were in hot pursuit, increasing in step at 4.7 percent.
So, how does a hotel spa ensure that it’s a profit center and not a cost center? A lot of that depends on forces at work before the spa even opens its doors, according to Leslie Fairbanks, owner and managing director of Aspen Spa Management, an international spa consulting company.
