It is called the "morning jump start" and is designed for jet-lagged guests who have to clear their minds for negotiating deals. Here is what you get at the Hotel Inter-Continental in Hong Kong: a dry-skin brushing to stimulate circulation, the application of a spearmint-scented exfoliating body polish to remove the dead skin cells, an aromatherapy body massage, a luxury aromatherapy facial and, finally, a ``stimulating'' foot massage.
Pretty much every high-end hotel these days has rooms with multiline phones and high-speed Internet access and a business center with fax machines and conference tables. How, then, to lure business travelers in a soft market?
Spas are the thing. Not so long ago, hotels that catered to corporate travelers offered up fairly basic fare in the way of body and health care: a gym with a treadmill, stationary bicycle and weights, and a beauty parlor (or hair dryer attached to the bathroom mirror in less upscale lodgings).
That is not good enough anymore. These days, a spa -- a unisex "wellness" center that offer as many as a dozen varieties of facial treatments, body scrubs and massages -- has become a way for hotels to stand out. As often as not, it is connected to a fitness emporium with exercise equipment including Stairmaster machines and lateral pull-downs.
"Hotels are looking to ways to differentiate themselves from one another in this competitive market," said Stefanie Michaels, president of Adventuregirl.com, a travel Web site. "Business travelers are weary and looking for ways to be at the top of their game."
Of course, it can be hard to stand out if everybody is doing the same thing.
The growth in the number of "noteworthy hotel spas" has been exponential, from 14 in 1995 to 35 in 2001 to ubiquitous today, according to Tim Zagat, publisher of the Zagat Survey guidebooks. Since last year, "almost every major hotel has built them," he said. "There are a very large number of people who can't go more than two days without going to a health club."
What is striking about the phenomenon is the packaging. Before, hotels generally had barbershops, beauty salons and fitness centers, and they hired outside massage therapists. "But then, they packaged it all together," Zagat said. "It's about the whole experience."
Acknowledging the trend, Zagat last year added a new category, "spa facilities," to its Zagat Hotel Survey guides.
There has been no letup in the movement, either. "In the last couple of weeks, we've had four proposals out to hotels looking for spa and fitness management, more than we've had for a while," said Liz Neporent, creative director of Plus One Holdings, which creates corporate and hotel fitness centers and spas nationwide. Clients have included the Waldorf-Astoria, the Plaza Hotel and the Trump International Hotel and Towers in New York. Increasingly, she said, business travelers "are making choices based on whether they can get a facial and a massage at the hotel."
Hyatt says it has taken its spa services so seriously that it has introduced the Spa Hyatt division to answer the growing demand for spa facilities by both business and leisure travelers. Next year at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, an entire floor of standard rooms will be converted into a spa floor, where guests can actually spend the night.
The Hotel Inter-Continental in Hong Kong also features jet-lag relief and stress-buster treatments that it says are geared toward international business travelers, about half of whom are based in the US. One of the most popular is the morning jump start. Then there is the "good night, sleep tight" Chinese herbal wrap in which, after an aromatherapy massage and exfoliation treatment, the body is enfolded in a cloth drenched with herbs that are absorbed into the skin.
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