SpaQuality LLC Announces the Release of the 4th Edition of The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM
“Our Spa system transforms the spirit and the intentions of what we want to provide for our Guests into reality. In our Spa, all processes interact to create the Guest experience. In order to be fully functional, our system has to have an aim, a method and a way to measure our effectiveness. We define the aim of our system in our vision, mission, and values. Our methods are the interconnected processes. Our effectiveness is measured by assessments and key performance indicators. Our Spa system is the invisible glue that transforms our intention into the Guest’s and staff’s experiences. ” ~ Linda Bankoski and Julie Register ~
The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2008
Greenville, DE – March 31, 2008 – Competition in the spa industry continues to increase and consumers are becoming ever more selective in where they spend their discretionary income. Spas that provide confidence and meet and exceed their guests’ expectations consistently are the spas that will survive these challenging economic times. Spa owners, spa directors, spa managers, spa consultants and general managers of hotels or resorts with spas will find the information found in The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2008 extremely valuable.
SpaQuality LLC developed The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM as a framework to describe the essential elements of a complete spa quality management system based on internationally accepted quality management system standards used by other industries. Spas all over the world have purchased The Standards since the first edition was published in 2004. Now in its fourth edition, The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM have been improved with the inclusion of insights on how to apply The Standards through the addition of detailed guidance. To illustrate the practical application of The Standards, tools and examples have also been added including:
· Questions to help management define a spa’s vision, mission and values
· Examples of key performance indicators (KPIs)
· Spa system business reviews
· A proven spa improvement process
· Necessary documentation Project Management GANTT Chart
· Risk Analysis process, form and example
· Document Control Procedure
· Operations Flow Chart
· Inspection Checklist
· Self Assessment Report
· Graphs and charts showing data analysis
These improvements are based on SpaQuality’s experiences with and knowledge of best practices in high performance organizations and recommendations from Spa consultants, owners, directors, GMs and guests.
The following is an excerpt from the introduction to The Standards that provides more details on the content of The Standards:
The intent of The Standards is to describe an organized Spa management framework that sets the foundation for Spas to achieve long-term success. Spas earn the trust of their Guests and keep it by being reliable. While The Standards describe what successful Spas do, they are not prescriptive. They do not describe exactly how a Spa must operate nor do they seek to make all Spas alike. An excellent Guest experience is the result of a well-managed, disciplined Spa that provides confidence and meets or exceeds Guest expectations consistently.
Successful Spas demonstrate effective management in four key areas described in The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM.
· Spa Management – These processes communicate what is important to the Spa’s success, define roles and responsibilities and evaluate the Spa’s effectiveness and efficiency. Examples include establishing the culture, setting the Spa’s vision, mission and values, strategic planning, resourcing, leadership deployment, and business review.
· Spa Guest Experiences – These processes are used to plan the Spa’s treatment menu and required facilities, equipment and supplies, control the delivery of Guest services, and identify ways to improve the Guest experience. Examples include booking appointments, treatment delivery (SOPs / protocols), adding services to the Spa menu, expanding a Spa’s facility, and providing and displaying retail products.
· Spa Operations Support – These processes are the back-of-the-house processes used to ensure that the Spa can deliver consistent treatments and meet regulatory requirements in order to optimize the Spa business operations. Examples include training needs analysis, training staff, cleaning the Spa facility and equipment, purchasing and receiving, product storage, and maintaining equipment and facilities.
· Spa Improvement – These processes identify opportunities for the Spa to minimize risks and continually improve in all aspects of the Spa business and in Guest satisfaction. Examples include evaluating Guest feedback, root cause analysis (finding and correcting problems at their source), Spa self-examination and assessments, using audit and testing systems and personnel to identify what needs improvement, and identifying and eliminating sources of waste.
This book contains The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM 2008 along with guidance, tools and examples. It also provides information on services offered by SpaQuality LLC including education courses, Spa quality system assessments, Anonymous Guest Assessments and, for Spas that seek public recognition of their management efforts, the SpaExcellenceSM certification process.
Our intention is to provide you with everything you need to establish a Spa quality system that has integrity and which results in:
– Satisfied and Loyal Clients,
– Dependable Staff,
– Reduced Risks,
– Smooth Operations Every Day,
and
– Financial Success.
Availability: The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM2008 will be ready to ship next week. Description: 86 pages, 8.5″ x 11″, spiral bound
ISBN: 978-0-9815649-0-6 Price: $195 US, includes shipping in the US (Email Register@SpaQuality.com a quote to ship outside the US.)
About SpaQuality LLC
SpaQuality LLC was created in 2004 by Julie Register and Linda Bankoski to help spa businesses improve and be more successful and spa consumers have more satisfying spa experiences.
Before immersing herself in spas, Julie Register worked for the first 20 years of her career as an engineer for a Fortune 10 company, in management at a big 3 consulting firm and on her own as a quality management consultant. For the last decade, she has provided vital spa information for spa consumers and professionals on the Internet with spas.about.com and DiscoverSpas.com which has helped the spa industry expand to what it is today. She recognized an opportunity to help spas develop their quality management systems. Since quality was her area of expertise, she wanted to help the spa industry by sharing what she knew and sharing what had already benefited many, many other industries – quality system standards. In 2004, she created SpaQuality LLC with Linda Bankoski, a quality expert with over 30 years of experience. The inspiration for The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM comes from internationally accepted quality management system standards used by other industries including ISO 9000 (international quality management systems), ISO 14000 (environmental management standards), the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the Untied States, the Canada Awards for Excellence from the National Quality Institute in Canada, the EFQM Excellence Award in Europe, OSHA (US health and safety), FDA Good Manufacturing Practices (US), TedQual (tourism education quality), JCAHO (US healthcare organization standards), and more. Linda and Julie drew from their quality knowledge and experience to translate, enhance and organize the basic concepts and application of these standards and combined it with years of spa experience into a complete spa quality management system that provides spas with what is necessary to achieve long-term success. They published the first edition of The International Standards of SpaExcellenceSM in 2004 and have updated it annually ever since.
SpaQuality LLC also offers quality management courses, seminars, and workshops for spas; spa quality system assessments and anonymous guest assessments; spa consultant certification; and, for those spas who have developed outstanding quality systems and wish to be publicly recognized for their achievement, SpaExcellenceSM certification.
Website:
Email: julie.register@dol.net
