TUESDAY 28th February BACK TO MAIN SEMINAR PAGE

1250 - 1350 hrs: Why do hotels not understand spas?
……because they don’t have to!
Speaker: Andrew Gibson, Managing Director, Six Senses Spas, and Ian Brewis, Director of Spa Development, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts

A joint presentation by two of the industry’s leading lights – followed by a chance for all delegates to join in the controversy!
The first part of this presentation will look at the globalisation of spas and the current focus of attention on the spa phenomenon. Hotels have embraced this lifestyle trend to the extent that almost all modern luxury hotels are planned with a spa facility and many older hotels are working out ways to include a spa through the provision of some space or in some form of marketing.
 
However there are a number of factors beneath the surface that may suggest that the hotel groups do not really understand how spas can successfully contribute towards the overall success for the hotel. The appointment of management at corporate level to develop a spa strategy has made a tremendous jump forward for those forward thinking groups. Even this will not produce the paradigm shift that I believe can be achieved. What is required to make this shift will be revealed during the presentation.

Andrew Gibson 
Andrew joined Six Senses as Managing Director of the Spa Division in May 2003. He continues to head up the spa division and develop expansion of the Six Senses group throughout Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Previously, he was based in Cyprus where he was a partner and supervised the design, construction and start-up of a luxury spa - The Retreat at Aphrodite Hills - a unique monasterial building set in hidden gardens on a cliff top, close to the birthplace of Aphrodite. Andrew has many years of experience within the luxury leisure hospitality business. He has contributed to projects all over the world, particularly in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. One of his first projects was a ladies-only spa created specifically for residents of the Sultanate of Oman.

In addition to developing Six Senses Spas at the group's core properties, Andrew spearheads the development of Six Senses Spas throughout the world with a variety of international hotel groups and private owners. It is one of the objectives of Six Senses Spas to provide excellent associations with prestigious properties.

Ian Brewis
As Director of Spa Development for Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Ian is responsible for the development and implementation of CHI, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts’ award-winning spa brand. Three CHI spas have successfully opened in Bangkok, Shanghai and Mactan Island, Philippines with a further 22 to open in selected Shangri-La city hotels and resort locations over the next four years.

Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts is recognized as Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group with 48 hotels in 13 countries and regions and over 40 hotels under development.

Ian is a hotel management graduate from both Oxford-Brookes University, UK and Florida International University, USA. Prior to joining Shangri-La Group in 2002 specifically to develop and execute the CHI concept, Ian had worked in Asia for over 15 years in luxury hotels, before managing one of the UK’s leading health spas
Ian is a member of ISPA, the International Spa Association.