USA Today reports that luxury hotel spas in the USA are weathering the recession by being open longer hours and dropping their prices. The average price per treatment dropped significantly in 2008 when the recession first hit and has not yet recovered, according to Smith Travel Research.
Despite lower prices and tempting special offers, the report shows that in the first six months of 2012 spa treatment rooms are only used for 23% of the time they are available. This may be caused by spas having less overall business for massages, scrubs and beauty treatments, or by them being open for longer hours to accommodate guests wanting evening appointments.
Spas are filling their expensive empty spas by offering all-inclusive packages to non-residents for a set price, heavily discounting the regular price of single treatments. They often include access to the hotel pool and fitness center and may end with a glass of wine or champagne.
Other attempts to boost spa business include the use of luxury branded products by companies such as Guerlain or Elizabeth Arden. But according to spa industry expert David Stoup, the days of opulent high-end spas are over with the valuable space in luxury hotels being put to better use, a departure from past trends in the luxury hotel trade.
by Gillian
Spain, which pioneered the cheap holiday-in-the-sun package deal, is trying to upgrade its image.
A campaign is attempting to convince the ‘affluent and discerning traveller’ that the country has far more to offer than just the opportunity to stretch out on a sun lounger for a fortnight with a good book. The tourist authorities want to put Spain’s lesser-known attractions on the map, such as its gastronomic and artistic traditions.
Among the destinations being highlighted are the vineyards of the Rioja region, the futuristic Guggenheim Museum in the Basque city of Bilbao and the vast Donana national park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to rare wildlife.
“It’s time to look for customers with high purchasing power because there is plenty to offer them,” said Jose Maria Rubio, the head of Spain’s Hotel and Catering Federation.
General Franco first opened up Spain to foreign tourists in the late 1950s. But his idea has seen Mediterranean fishing villages transformed into a mass of skyscraper hotels, fast-food outlets, bars and nightclubs that are now synonymous with the worst of mass tourism. “Spain is suffering from a perceived loss of authenticity in its coastal destinations,” was how the tourism ministry put it in its Horizon 2020 plan last year.
Like many other holiday destinations, Spain has suffered in the recession. In the first seven months of this year, the number of visitors dropped by 10.3 per cent compared with 2008.
Mr Rubio emphasised that the coastal regions would remain a key factor. “It’s more a question of completing the image of Spain with its culture, natural and historical attractions and gastronomy,” he said.
by Andy Moreton
Whether soaking up the sun on the beach or the culture in the city, Luxique has an unrivalled selection of luxury hotels in Spain.
One effect of the worldwide recession has brought mixed blessings for Prague.
For some years, the capital of the Czech Republic has been the favoured haunt for that final fling before marriage – the stag (bachelor) or hen party. It was a particularly British pre-nuptial tradition inspired by Prague’s cheap drinks and beautiful scenery.
But with people trying to cut down on the high costs of weddings, this seems to be changing. Tom Chesshyre, writing in the London Mail On Sunday, says some companies that organise stag parties in the city have gone bust and those that continue are reporting stagnant bookings.
That’s bad news for the city’s bar owners because takings are down by at least a third. But it’s good news for the residents as there’s been a marked reduction in the number of drunken Britons roaming the cobbled streets.
One man running a ‘stag-hen’ tour company in Prague said: “It’s amusing. We used to get hotels that said ‘we don’t want stag parties.’ Now they’re begging us for bookings.”
“So,” says Chesshyre, “I think, as I take in a Mozart and Dvorak concert at the wonderfully ornate St Climent Cathedral, this Prague Spring should be a bit different from recent years. A little more peace, calm and culture.”
by Andy Moreton
If you’re destined for the Czech capital and its rediscovered calmness, take a look at Luxique’s city guide and great selection of luxury hotels in Prague.
