“When I’m looking for a brand, I look for
something that reinforces or highlights what
the guest experience should be.”
– PATRICK HUEY, Corporate Spa Director, Montage Hotels & Resorts
help the guest understand who the spa
is based on the character of the pro-
ducts.
“I also look for brands that aren’t
saturated. I think that nowadays when
people are shopping, they’re looking for
those unique products that aren’t
readily available or easily seen. These
boutique brands also often have
unique stories, as they’re born out of a
passion and a unique reason. They’re
not trying to be all things to all people,
they want to be original and make
their own statements.”
Huey was quick to praise boutique
brands, yet also noted how necessary it
is to partner with the boutique brands
in joint development.
“If you’re looking for smaller brands,
you have to be willing to work with
them and help them develop their pro-
duct. A lot of times, they’re still learning
how to prepare and supply seasonal
products. As a spa director, you have to
be willing to work with the boutiques
on the range and scope of their pro-
ducts. You have to engage in a partner-
ship with them to achieve what you
want to achieve. And sometimes, this
works in your favor as boutique brands
are generally more flexible to work with
because they don’t yet have a formula
in place for their success—they’re will-
ing to work with you to reach success
together.
“If you look at Montage specifically,
we recently entered into a partnership
with a small line called Lola’s Apothe-
cary, a brand which has no footprint in
the U.S. They come from a beautiful es-
tate in Devon”—a rural region of south-
west England—”and they source
natural ingredients from all around the
world. They check a lot of boxes in
terms of the farm-to-table movement
and giving back to the communities
they’re sourcing from. The character
and story of boutiques like Lola’s
Apothecary enhance the story of Mon-
tage. It gives us a niche product that is
very in line with our brand.”
Finding the Right Balance
Retail products should all work to en-
hance the story of your spa—and just
like every story has multiple angles
and themes that complement the
story as a whole, the products in your
retail space should all accent and
highlight aspects of your spa that
paint the richest picture of what you
want the guest experience to be. Of-
tentimes, that works to not only im-
prove the guest experience, but boost
revenue as well.
“I find that we have better retail
sales if people aren’t readily familiar
with the brand we’re selling,” said
Huey. “If the brand is international and
not typically found in the states, the
consumer will be more interested and
more apt to buy it from you. Of course,
we still use ‘big box’ products. You have
to have a mix of products and a range
of price points as well.”
When you think of products from es-
tablished spa industry product-makers,
you think of proven dependability over
a long period of time. These brands can
handle anything you could throw at
them with a high standard and imbue
their products with a legacy of excel-
lence—wouldn’t you like the same to
be said of your spa?
When you think of boutique pro-
ducts, you think of items that comple-
ment and accentuate a unique story,
reinforcing values and reigniting pas-
sion—wouldn’t you like to boost your
spa’s story in this way?
According to Huey, you need to be
incorporating products from both bou-
tique brands and more established re-
source partners if you wish to build a
strong retail space that highlights the
longstanding integrity of your spa
while also remaining trendy. As some-
one who has been spa director of nu-
merous properties, Huey’s approach
has proven its worth and profitability.
Let Your Story Be Told
In his blog post on how to tell a great
story, Seth Godin writes: “Great stories
are rarely aimed at everyone. Average
people are good at ignoring you. Aver-
age people have too many different
points of view about life and average
people are by and large satisfied. If
you need to water down your story to
appeal to everyone, it will appeal to
no one. The most effective stories
match the world view of a tiny au-
dience—and then that tiny audience
spreads the story.”
The rise of boutique brands in spa
retail spaces is due in large part to the
demand for spas to have a story that
appeals to their respective audience.
What story do you want to tell? It’s up
to you. Make it a good one and your
guests will listen, enjoy, then go about
their lives the same as they did before.
Make it a great one and your guests
will tell it for you long after they’ve
gone. n
MAY 2020
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