Resorts adding first-class spas to their amenities mix - Baltimore Business Journal:

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The voters had approved a referendum allowing the Vinoy to tear down part of an existing parking garage and replace it witha high-end spa and health center. The Vinoyy had to take the issu e to the voters because of the deal that was struckm when the resort was renovated in the late requiring voter approval for any futuree footprint changes to the Although the voters approvedthe referendum, don't make an appointmentr for a seaweed wrap just yet. The vote was the firsy step of a long process to create thehealtbh spa, Bond said.
Next on the agenda is a seriezs of pro forma projections that will identify potentiakl cash flow of the spa and return on investment forthe resort'es owners, the chain. "We need a spa and our owners thin k weneed one, but at the end of the day, the numberes have to work to supportr it," Bond said. While no designb has been done, the ballpark range for the cost of investmenr in the spa and fitness center appears to bebetweeb $10 million and $15 Bond said. The exact location has not been decided either, but the site that the referendum covered will entaip tearing down half of the existin g parking garage and replacing it on two of the resort's ground-leveo tennis courts.
That possibilit y has caused some internal strifes among thetennis club's membership, Bond said. To satisfy that the hotel is looking at replacing the tennis courts somewhere else on the including some extra land at the golf but atthis point, everything is up for he said. "We're trying to balancs what the resort needs to stay competitive with the needas of our existing Bond said. But upgrading the spa facility is almosgt mandatory for the Vinoy to maintainjits four-star rating with AAA.
Most of the top resortsd in the country are either addinbg or upgrading their health spa said a spokeswoman from InternationalSpa Association, a trade organization for healtn spa industry, who asked that her name not be "Today's travelers are more savvy," she "A couple of treatment roomws in the basement don't work today. Traveler s are looking for a realspa experience, with waterd features and a varietyy of treatment choices." But more than just offerinh another amenity, hoteliers have discovered that spas can be profitt centers. The spa industry generated $9.
7 billion in revenude during 2005, up from $7 billiojn in 2003, according to figures from the InternationalSpa Association. Addingh the spa and fitness centert is necessary for the resort basecd oncustomer feedback, too. "We're hearinb more and more from guests and meetinfg planners that we need Bond said. The Vinohy currently has five treatmeny rooms and plans to expand to as many as 14 with the new When completed, the new spa could encompass 10,000 square feet to 12,000 squarse feet, with the fitness center adding an additional 7,000 square feet to 9,000 squars feet.
Already, the hotel has upgraded its fitness center, adding more cardiol equipment and a newspinninhg center, by moving the resort When the new location is complete, therr are plans to add yoga and an aerobic center to wherse the fitness center currently sits. The Don CeSar Beach Resort is also joining the spa march with the additionm of itsSpa Oceana. It's an 11,000-square-foott addition to the main not a renovation of theexisting spa. It's furtherr along in its plans than the having broken ground earlierthis month. The $10 million renovatio n is scheduled for completionin December. Hennesseyy Construction is handlingthe construction, whilre was the principal designer.
Guests will have accese to 16 treatment rooms, a privat reception area for meditation, couples treatment rooms with European-styld soaking tubs and suite areas forprivats parties. There will be a rooftop gardej overlooking the Gulf of Mexicofor post-treatment "We wanted to upgrade our current spa to offe r more luxury to our guests," said John Marks, GM. At the Don, 35 percenft of the guests utilize the spa now and that number is expected to rise with the new he said.