Our journey to discover the best Italian SPA Managers continues.
After meeting Patrizia Bortolin in South Tyrol, we head down to Apulia to one of the most famous Italian locations abroad: Borgo Egnazia, the splendid resort in the province of Brindisi, which counts personalities such as Madonna, Justin Timberlake and the Beckhams among its clients.
The Borgo Egnazia Spa is called Vair and boasts a team of wellness professionals able to create tailor-made itineraries according to the wishes and needs of each individual customer. An exceptional group led by the Chief Happiness Officer: Erica D’angelo
We also asked Erica some questions to discover some secrets of this fascinating profession. Let’s see what she answered 🙂
Erica, Describe your current location. Who are your customers? What are their expectations?
My role is that of Wellbeing Director and I take care of everything related to wellness within Borgo Egnazia, from the SPA to the physical activity and gym programmes. My job is to provide guests with a unique wellness experience in every aspect of their stay, not just the SPA area. I am also involved in business development with the aim of making Borgo Egnazia an international wellness destination. I am also Chief Happiness Officer and, together with the Talent Manager, I am in charge of developing welfare and wellbeing projects aimed at employees and based on the science of happiness.
Our clients have always been international, we have guests from the US, UK, France and Germany. This year, of course, was a particular year and we had a predominance of Italians. Expectations towards the Spa are very high in terms of service standards, as clients are used to attending top-level facilities all over the world, especially in terms of innovation and uniqueness of the services offered.
They rely on us to live an experience that we call “nowherelse”, to discover Puglia in all its aspects and this also happens through beauty rituals and personal care that are offered in Vair in an authentic and experiential way. One example of this is the Happiness Break, a personal and regenerating journey with a light and joyful vision of life, ideal for those who want to disconnect from the stress of everyday life and reconnect with their happiness.
How have you improved the services offered by your spa since you started managing it? How have you optimized times and costs?
At the beginning of my journey with Borgo Egnazia, I spent a lot of time redefining the Spa concept, integrating the Science of Happiness and consequently revisiting the Spa Menu. It was necessary to apply this concept to all aspects of Borgo Egnazia’s life, not only for guests, but also for employees.
We have integrated many new services, often inspired by the tradition of living in Puglia, such as workshops with the Master of Laughter, experiences dedicated to children based on the idea of family bonding, as well as creating the Happiness Break programs with specific protocols and paths. We have developed a partnership with the American organization Blue Zones, becoming the first hospitality destination certified according to the pillars of longevity.
As a result of professional training and previous experience as an entrepreneur, I have always dedicated a great deal of attention to managing and optimising costs in relation to potential turnover while fully preserving the quality of the service. For example, we have intervened in the management of SPA linen reducing by 36% the incidence of this cost on individual treatments/services provided.
With the same intention of optimising the company’s profitability, we faced a process of renegotiation with suppliers by setting specific objectives in order to generate win-win relationships with our partners. Naturally, these ideas have been shared with the staff by increasing awareness of the improper use of materials and by adding the quantities of consumables foreseen for each treatment to the technical manual and for each treatment card.
Describe once you have introduced new policies, procedures, equipment to your staff.
Among the most important projects of the last year and a half, focused on reducing consumption and on Plastic Smart, was the development of the new Borgo Egnazia courtesy line. We have defined and created ceramic dispensers designed specifically for us that are both handcrafted and functional for use by both staff and customers.
The product development was a fascinating project: we started from the creation of the fragrance of Happiness together with our aromatherapist Luca Fortuna, integrating it in cosmetic bases of exceptional quality produced by the local company N&B of Martano.
We followed the Natrue Biologico certification process and today our guests benefit from the products that, thanks to their neurochemical effect through the sense of smell, enhance the perception of happiness. The products can also be purchased in our shop Bottega Egnazia and online at the dedicated website. We are really satisfied with the great success they are experiencing.
All this has changed the way Spa and housekeeping staff work, having to supply the dispensers if necessary. There has been a great deal of reorganisation work and the drafting of new procedures that have brought about an important cultural change, having to abandon the practicality of mignon packs. Even the bulk bins, in which the products are delivered, are returned to the supplier and reused to eliminate plastic consumption throughout the supply chain.
In the Spa department, entirely biodegradable disposable briefs have been introduced, to be disposed of with organic material. This entails an important change in the management of differentiated waste, which the staff welcomed with open arms, in the face of the great privilege of being one of the few Spas in the world (perhaps the only one) to have 100% eco-friendly disposable briefs.
How do you supervise staff training?
We invest heavily in staff training, which lasts about 6 weeks during the period of low employment between the end of January and mid-March. Our technical director and head of training organises a busy schedule divided between internal training on our signature protocols and training provided by external companies on new protocols or refreshments of existing treatments.
Each therapist and receptionist has a personal development plan in which milestones are identified based on the amount of services they have received training on. No one is authorised to provide treatments for which the Vair team has not received adequate training, including basic services such as aesthetics and toweling. During training I am always present and introduce the new season with a presentation in which everyone participates before starting the training calendar.
How do you inspire loyalty and trust in your staff?
Trust is one of my core values. It must be built over time and I do it by being myself, adopting ethical behaviour in all circumstances, valuing people’s talents and not being afraid to show my vulnerability or unpreparedness when something new or unexpected happens.
One of Ghandi’s favourite phrases is
“Be the change you want to see in the world”.
I adopt coherent, transparent and authentic behaviour that leaves room for people to express themselves and count on me.
Describe once you have worked with your staff to improve the service of your spa.
The team is always involved in service improvement choices. I ask the opinion of my staff in all circumstances and thanks to the climate of trust and transparency, people feel free to express difficulties and opinions on how processes can be improved. The creation of the new menu was a work done by 8 hands in which perplexities and ideas on how to make the guest experience unforgettable were shared.
I do not consider myself an expert in the technicalities of my department and for this reason I rely on the experience of each of them to enrich the range of possibilities and highlight new perspectives that can improve not only the service to the guest, but the quality of the work for each employee.
We have implemented HeartCount, a system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor the emotional climate of staff at an early stage. This tool also allows them to share ideas on a weekly basis that are read regularly and implemented as frequently as possible. Like CHO, I believe that company performance is directly proportionate to the company climate and people’s motivation, which is why it is crucial for me to maximise the happiness of each of my staff.
Describe once you have received negative feedback from a member of your staff. How did you handle it?
Feedback is very important, it is the tool on which I base a lot of my personal development. They help me to raise awareness and understand how to change processes and behaviour to turn the negative into an opportunity. One of the feedback I receive is that I am not strict enough and so there are people who take advantage of my unconditional trust in others.
I have therefore adopted a more intransigent behaviour on some aspects such as delays, non-delivery or failure to complete activities discussed together. Targets are agreed and the level of commitment and engagement is measured through results. I confess that being rigid does not belong to me, but actually adopting this approach has allowed me to identify the “sly” that undermined the positive climate we have all committed ourselves to building.
You expect a large group of people to check in at the same time. How do you plan the reception?
Planning is fundamental: assuming what can happen in complex situations to manage allows me to minimise the margin of error. From an operational point of view I make sure that the presence of staff is correctly distributed so that everyone can be supportive in times of high stress peaks.
A large group is a source of pride and excitement for the team. With the utmost enthusiasm I share the advantages of having a large group. So together we plan the moment in detail sufficiently in advance. Then anything can happen… which is why I am always supportive in times of possible confusion.
How do you handle guest complaints?
Complaints are one of the most delicate aspects. At Vair I have great confidence in the talent of my Spa Manager, who has natural skills in handling these situations. I confess that I have not personally interfaced with customers who complain about something for a long time, as we tend to reduce this risk as much as possible through planning.
This has rarely happened to us in recent years and we have focused on what was important to the guest and which action would be most meaningful. Discounting is a practice I do not appreciate and therefore I dedicate myself to increasing the perceived value by finding a new opportunity for redemption. It is essential that guests leave the Spa or end their stay with a positive memory of the experience.
For this reason, dissatisfied guests should be listened to carefully, not only to take cues for improvement, but also to better address the complaint based on their personal values, needs and perceptions.
Describe a time when you have turned a negative situation with a guest into a positive situation.
It may happen that the right feeling is not created between therapist and guest. When this is perceived, we immediately induce a small meeting to see which therapist would be ideal for the guest in question. Depending on the situation, we invite him/her for free to try a new experience with the therapist we consider most suitable.
This approach often converts negative situations, in which the guest did not feel comfortable or was not satisfied, into positive situations in which the guest not only appreciates the commitment on our part, but understands that the intention of the team is to create unforgettable wellness experiences.