Fourth stop of the Italian tour to discover our best SPA Managers.
Today we meet Anna Rita Di Giacomo, Director Spa & Wellness at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan.
Anna Rita began her professional career in the world of tourism, coordinating prestigious events for national and international clients, before becoming responsible for Strategic Communication and promotion of important Italian companies. She has a degree in Psychology which guides her in her choices and relationships.
“The world of wellness becomes my passion and my choice of life after the accidental discovery of this sector, thanks to the consultancy for an important start-up of wellness centres, some of which I later coordinated personally. I then began a long collaboration with Terme di Saturnia, which saw me experiment new management techniques and where I acquired an international professionalism, targeted and specialized in the world of wellness, through varied experiences.
Spa consultant, Customer Care Manager, Spa Operations Manager until the achievement of the position of Spa Manager. In 2014 I was called by Mandarin Oriental for the first opening in Italy, currently I hold the position of Director of Spa & Wellness and I follow all strategic, operational, management and Costumer Care aspects.
In 2019 I was assigned to deal with the re-branding of the Mandarin Oriental Spa, Lake Como, where I followed all aspects of the opening, training and standards, as well as the selection of the Spa Manager”.
La SPA del Mandarin Oriental Milan
SA – Anna Rita, describe your current position. Who are your customers? What are their expectations?
AD – I have been Spa & Wellness Director of the Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Milan since 2015, the year the first Mandarin Oriental opened in Italy. I have been taking care of this beautiful Spa since its birth, in pre-opening when it was still a construction site, following its rump up and taking care of its positioning.
In 2019, on behalf of the Vice President of Italy and Corporate Office, I was in charge of the re-branding of the Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Lake Como, taking care of the selection of the manager and following all the operational and training steps to open the second Mandarin Oriental Spa in Italy.
Our Guests approach the Company, often aware of the value of the Spa, so they have great expectations in terms of unique wellness experiences, excellent treatments and unique relationships. In fact, although the Company is structured in terms of procedures and protocols, we are very careful about the personal needs, even implicit needs of our Guests.
In Milan, this has helped us to build important relationships with them, determining a loyalty that is absolutely above the norm in comparison to our other Company SPAs. It is precisely the consideration of the uniqueness of the individual that is at the heart of my work.
SA – Describe a time when you have introduced new policies, procedures and equipment to your staff.
AD – My personal philosophy is to innovate while respecting tradition. This means that processes, procedures, treatments must be continuously reviewed, improved also in the light of new technologies, new trends. I always add new treatments and targeted offers, so that the Treatments Menu, our internal processes are always evolving, growing.
In 2017 I introduced some cosmetics from a Korean line, in 2018 I introduced a new Cosmetic Line, highly effective, together with products for cabin body treatments that guarantee immediate results from the first application; in 2019 the new Skin Perfection and V-Shape machines with the special partnership of Hintime. Together we worked on a special project, an immediate Mask Lifting for the evening that we paid homage to our Fans of MO and Hotel Guests during Fashion Week 2020. I am now working on new rituals which are scheduled to be launched in winter 2020/2021. I also particularly love co-branding actions that I carry out together with high level partners.
Tradition is just as important because it determines who we are, it allows a stable identification also for the resources working inside the Spa and offers quality guarantees to the Guests who attend it.