Hildegard Dorn-Petersen on the corona crisis

Hildegard Dorn-Petersen has been providing success-oriented and practical advice to wellness hotels in the German-speaking world for more than 25 years. We asked her about the future of SPAs.

Question 1: How do the clients you advise deal with the Corona crisis?
Most of them initially experienced the lockdown as a shock, but then quickly showed cool head and seized the opportunity: they renovated and invested. In many places, colleagues joined forces to develop hygiene concepts and thus be well prepared for the reopening. These confidence-building measures have paid off: whether in Bavaria or on the beaches of the Baltic Sea, the summer season has gone very well and the autumn has also brought good occupancy rates. For the cold season it is important to creatively create additional areas and offers - the yoga room is turned into a relaxation room and in the sauna garden there is room for an additional log cabin sauna because steam bath and infrared are not allowed to be operated.
What gets on everyone's nerves is the constant back and forth of regulations, e.g. with the ban on accommodation. And the uncertainty about what tomorrow will bring. A few days ago, one of my customers in the Berchtesgadener Land region had to ask the guests to leave within a short time and close the hotel. It's great when you still manage to spread optimism.

Question 2: How do customers change their behaviour in the SPA sector?
Basically it can be said that the guests are very understanding. They follow the Corona rules, with distance and respect. SPA treatments are well booked. Preferences for treatments without continuous manual contact, e.g. soft packs or baths, cannot be established - quite the contrary: the longing for touch increases the demand for massages.
The most important trend in Corona times: Wellness takes place outdoors!  Germany has rediscovered cycling, and nature offers the perfect wellness retreat, from a walk on the beach to swimming in the forest. What has long been preached - away from pure pampering treatment and towards a holistic understanding of wellness - is now taken for granted with Corona.

Question 3: Will the crisis also open up opportunities for the SPA? And if so, which ones?
Trust is very important, for guests and staff alike. And it's not just about hygiene and washing hands - that has always been a matter of course at the SPA. Rather, it is about credibility and authenticity of the services offered in the SPA. That is why it is now time to put one's own SPA portfolio to the test (with external help if necessary) and to look for new concepts that convey individual experiences, regionality and joie de vivre. Those who manage to build up a relationship of trust and care for the health of their customers as their most important concern can retain guests and attract new ones.