Spa_Executive_April_2024

Can you please talk about your role at
Iberostar and what it entails?
My responsibilities include overseeing the
operations of six spas across Mexico. My role
entails the preparation of annual budgets
for all spas, strategizing for sales growth,
developing standards and protocols, ensuring
their implementation in daily operations,
creation of new services, and enhancing guest
experiences. I am responsible for designing
spa menus, selecting the finest products for
our guests, and ensuring continuous training
and welfare for our staff. I am also involved
in the development and opening of new
Iberostar properties, with upcoming projects
in Aruba and the Dominican Republic.
What makes the best guest experience?
Creating the ultimate guest wellness
experience in a hotel or resort, especially
within an all-inclusive setting, demands
exceptional offerings that stand out. I believe
the key to exceeding guest expectations lies
in providing unique, locally-inspired products
and experiences. Continuously training
staff, ensuring our services are inclusive and
accessible to all guests, staying on top of
industry developments, and incorporating
them into our offerings allows us to deliver
the best wellness experiences. We recently
conducted a training for cancer care therapies
and saw how, in just one treatment, we can
positively impact a client’s daily life by relieving
pain and improving range of movement and
sleep quality.
How does Iberostar integrate the
principles of sustainability and
environmental responsibility into its
spa and wellness offerings?
Iberostar seamlessly incorporates
sustainability and environmental responsibility
into its spa and wellness services. For example,
for over three years, all our hotels and spas
have been free of single-use plastics. And
our Wave of Change initiative is a pioneering
responsible tourism movement towards a
circular economy to promote the responsible
consumption of seafood, improving coastal
health, and protecting our coral reefs.
A critical part of that project is not using or
selling any products containing micro plastic
or oxybenzone.
Our objectives are to achieve zero waste and
100% responsible seafood consumption
by 2025, and become carbon neutral by
2030. Plus, we aim to have all ecosystems
surrounding Iberostar properties improving in
ecological health alongside profitable tourism
by 2030. Our Wave of Change initiative is set
to become a key factor for 60% of guests
choosing Iberostar by 2025.
For a deeper dive into our commitment
and initiatives, visit our website at
www.waveofchange.com.
Do you find yourself using technology
more at work in recent years?
Yes we do, especially during and after the
Covid. We are a paperless company, so we
are using more digital options in our spa
operations. This includes using the hotel app
for spa reservations, online bookings and
check in, and digital guest intake forms.
Can you discuss any challenges
Iberostar faces in the wellness tourism
sector and how the company is
addressing them?
As a sustainable company our main challenge
was offering the best possible service and
guest experience in our all inclusive resorts
and staying sustainable in that process. This
hard work involves many departments in
Mexico and across the border focused on
achieving the same main goal.
We analyze our consumption levels – have
you ever thought about the origins of your
products? Consider the vast amount of
resources needed to produce the multitude
of things we have in our lives. We’ve grown
accustomed to a system that takes from the
environment to produce goods with short
lifespans, only to be ultimately thrown away
when their use runs out. Those are some
questions we ask ourselves as a company.
We take, consume and waste more than our
planet can support.
One proposed solution is working towards a
circular economy. Circular economies focus
on the retention of value in the material cycle
through reusing and recycling material such
as plastic to prevent their release into the
environment. Again you can read more about
his here: www.waveofchange.com
What are you most excited about for
the spa, wellness, and hospitality
industry this year?
The training that we have planned for our staff
for this year, to see our new spa uniforms
coming out by mid of the year, our first spa
meeting for Ibesostar America in May, to be
able to meet my colleagues and share our
experiences, and the opening of Iberostar in
Aruba to see our new baby coming!
18 | Spa Executive