Spa and Hotel news from SpaCast.com. Part of Spa Index Media Network.

Recession hasn't decreased demand for #massage therapists

It’s one of the ironies of the Great Recession. Even as Michigan’s long and deep economic downturn generates plenty of stress, many laid-off workers are finding new careers as massage therapists.  Despite the poor economy, demand for massage therapists is still holding strong, thanks to hiring by hospitals, chiropractic offices, nursing homes and others.

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India Spas limber up for expansion in 2010

The country is likely to have more than 2,000 spas by the end of 2010, up from just 200. The wellness industry is alive and kicking in India and nothing demonstrates this better than the hyper-activity in the spa business.

Consider this: Hyderabad-based O2 Spas, which has set up shop at the Delhi and Mumbai airports, is now delivering spa therapies to offices. Weight loss and beauty specialists Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves (VLCC) is developing a residential medical spa in Gurgaon at an investment of Rs 100 crore. Delhi-based Spas India Private Limited, a subsidiary of Canadian Spas Worldwide, wants to expand from its single spa in Delhi to 10 more cities, Bangalore and Mumbai among them.

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2009 called 'the worst downtown in our lifetimes' for Greater Phoenix spa resorts and hotels

When the owner of the luxury Phoenician resort reported year-end financial results, no negatives were spared in summing up the state of the hotel industry last year.

"For the lodging business, 2009 was the worst downturn in our lifetimes," Frits van Paasschen, chief executive officer of lodging giant Starwood Hotels and Resorts, said last week. "Even a tepid recovery will feel good."

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Spa STAR report: Average spa treatment rate is US$146

Luxury spa participants in the Spa STAR performance report continued to show declining performance metrics through the third quarter of 2009, according to data released by STR. Through September year-to-date, the Average Treatment Rate (ATR) for the participating spas was US$146, a decline of 10 percent from the first nine months of 2008. For the same time frame the Average Daily Rate (ADR) for luxury hotels tracked by STR decreased 17 percent to US$240.

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The bankrupt Spa Chakra receives court approval to honor GCs

At hearings held Friday, December 11th and Monday, December 14th in the United States bankruptcy court, Spa Chakra, Inc., the now bankrupt global spa network received court approval to honor and fulfill all gift card and other customer loyalty programs and continue to pay its employees.

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#SpaCast: Design Trends of Spa Websites

Hotels and spas tend to go together. As shown by some of the examples featured in this article, spas are often one of several amenities offered besides standard hotel rooms. As a result, the spa is often a micro-site within the hotel or resort page. While some of the trends to hotel design carry over (e.g. highly visual photography), the target audience is more specific than that of the average hotel.

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#SpaCast: US medical spas facing state legislation

Medical spas in the US and elsewhere have increased in numbers and are popular as medical tourism destinations. Several countries have reported problems of medical spas undertaking medical procedures which neither the spa nor the staff are qualified to do. Unfortunately, this reflects badly on the majority who are professional. They have tended to fall between the gaps in legislation, but one of the first countries seeking to remedy that is the USA. Nationally, the number of medical spas around the country has grown from 500 in 2004 to 2,500 today. If this growth rate continues, more states will follow the four who are preparing regulations, and almost every sate has discussed the idea.

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Are medical spas a fast-growing but undefined industry?

...[A]s the medical spa industry continues to expand at a breakneck pace, oversight of these facilities is lagging behind. New cosmetic procedures and devices are increasingly blurring the line between the practice of medicine and the field of cosmetology — and putting some patients in the hands of less-qualified individuals.

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RockResorts Innovative Program to Recycle Hotel Soap

High in the Colorado Rockies a life-saving necessity is making its way to the island nation of Haiti and abroad. By partnering with Clean the World, Inc., RockResorts is collecting barely-used soap and shampoo from its collection of 8 hotels and enabling the Orlando charity to provide the much-needed supplies to needy people in homeless shelters and impoverished countries around the world.

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Quail Lodge Hotel & Spa Carmel California closed doors today

CARMEL, Calif. -- The Quail Lodge Hotel and Spa will be officially closing its doors on Monday. Back in September, owners said the 97-room hotel had been losing money for the last eight years.As a result of the closure, more than 100 employees are being laid off.The resort's restaurant and golf course are still open. 

via www.ksbw.com