An interview with Mr. Tomonari Tai, Executive Assistant Manager at The Sukhothai Shanghai
In 2018, the contemporary lifestyle hotel The Sukhothai Shanghai opened in the heart of Shanghai within the HKRI Taikoo Hui. The traditional virtue of hospitality with a contemporary twist is complemented with meticulously designed facilities and hotel services to accommodate modern urbanities. Wellness is a main theme that threads through the Sukhothai experience and reaches its climax at The Retreat. In a peaceful and serene atmosphere, The Retreat makes guests feel its “uniqueness” through attention to detail, cordial personal services, holistic pampering, nourishing treatments and continual updates of programs according to the changing needs of the market.
Mr. Tomonari Tai, the Executive Assistant Manager at The Sukhothai Shanghai is Japanese with over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He has worked for various luxury hotels under the brands of Hilton, Sofitel, Shangri-La and Ritz-Carlton. His footsteps cover three continents and include mainland China. He has undertaken different roles in hotels during the years and was promoted to Executive Assistant Manager, Rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street before he joined The Sukhothai Shanghai. Tomonari is convinced that guests’ loyalty comes from their satisfaction to the services the hotel offers. So he always encourages his team members to actively interact with guests and carefully listen to their needs. He firmly believes that attention to detail is the key to success. Under his leadership, the team members, including the spa associates at The Retreat manage to bring many unforgettable experiences to the guests. SpaChina interviews Mr. Tomonari Tai on how to create a unique spa experience and carry out effective staff training.
Please introduce The Sukhothai Shanghai and The Retreat to our readers.
Strategically located in the business and tourist hotspot of West Nanjing Road and Shimen Yi Road, The Sukhothai Shanghai is a contemporary design hotel that forms an integral part of the HKRI Taikoo Hui mixed-use complex, which also includes Grade-A office towers and a premium shopping mall. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, the hotel features 170 well-appointed guest rooms and 31 suites ranging from 44 to 172 square meters, and five inspiring lifestyle dining venues serving authentic modern cuisines and artisanal beverages, a state-of-the-art fitness studio complete with a 25-metre heated indoor pool, and a spa specializing in revitalizing wellness programs. Crafted for exquisite social and corporate events, conferences and exhibitions of all scales, the Grand Shanghai Ballroom along with six multi-purpose function rooms occupy a spacious area of 450 square meters, conveniently accessible from the main driveway and grand terrazzo staircase.
The Retreat is “A Place Apart” in the Heart of Shanghai to rejuvenate the body, mind and soul. The Retreat presents a series of Southeast Asian-inspired treatments to deliver a renewing experience to guests.
The Retreat’s logo combines the symbols of lotus and water, each containing its unique meaning. The lotus represents inner beauty and rebirth, and water symbolizes purity, fluidity and rhythms of life. The two combined forms a place of peace and serenity, the perfect haven from the hustle and bustle of city life.
What do you think are the essentials for a hotel spa to attract more guests and win in the market? How does The Retreat comply with these essentials? What are the results?
People including myself are much more conscious about wellness nowadays and information is overflowing due to advanced digital technology. For a hotel spa, it is essential to provide an experience for guests to nourish their mind, body and spirit, and not just a treatment or massage. For The Retreat, it is our commitment to offer a calming and peaceful setting for our guests to escape from the frantic pace of the city life. “Unique wellness journey that enlivens the senses and instills wellbeing” is a key for success in the market in addition to spreading out the right message to the right channel.
Uniqueness simply comes from people, quality and details under the right leadership. I am proud to share that our Spa and Fitness Manager has been part of The Sukhothai family since the pre-opening period. She has shown her full passion for Spa and shared her creativity to make The Retreat experience truly unique. For example, The Retreat Detox Massage, our signature treatment, draws on three cultures to deliver an intensely relaxing and calming experience and Lava Shell Deep Heat Relaxation, a deep massage therapy with the shape of the heated shell.
According to our business mix statistics, 60% of our guests are non-residential and The Retreat exceeded Q1 targets this year.
What does The Sukhothai care most about in spa personnel recruitment? What qualities do you require from spa staff? How do you carry out effective training for them?
Our purpose is “our guests” and not tasks. Thus, we strongly believe in the importance of “attitude” and “personality” that includes caring for others, being passionate about wellness, being positive, taking ownership and paying attention to details upon hiring. For therapists, skill testing will be conducted by the Spa and Fitness Manager.
A key factor in carrying out effective training is planning. Every time, our Spa and Fitness Manager spends tremendous time with the appointed brand trainers for preparation in order to ensure the training is productive. For example, most recently in leveraging our recent collaboration with Natura Bissé, The Retreat offering was refreshed in March 2021 to introduce five new treatments using its products that were uniquely designed for The Retreat. One week of intensive training was arranged for our spa associates early this year. The training contents included brand / product understanding, massage therapy techniques and the complete the whole journey. I personally witnessed it as being effective.
Furthermore, we encourage our associates to have a cross exposure to the only sister property in Bangkok prior to the pandemic period. One of our fully engaged therapists had the opportunity to spend two weeks in Spa Botanica to learn the timeless healing tradition of Thailand in 2019. The beauty of this cross exposure experience is that the therapist was so inspired by the experience and was excited to propose amending some steps of our Thai Massage with Herbal Compress after returning from Thailand. We found it extremely helpful to elevate the authentic wellness journey for our guests and appreciated her proactive involvement in the planning of work.
The Retreat is widely praised for its design and spa concept. Could you talk more on these two aspects? What is the guests’ feedback about them?
Located on the lower ground level, The Retreat comprises five private treatment suites — three single suites and two double suites, one equipped with a bathtub. Each configuration is designed as “an independent villa in a villa” to deliver bespoke wellness experiences to guests with varying needs.
A semi-private relaxation area with a wide range of books is situated in the center of The Retreat for our guests to enjoy a peaceful time after the treatment. At the reception area, ZEN Garden with natural daylight is reminiscent of a well of wellness to nourish your mind and spirit.
The concept of The Retreat is to take you on a holistic refined wellness journey through an indulgence and pampering experience with natural Asian inspired ingredients, unique healing elements and enhanced yet soothing treatment techniques. In addition to treatments shared earlier, Himalayan Pink Salt Body Treatment is a unique therapeutic massage with natural Himalayan crystal salt to balance both the positive ions with the negative ions and Tibetan Singing Bowls by Ms. Victoria Svyatenko who shares her passion for sound healing and sound therapy to teach the ways of balancing the body, mind, spirit and emotions.
Many of our guests greatly appreciate the wellness journey that they experience at The Retreat because of the “uniqueness” that is expertly guided by our spa associates. At the end of the day, it is all about people who show genuine care through providing a personal touch to make a difference in the market instead of hardware.
The Retreat also aims to deliver a holistic healing journey for the guests. What do you do concretely to bring a true renewal to guests’ body and mind?
We always educate our associates that spa is not just a massage. At The Retreat, we have intriguing additions planned into the design and in the execution of the treatments, the oil blends, the music, the experiential guest journey, the handpicked refreshments etc., allowing us to have full control on the service our expert team delivers. It is also flexible enough to make changes to adapt to the changing expectations of our clientele. Every procedure is detail-oriented, from the warm welcome at the lobby reception, to escorting the guest into the treatment room, to starting the treatment with a Thai herbal shoulder pad and foot ritual, and our treatments also come with herbal tea and snacks in different varieties served pre and post treatment. Every little detail shows genuine care and passion towards guests.
In addition to the spiritual healing already mentioned, what are the major needs and requirements of today’s spa consumers? What are the spa trends in China’s spa market today?
Consumers are getting younger and pursuing a lifestyle in which they feel fulfillment of their healthy bodies and minds while facing the stress and the problems of modern society. We also notice that insufficient sleep and inadequate quality of sleep have become a severe concern in cities like Shanghai. Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain healthy and stave off diseases. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly. This can impair your abilities to concentrate, think clearly, and process memories. It is important to design unique, comprehensive wellness programs which make the customers feel healthy and satisfied.
What have The Sukhothai Shanghai and The Retreat done during the pandemic and the post-pandemic era? Have you launched any new programs, procedures or concepts?
The Sukhothai Shanghai is celebrating its third year anniversary in April and The Retreat in May. We have continuously sought opportunities to elevate the wellness experience under the pandemic and post-pandemic when the level of safety and security of our guests have been significantly lifted up throughout the hotel. Wellness is all about balancing and nourishing the body, mind, spirit and emotions in any circumstances. We introduced various weekend activities such as flow yoga, ballet last year and we were pleased to launch wellness membership with access to daily activity classes organised by The Retreat in January. In collaboration with Natura Bissé, a one-week pop-up spa was set to offer an unparalleled detox experience where guests could breathe 99.99% pure air in the Bubble Pure Air in March and neck treatment will be offered to care for the sensitive and essential part of the body in May. We are in discussion with one of the high-end fragrances and scents brands about new wellness program. Moreover, The Retreat will be able to introduce an innovative wellness journey to the market once the borders reopen freely.