SPA TOURISM – THE NEW ‘IN THING’ IN KENYA
(Posted 12th May 2014)
Gone are the days when a decent resort or hotel offered but a fitness room with workout machines, at times broken and regularly unattended, no personal trainer or coach in sight. Today, the top hotels and resorts in Kenya pride themselves in offering the latest workout machines, have staff at hand to guide and assist and those gyms of course are now worth being called a gym, attracting resident guests as well as paid up members from outside.
Additionally have leading hotel groups or branded hotels over the past couple of years launched fully fledged Spa’s, catering for the growing demand of a more sophisticated clientele and in part at least to keep abreast with the competition elsewhere. This applies in particular to the Indian Ocean islands of Seychelles and Mauritius where some of the world’s largest and finest Spas’ are now found and which are oftentimes booked well in advance as tourists see wellness treatments increasingly as part of their vacation experience.
There, at a cost easily reaching between 200 and 300 Euros per session, Spas’ have become important revenue earners and it is no wonder that over the years, especially in Kenya but also on Zanzibar, hotel groups have invested heavily in setting up such add on facilities.
In Kenya perhaps it was Serena first, with their Maisha Spa at the Nairobi Serena, then spreading across their other units and Sarova Hotels was not far behind, setting up their own brand, Tulia, which similar to Serena is now found in all their units across Kenya.
New resorts were opened, like Naivasha’s Enashipai, specifically with wellness in mind, calling themselves a Spa Resort in fact, attracting business from the domestic and international market for these additional offers which make a stay ultimately more rewarding for guests, and financially more rewarding for the hotel operators too of course.
The World Travel Awards, often dubbed the Oscar’s of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, have added categories in recent years to recognize and award outstanding service levels and, having just stayed at the Leopard Beach Resort & Spa’s brand new The Residences, that is the story I am going to tell today, the story of the Uzuri Spa which from humble beginnings a few years ago was turned into an award winning operation, one which could and perhaps should be franchised out, so impressive are their credentials nowadays.
The sprawling gardens and patches of forest of the Leopard Beach, affectionately known as the Chui among its aficionados, allowed for a generous section to be set aside for the Uzuri Spa, over 6 acres to be precise, on which a state of the art facility has been created and which today operates ‘by appointment only’, so busy are the treatment rooms and staff. Uzuri, the Kiswahili word for ‘goodness’ today offers a range of different treatment options for clients, and it is largely to the credit of Janine Shipra, who over the past 5 years steered the Uzuri from what can candidly be described ‘an ok place’ to the very top of the Spa profession along Kenya’s coast, one she described as ‘a sanctuary for people seeking to rejuvenate, body, mind and soul’. Five treatment rooms, including two for couples – a growing market segment it seems of people wanting to share even this experience together – offer facials, body wraps, hydrotherapy and various types of massages, besides the more conventional manicure and pedicure, all aimed at giving one’s body back what a year of hard work has taken out of it.
As all the treatment rooms have a private outdoor garden, open air or ‘al fresco’ treatment is possible while the indoors are of course fully climate controlled. A poolside, exclusive for visitors to the Spa, health bar offers freshly pressed juices and healthy snack options, which supplements the experience for guests, as does the fully equipped and staffed gym avail custom made workout options. Only top of the range oils and other ingredients are used at the Uzuri, needless to mention.
Janine’s pedigree, having joined the Chui from South Africa’ famous Westcliff Hotel’s Botanica Spa after stints in various other top rated Spa’s in South Africa, has transformed the Uzuri into an award winner of highest repute and some of the showbiz’s most famous names in Hollywood, Bollywood and Nollywood, as well as a large number of African celebrities have enjoyed the Uzuri and vowed to come back for more.
With the current downturn in fortunes for tourism at the Kenya coast, it will arguably be those resorts with the best reputation, the best facilities, the most delicious and varied foods and last but not least the best Spa’s which will be able to help showcase the destination from its sunniest side, and turn attention from the average midrange resorts to the top end. Places like Diani Beach’s Chui, like the small, intimate and very posh AfroChic, the North coast’s Whitesands and Serena Mombasa, Watamu’s Hemingways and even the new Billionaires’ Resort in Malindi owned by Flavio Briatore who incidentally also owns a top of the pops Spa resort nearby, the Lion in the Sun, should be the new face of Kenya’s beach tourism, the one’s showcasing the destination and bring their hard earned reputation to bear on behalf of the entire country.
Kenya’s best chance to get back into the game is by highlighting its prized national parks and the upcoming migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, images of which almost automatically attract attention and the keen desire to see it close up and personal. But besides that, it is the top end of resorts at the coast, for which demand should be less prone to those current shocks like average 2 or 3 star hotels are, which depend on the large visitor streams and charters, and when those go AWOL, there is little to make up for the loss of such business.
Kenya’s image and reputation, especially at the coast, need a do over, a revamp, a Reload 5.0 and the proverbial Spa treatment to make the destination shine again, highlight the improvements made in top resorts, the quality of services, the often unbelievable attention given by staff to their guests every wish and of course the blinding white beaches, the water sports, the opportunities to play golf or either drive or fly off for a few days on a big game safari, all in a day’s work for concierges, guest relations staff and, as some call them, brand ambassadors to arrange at a moment’s notice.
Kenya, as I repeatedly said over the past weeks, still got what it takes as a destination and it is now up to the powers that be in Nairobi to make sure that Tourism Kenya, aka the Kenya Tourism Board, is given the funding to shout out that message from the rooftops across the world. I hope that my own shout in support of Kenya will also be heard and heeded. Magical Kenya, now is the time to pay them a visit.
