Asking at the desk, too late
A guest arriving for a spa day asks at the desk whether she could add a scalp massage. It would have been easy a week ago. Today every therapist is booked. Another guest would have upgraded to the full afternoon tea if she had known it was an option. A couple celebrating an anniversary would have happily paid for a bottle in the relaxation room, but nobody asked.
Your receptionists are not salespeople and should not have to be. By the time the guest is at the desk, the only thing you can still sell is retail.
Nothing happens between booking and arrival
The confirmation goes out at booking, which may be weeks or months earlier, often through a voucher. Then there is silence until the guest walks in. That silence is the gap.
- The confirmation is generic and does not show extras relevant to that package.
- Any pre-arrival email is a static newsletter, sent to everyone regardless of whether the extras are available.
- Add-ons can only be booked by phone, which few guests bother to do.
- Guest information that would help, such as a celebration or a preference, is not collected before arrival.
Revenue that walks past the desk
The cost is quiet: extra treatments not sold, upgrades not taken, celebrations not marked, and a busy front desk trying to have sales conversations with guests who want to get into their robes. It also means guests arrive less prepared, missing the practical details they needed, such as arrival time, parking or what to bring.
How we build a pre-arrival flow
- A few days before each visit, the guest receives a message by email or text, with their itinerary and the practical details for arrival.
- The message includes a short list of add-ons that fit their day: an extra treatment only if a qualified therapist and room are free around their time, an upgrade to lunch only if the sitting has space.
- Choosing an add-on books it into your diary and takes payment through your payment provider, with no phone call.
- The guest can tell you about a celebration or preference, which reaches the team on the day sheet.
- Offers are set by you, per package and season, and switched off automatically when availability runs out.
- Results are reported by offer, so you can see which add-ons guests actually want.
| Guest type | Message includes | Only offered if |
|---|---|---|
| Spa day package | Extra treatment, lunch upgrade | Therapist and sitting free |
| Couples booking | Fizz in relaxation room | Stock and staff available |
| Voucher booking | Upgrade to longer treatment | Longer slot free |
| Treatment only | Thermal access | Session capacity free |
The desk on arrival, lighter
Guests arrive with their extras already booked and paid, and the day sheet shows what they added and any celebration. Reception checks them in and sends them through. The spa manager sees extras sold before the day rather than guessing at what might sell on it.
Therapists benefit too. An extra treatment booked three days ahead is planned into a column properly, with the right room and products ready, instead of being squeezed into a gap at the desk. And the practical part of the message, arrival time, parking and what to bring, means fewer guests arrive early to a full thermal area or late for their first treatment.
Because offers are tied to live availability, nobody is sold something the spa then has to apologise for. If a Saturday fills up, the extra treatment option simply disappears from Saturday messages while Tuesday guests still see it.
Would this help your spa?
- Guests often ask for extras at the desk when you cannot fit them in.
- Your confirmation email is the last contact before arrival.
- Add-ons can only be booked by phone.
- Staff find out about celebrations when the guest mentions it.
- Pre-arrival emails, if any, offer the same things to everyone.