Spas Cater to an Upscale Lifestyle
Developers of high-end condominium resorts, particularly in trendy hotspots such as South Florida, New York and Las Vegas are constantly striving to meet—and exceed—the expectations of their owners and guests.
As competition heats up in the condominium ownership market, developers of condo-hotels, whole ownership resorts, private residency clubs and fractional resorts—which already feature beautifully appointed suites, a wealth of amenities, elegant restaurants and a warm, catering professional staff—are adding the ultimate amenity to make the offerings even more attractive to purchasers.
According to Scott Burlingame, editor and publisher of Vacation Ownership World magazine, developers have begun to realize the importance of an outstanding spa and the key role it plays in the sales process.
“At a recent fractional ownership conference, nearly every speaker focused on the spa ‘element’ as essential to sales and marketing,” Burlingame says. “They understand that their potential purchasers are buying more than a beautiful suite. At the prices these people are paying, this audience is purchasing lifestyle and all that goes with that lifestyle.”
Indeed, according to the International Spa Association, the spa industry itself makes up the fourth-largest leisure activity in the United States with $11.2 billion in annual revenues and more than 136 million visits per year. People are flocking to spas—no longer seen as just a place for the wealthy to spoil themselves—to relieve stress and tension.
RESORT LOCATION MAKES A DIFFENCE -- SOUTH FLORIDA
The Residences at Bonaventure Resort and Golden Door Spa in Fort Lauderdale (newly refurbished with $85 million in renovations) will feature an internationally known Golden Door Spa, one of only five in the United States and the only one on the East Coast. At 48,000 square feet, the spa (which had a ‘soft’ opening in December) will be one of the largest spas in the country when it is completed in Spring 2006. The entire resort, including large conference facilities, golf, tennis, swimming, restaurants and much more, covers approximately 83,000 square feet on 23 acres.
“Today, people are looking at vacations differently,” said Adriana Companet, sales director for Fortune International—one of South Florida’s largest full service, high-end real estate development sales and marketing firms—which represents The Residences. “They are looking for a lifestyle change, a retreat so to speak, so they feel like new persons at the end of their stay. Once they have an experience like that, they want it over and over again.”
The Residences consist of 252 two-bedroom units spread over nine, four-story residential buildings, each with 28 units. Buildings one through five are already sold out, with prices ranging from $420,000 to the $500,000s for the 869 square foot unit (convertible into 288 hotel rooms) and $630,000 to the $700,000s for the spacious 1,291 square foot two-bedroom suites (convertible into 108 one-bedroom hotel suites and 108 hotel rooms). Each room reflects British Classic decor with custom-made living rooms and bedrooms incorporating richly stained wood armoires, tables and beds. Owners can take advantage of a rental pool when they are not using their units, thus providing potential income from their investment.
But it is the spa -- which includes 23 message rooms (each with its own little waterfall) and nearly 100 different services -- that is the focal point of The Residences. Owners will have the daily membership waived, receive priority booking for the various treatments/services and can even have a complete, personalized health schedule planned for them, including everything from workouts to the meals they eat. Cost is approximately $1,000 a day, depending on the treatments selected.
Another South Florida-based resort, Canyon Ranch Living-Miami Beach, also features a wide variety of amenities touted as “The nation’s first community dedicated to healthy living.”
Currently being built on a six-acre oceanfront site (completion is scheduled for the end of 2006), the community will feature 430 one-, two-, and three-bedroom and penthouse condominium residences, 150 luxury hotel suites and a total of 83,000 square feet of Canyon Ranch facilities. The unfurnished residences range in size from 720 square feet to 6,000 square feet (a whole floor) and in price from $800,000 to about $9 million.
In addition to a state-of-the-art fitness facility, the resort will feature a spa with the first complete Thermal Suite in the United States, including a Finnish sauna, hydro spa, herbal sauna, crystal steam room, ice igloo, reflexology basins, heated lounges and experiential shower-cabins, 22 massage and body treatment rooms, skin care and facial rooms, men’s and women’s locker rooms, and relaxation lounges.
“The spa is a huge amenity,” said Eric Sheppard, developer of the eye-catching facility. “This (the Canyon Ranch brand) is the number-one health facility in the U.S. in terms of health and wellness. You can build a spa, but it depends on who is running it. Living in a five-star facility run by Canyon Ranch is something no one has ever done.”
LAS VEGAS & NEW YORK
In both Las Vegas and New York, spas play a somewhat less important role in the sales process, but are still ‘expected’ by high-end condo owners. The main ‘amenities’ according to real estate experts in those cities, are the cities themselves.
According to Dan Riordan, director of sales for The Residences at MGM Grand, a joint venture by South Florida-based Turnberry Associates and MGM, “owning a piece of real estate overlooking the Las Vegas Strip is a lifestyle choice. Many of our buyers want to be able to walk to the attractions on the Strip, and they want the amenities of a world-class hotel at their fingertips.
Only 200 units are left in the first high rise project built on ‘The Strip’ in more than 30 years (1,500 units have been sold in less than two years), ranging in size from 500 to 1,500 square feet. Prices range from $550,000 to more than $2.5 million.
“The Grand Spa (with 30 treatment rooms) is important, but it is just one of the many luxury, world-class amenities our owners have at their fingertips,” according to Riordan. Other amenities include MGM Grand’s 171,000-square-foot casino, a lush outdoor pool complex with five swimming pools and private cabanas, a variety of signature and casual restaurants featuring award-winning chefs, shopping outlets, and entertainment.
In New York, owners at The Residences at Ritz-Carlton are slightly different than most upscale condo dwellers. At the Central Park South location, there are only 12 residences—the last of which was recently sold—ranging from $10 million (3,900 square feet) to $28 million (a full floor, 9,500 square feet).
The hotel features a La Prairie Spa, the first stateside spa for the world-renowned Swiss company that offers beauty and wellness therapies as well as intensive body indulgences featuring La Prairie’s exclusive treatment products in a serene and calming environment. Not only is the European spa is designed for relaxation and rejuvenation, it also caters to the hotel’s top-tier clientele in their residences.
“Of course, having the spa is important,” said Matthew Hall, vice-president of sales for Millennium Partners, developer of the project, pointing out that the location of the hotel and the Ritz-Carlton brand were key elements in buying decisions. “But these owners, for whom The Residences are just one of many they own, expect the very best is all regards.”
As competition heats up in the condominium ownership market, developers of condo-hotels, whole ownership resorts, private residency clubs and fractional resorts—which already feature beautifully appointed suites, a wealth of amenities, elegant restaurants and a warm, catering professional staff—are adding the ultimate amenity to make the offerings even more attractive to purchasers.
According to Scott Burlingame, editor and publisher of Vacation Ownership World magazine, developers have begun to realize the importance of an outstanding spa and the key role it plays in the sales process.
“At a recent fractional ownership conference, nearly every speaker focused on the spa ‘element’ as essential to sales and marketing,” Burlingame says. “They understand that their potential purchasers are buying more than a beautiful suite. At the prices these people are paying, this audience is purchasing lifestyle and all that goes with that lifestyle.”
Indeed, according to the International Spa Association, the spa industry itself makes up the fourth-largest leisure activity in the United States with $11.2 billion in annual revenues and more than 136 million visits per year. People are flocking to spas—no longer seen as just a place for the wealthy to spoil themselves—to relieve stress and tension.
RESORT LOCATION MAKES A DIFFENCE -- SOUTH FLORIDA
The Residences at Bonaventure Resort and Golden Door Spa in Fort Lauderdale (newly refurbished with $85 million in renovations) will feature an internationally known Golden Door Spa, one of only five in the United States and the only one on the East Coast. At 48,000 square feet, the spa (which had a ‘soft’ opening in December) will be one of the largest spas in the country when it is completed in Spring 2006. The entire resort, including large conference facilities, golf, tennis, swimming, restaurants and much more, covers approximately 83,000 square feet on 23 acres.
“Today, people are looking at vacations differently,” said Adriana Companet, sales director for Fortune International—one of South Florida’s largest full service, high-end real estate development sales and marketing firms—which represents The Residences. “They are looking for a lifestyle change, a retreat so to speak, so they feel like new persons at the end of their stay. Once they have an experience like that, they want it over and over again.”
The Residences consist of 252 two-bedroom units spread over nine, four-story residential buildings, each with 28 units. Buildings one through five are already sold out, with prices ranging from $420,000 to the $500,000s for the 869 square foot unit (convertible into 288 hotel rooms) and $630,000 to the $700,000s for the spacious 1,291 square foot two-bedroom suites (convertible into 108 one-bedroom hotel suites and 108 hotel rooms). Each room reflects British Classic decor with custom-made living rooms and bedrooms incorporating richly stained wood armoires, tables and beds. Owners can take advantage of a rental pool when they are not using their units, thus providing potential income from their investment.
But it is the spa -- which includes 23 message rooms (each with its own little waterfall) and nearly 100 different services -- that is the focal point of The Residences. Owners will have the daily membership waived, receive priority booking for the various treatments/services and can even have a complete, personalized health schedule planned for them, including everything from workouts to the meals they eat. Cost is approximately $1,000 a day, depending on the treatments selected.
Another South Florida-based resort, Canyon Ranch Living-Miami Beach, also features a wide variety of amenities touted as “The nation’s first community dedicated to healthy living.”
Currently being built on a six-acre oceanfront site (completion is scheduled for the end of 2006), the community will feature 430 one-, two-, and three-bedroom and penthouse condominium residences, 150 luxury hotel suites and a total of 83,000 square feet of Canyon Ranch facilities. The unfurnished residences range in size from 720 square feet to 6,000 square feet (a whole floor) and in price from $800,000 to about $9 million.
In addition to a state-of-the-art fitness facility, the resort will feature a spa with the first complete Thermal Suite in the United States, including a Finnish sauna, hydro spa, herbal sauna, crystal steam room, ice igloo, reflexology basins, heated lounges and experiential shower-cabins, 22 massage and body treatment rooms, skin care and facial rooms, men’s and women’s locker rooms, and relaxation lounges.
“The spa is a huge amenity,” said Eric Sheppard, developer of the eye-catching facility. “This (the Canyon Ranch brand) is the number-one health facility in the U.S. in terms of health and wellness. You can build a spa, but it depends on who is running it. Living in a five-star facility run by Canyon Ranch is something no one has ever done.”
LAS VEGAS & NEW YORK
In both Las Vegas and New York, spas play a somewhat less important role in the sales process, but are still ‘expected’ by high-end condo owners. The main ‘amenities’ according to real estate experts in those cities, are the cities themselves.
According to Dan Riordan, director of sales for The Residences at MGM Grand, a joint venture by South Florida-based Turnberry Associates and MGM, “owning a piece of real estate overlooking the Las Vegas Strip is a lifestyle choice. Many of our buyers want to be able to walk to the attractions on the Strip, and they want the amenities of a world-class hotel at their fingertips.
Only 200 units are left in the first high rise project built on ‘The Strip’ in more than 30 years (1,500 units have been sold in less than two years), ranging in size from 500 to 1,500 square feet. Prices range from $550,000 to more than $2.5 million.
“The Grand Spa (with 30 treatment rooms) is important, but it is just one of the many luxury, world-class amenities our owners have at their fingertips,” according to Riordan. Other amenities include MGM Grand’s 171,000-square-foot casino, a lush outdoor pool complex with five swimming pools and private cabanas, a variety of signature and casual restaurants featuring award-winning chefs, shopping outlets, and entertainment.
In New York, owners at The Residences at Ritz-Carlton are slightly different than most upscale condo dwellers. At the Central Park South location, there are only 12 residences—the last of which was recently sold—ranging from $10 million (3,900 square feet) to $28 million (a full floor, 9,500 square feet).
The hotel features a La Prairie Spa, the first stateside spa for the world-renowned Swiss company that offers beauty and wellness therapies as well as intensive body indulgences featuring La Prairie’s exclusive treatment products in a serene and calming environment. Not only is the European spa is designed for relaxation and rejuvenation, it also caters to the hotel’s top-tier clientele in their residences.
“Of course, having the spa is important,” said Matthew Hall, vice-president of sales for Millennium Partners, developer of the project, pointing out that the location of the hotel and the Ritz-Carlton brand were key elements in buying decisions. “But these owners, for whom The Residences are just one of many they own, expect the very best is all regards.”
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