This week, Hilton Hotels & Resorts issued a Blue Paper titled: Emerging Global Spa Trends. Happily they’ve made the entire 12-page report available to anyone and it does indeed contain some very good information.

For convenience, we’ve included the executive summary below and a quick outline on their findings regarding how various generations use spas differently (Silent Generation, Boomers, Gen X and Millennials).

The report’s final paragraph is about Hilton’s relatively new spa brand called eforea: spa at Hilton. Since it includes a mention about innovation, it caught our attention. Here is part of what it says:

eforea: spa at Hilton is an innovative global spa concept from Hilton Worldwide….eforea features an exclusive menu of treatment journeys, innovative design features and carefully selected product partners…

So the question for this week is, “eforea: spa at Hilton: Innovative… or not?”Let us know.

Executive Summary

Hotels worldwide are increasingly finding that spas can drive Guest bookings, with nearly half of the respondents in a 2012 global survey stating that the existence of a spa is an important factor in selecting a hotel. At the same time, consumer confidence is beginning to return from both a business and leisure travel perspective, with Guests traveling more frequently and to destinations farther from home. It is with these considerations in mind that hotels focus more on spa offerings to ensure they are relevant to today’s savvy, yet value-conscious consumer.

Against this backdrop, Hilton Hotels & Resorts issues this report showcasing the latest thoughts on global spa trends. The report is based on input from a collection of industry experts, including the spa team at Hilton Worldwide, founders of top spa product brands and other thought leaders in this space. Hilton also commissioned a survey of 6,000 respondents throughout the United States, Great Britain, Australia and China to offer additional global and regional insight. In summary, this report:

• Identifies spa-goers and spa behavior based on generation, highlighting key differentiators and motivators for each age group
• Discusses the increasingly savvy modern spa Guest, who is more enlightened about the overall efficacy of spa treatments and related products
• Highlights the growing importance of men to the global spa industry and how a successful spa should tailor its offerings for this market
• Touches on the need for global spa concepts to offer consistent services across their portfolios while also allowing for local flexibility
• Underscores the overall importance of spa to the hotel industry, offering hotels a distinct competitive advantage in booking, driving revenue and attracting local customers beyond the overnight Guest
• Notes the significance of business travelers, who are increasingly looking for relevant ways to decompress between meetings as well as extend their visits as part of the larger phenomenon of “blended travel”
• Offers additional insight on regional trends being seen by experts throughout the Americas, Middle East and Africa, Europe and Asia Pacific

Spa Use By Generation

Silent Generation – Born between 1925 – 1942
Loyalty
Personalized service
Essential Treatments

Boomers – Born between 1943 – 1960
Revenue driver
“Forever young”
Value-added treatments

Gen X – born between 1961 – 1981
Tech savvy
Knowledgeable about spa trends
Environmentally conscious

Millennials – born between 1982 – 2000
Spa is a necessity
Instant results
Trend Setters

Access the complete report here.