Hilton is refreshing its eforea spa brand after five years, adding three new short-duration treatment enhancements, revamping the logo, and allowing its global locations more freedom to choose the products and services right for their market.

“We don’t want any of our spas to have the same menus as the others – every location should be different,” Ryan Crabbe, senior director of global wellness, Hilton Worldwide, told Spa Opportunities. “...There are very distinct spa cultures around the world, and you can’t be prescriptive.”

That said, the company is still looking for a “high degree of consistency” within the eforea brand, with its mission (and tagline) of “emerging brighter.”

Crabbe said in reimagining the brand, he looked for something that was unique and memorable – a global link that guests could experience at any eforea spa worldwide.

“We wanted guests to have a really meaningful experience,” he explained. “We wanted something to scream to the customer, ‘This is special!’”

The result is three powerful mini-treatments, called Journey Enhancements – developed by master therapist Sean Jordan – that take elements of ancient healing techniques and combine them with a relaxation element.

Jordan knows his stuff. He has travelled and lived around the world since he was 18, studying Buddhism, meditation and healing massage, and has opened several healing and teaching centres, from India to Central America.

“We wanted to find somebody who brought real authenticity,” said Crabbe.

Jordan has plucked techniques from the world’s most fabled spa cultures, and spent about nine months creating the Journey Enhancements for Hilton.

The new treatments each focus on a specific area of the body: feet; head and face; or shoulder, neck and scalp, and last 25 minutes. They can be purchased a la carte, all three together, or added to a longer treatment at a reduced price.

“We want this to be a really easy, no-brainer add-on,” said Crabbe.

Jordan said he was thrilled at the opportunity to work on the eforea project with Hilton.

“The idea that I’d now be able to reach thousands of people across the world was exciting,” he explained, “(and that) a recognised, global brand (like Hilton) was coming to me to talk about healing and wellness.”

The programme debuted yesterday (15 July), but rolled out at the UK's Hilton Southampton in May, where, Louise Moore, director of spa operations and development, Europe, said they have quickly become the most popular treatments on the spa menu.

While Jordan is currently training eforea staff around the world on the new Journey Experiences, he has also created a series of in-depth training manuals and videos for the brand, and focuses particularly on the mindset of the therapist, and “getting into a state of connectedness before the journey starts,” he said.

“For me as a teacher, the therapist is the conduit,” he explained.

Crabbe said Hilton wanted to “create real learning” for its team with Jordan.

“We wanted to create new ways of self-preservation (for the therapists) while working with our guests, through meditation, breathing, or using body weight for pressure rather than force,” he explained.

As part of the relaunch of eforea, Hilton is also adding in new branding for eforea spa & healthclub to also speak to a fitness customer.

“New properties aren’t just building spas, but lifestyle and wellness centres, so fitness is very important,” said Crabbe.

Now in 22 Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Curio properties, with another 42 in the pipeline over the next four years, eforea was first launched in 2010 and featured product lines from Kerstin Florian, VitaMan and Li’Tya.

With the relaunch of eforea, properties now have more opportunity to self-select their product partners, said Moore, and each location will create a unique, bespoke, localised Escape Journey, designed to incorporate local ingredients, products and therapies.

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