Global spa consultancy and management firm WTS International (WTS) is to lead the refurbishment of the spa at the Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa in Montauk, Long Island, US. It will also take over the management of the resort’s spa and wellbeing facilities from 1 April.

Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa – a pioneer in the US spa market – is a premier full-service resort in the Hamptons, featuring the only ocean-fed seawater pool and authentic thalassotherapy centre in the Continental US. This uses water drawn directly from the sea off Montauk, which is then sand-filtered and warmed before use.

All the resort’s wellness facilities will be upgraded during the refurbishment, including the spa, fitness centre and swimming pool. The work will be done in two phases. The first – to be completed before the travel season begins on Memorial Day 2015 (25 May) – will involve light upgrades to the spa, salon and retail spaces. The second phase, which has been scheduled for 2016, will involve the renovation of the entire wellbeing space.

“WTS has both the extensive industry knowledge and the experience to deliver our vision of an impeccable destination spa,” said George Filopoulos, president at Gurney’s Montauk Resort & Seawater Spa. “The team at WTS will play a vital role in providing a new creative direction, to match the continued evolution of the Gurney’s brand.

“The Seawater Spa is at the core of the Gurney’s Montauk experience,” he continued, “This next chapter will serve to further elevate its unique offering to firmly re-establish the resort as a leader in the wellness realm.”

The refurbishment is timely, as it coincides with the 90th anniversary – in 2016 – of the opening of Gurney’s as a hotel.

Susie Hammer, vice president of spa operations at WTS, said: “We’re conducting market analyses, implementing marketing strategies and working on staffing and training requirements.” WTS will also re-launch the resort’s spa membership programme.

Hammer continued: “Our immediate focus is on enhancing guest services – we’re also reviewing the retail and merchandising process, developing fitness and outdoor adventure activities, creating a new spa café menu and reviewing the treatment menu.”

Kim Matheson, senior vice president at WTS, confirmed that although the treatment menu is being updated, WTS will continue to work with the same vendor partners – Aromatherapy Associates, Moroccan Oil and the marine-based Phytomer and Spa Technologies. Matheson said: “The new Seawater Spa and Wellness Menu will embrace traditional classics, as well as fresh interpretations which are fuelled by results and technology.”

The 30-treatment room spa has four couples’ and seawater ritual suites, as well as a nap room and relaxation rooms for men and women. It also boasts four Swiss showers, a gym with a wave-crashing view of the beach, a movement studio, plus a Finnish-style rock sauna and spacious steamroom.

To learn more about WTS International, visit the company website.

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