3 Ways to Use AI and Tech to Provide Better Spa Service

These tech tools can help you offer your guests more personalized service and a more relaxing spa experience.

One of the top hotel spa trends of the coming year: incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology for a smoother spa experience.

“Tomorrow is a time of artificial intelligence (AI),” health and wellness consultant Louis de Vilmorin states in a Hotel Online piece about this trend. “The hospitality industry needs to adapt its customer journey to integrate programming with the proper wellness services.”

Here are three ways hotel spas can offer incredible guest service through the use of AI and other tools:

1. Develop a more personal connection

Hotels can use proprietary apps to develop a richer body of data and thus a deeper connection with their guests, according to Oracle, which offers an array of hospitality tech solutions. One example: these apps can allow hotels to record and track guest spa visits and services. The hotel can then use this information to message that guest helpful information about spa hours and services, or even send a personalized spa promotion ahead of the next arrival. This not only helps you to provide better service, but it can increase your revenue.

2. Schedule more efficiently

Chatbots, virtual assistants and other technology can help you offer a smoother spa experience by streamlining your scheduling. Guests can quickly and easily ask questions, and book or cancel spa appointments. And technology can manage the flow of your workday. This leaves your human staff more time and energy to focus on providing the human touch that only they can offer.

3. Provide personalized spa service

Artificial intelligence can help your hotel spa provide extremely personalized spa service that will set your spa apart from the competition. One example from the Spa Industry Association: AI could analyze a customer’s unique skin composition, allowing you to create an individualized facial targeted to address their particular skin issues. Another example from de Vilmorin: AI-powered fitness and body scanning machines and connected devices can identify a variety of conditions that allow you to tailor a wellness program to an individual. “This type of personalization will be further strengthened as a key asset of hospitality,” he states. “Naturopaths, psychologists, reflexologists and yoga masters will be able to conduct personal or group sessions to develop vitality, healing, stress management, emotional balance, mindfulness and better sleep.”

In the near future, AI-driven massage therapy may even be on the table at hotel spas. One company is developing a robotic massage machine that scans the body, creates a 3-D model, then delivers a personalized massage using two robotic arms. It’s not yet clear whether that type of massage would equal (or surpass) the human touch, but it is an example of the possibilities of using AI for personalized treatment in a hotel spa. But, even now, AI has a new role to play.

“Today, many spas are working to blend technology services with their traditional ones,” the Spa Industry Association states. “This kind of change has led to the beauty and spa industry embracing new tools and resources in regards to the health of the skin and more.”