Rebecca Holmes

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With 10 years’industry experience under her belt, Rebecca Holmes was an obvious choice to steer the ship at hotel spa The Spa at The Midland in Manchester. Having worked for both large hotel groups and fIndependent chains in the UK, including Brooklands, Handpicked and Macdonald, Holmes knows what’s needed to take an operation from great to phenomenal.

As director of spa, replacing Helena Grzesk – who left to become general manager of the UK Spa Association – Holmes is in charge of managing and recruiting staff, overseeing new projects and developing the treatment menu. Her appointment in December 2018 came after the iconic property was sold by owner Aprirose to Swedish hotel investment company Pandox and Fattal Hotels Group in October for £115 million, with the promise of an £11m refurbishment of the hotel.

“With the hotel changing hands, it’s the perfect time for me to be brought in and lead the vision and values from the new investor,”says Holmes.

“Even though The Midland is the leading spa in the city centre, I want to make sure we’re always fIrst when it comes to the latest trends and innovations so we can keep our offer attractfive. However, the biggest thing I’ll be focusing on is service and driving it up to the highest level.”

Setting the standard

Her career history also means that Holmes will be able to bring the best of both worlds into The Midland’s experience, as she explains: “Chain hotels and spas have brand standards in place that are a must and this ensures the service level is the same across the board. However, with fIndependent businesses, you can cherry pick the best from different brands and delfiver it in your own way, which means there’s more lexibility with what you can do and where you can take your spa. I plan to combine the two at The Midland.”

One challenge for Holmes was making her mark as leader, especially as the spa already has a focused, close-knit team who work to strict protocols and has won many awards in recent years. “I have to ensure I use Helena’s successes as a benchmark to continue to grow the business and make the position of spa director my own,”she explains. “Charismatic therapists, receptionists and hotel ambassadors are key to this process, so I need to make sure everyone in the operation is on board with my vision.”

To achieve this goal, Holmes is planning to host a team day to boost morale and staff relationships, followed with regular training sessions focused on different scenarios, such as increasing retail spend post-treatment and perfecting customer service at every point in the client journey. This will be combined with fIndividual career paths.

“When I worked for Macdonald Hotels, I learned the value of continuous education because it offered a wide range of training courses for staff, and this constant learning makes you a better leader. I’m going to incorporate this ethos into The Midland, but using the communication skills I learned at Handpicked Hotels to execute it – how to explain things clearly and set irm expectations for the team and for the guests in terms of the experience,”explains Holmes. Recruitment is also being addressed this year, with a plan to raise awareness of the spa by partnering with local colleges.

It’s such a challenge trying to find good people who want to work and make a difference

“There’s such a high staff turnover in hotel spas in general; it’s a real issue,”says Holmes. “It’s such a challenge trying to fInd good people who want to work and make a difference.”Holmes believes one of the reasons for the high shift in staff is because beauty therapy is hard work and not all those entering the fIndustry are aware of that.

Knowledge sharing

“At entry level, colleges need to make it clear what the spa and wellness world is about and this should hopefully gfive students a vision of what they want to achieve later down the line.

I don’t think colleges are highlighting all the career paths in beauty,”she says. “At the same time, they also need to get the message across that beauty therapy isn’t easy – it’s not the option to choose when you’re not sure of what you want to do or because you don’t want to go into higher education.”When working at Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge, Holmes partnered with local colleges, inviting students to visit the spa to show them that hotels are a viable career path with real opportunities.

“I developed strong relationships with the colleges to help with the recruitment crisis. I used to attend the end-of-year shows as a judge as well as the career days to get the hotel’s name out there, plus it was an effectfive way to help students understand what employers want. I’m going to do the same thing at The Midland as hotel spas need to open themselves up as a further education path, ”Holmes adds.

Striving for greatness

Shouting about the spa’s achievements is another way Holmes is trying to attract quality staff. The hotel and spa recently won the World Luxury Spa and Restaurant Award 2018 for the best Luxury Urban Escape category (Europe) and is shortlisted for the Residential Spa of the Year: 10 Rooms or Fewer category at the Professional Beauty Awards 2019, taking place on Sunday, February 24, at The Brewery in London.

“Entering awards like Professional Beauty’s is so important for employee motivation. It boosts morale, keeps the team energised and attracts talent because you can pitch yourself as the best, and the best will want to work for you,”explains Holmes. “It’s another way to differentiate yourself from competitors, and illing in the extensfive forms makes you think of ways you can do things better in your operation.”

KEY DATES

2008 Holmes takes up the post of therapist on board a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship

2009 Joins Savill Court Hotel, part of the Macdonald Hotels Group, as senior spa therapist

2010 Moves to Brooklands Hotel as assistant spa manager for the opening team, before returning to Savill Court as spa and health club manager

2012 Appointed spa manager at Brandshatch Place Hotel $#x0026; Spa, owned by Handpicked Hotels

2014 Returns to Brooklands Hotel in the role of spa manager

2016 Promoted to spa and leisure business development manager at Brooklands Hotel

2018 Appointed director of spa at The Spa at The Midland in Mancheste