Articles by Susie Ellis

My spa touring continues. Grand Hyatt is next on my list, where I find a fairly traditional spa facility very much like the spas I see in the US health clubs, but with gracious hospitality a la Dubai from Steven, the spa director, and Peter, the regional GM. Note to self: Showing enthusiasm when someone […]

Today is our day to visit the Middle East Beauty, Spa and Wellness Expo. We wander through aisles upon aisles of beauty products and spa wares. I was told by umpteen people not to expect too much from this trade show, but I am pleasantly surprised that it is much grander and more interesting than […]

Can’t believe I am sitting here in the locker room at Ski Dubai with my rental parka, pants, and ski boots on, while the temperature outside is close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Yes, my twin sister got to plan the day, and she insisted on this outing because she likes to do everything that is […]

After a very pleasant 12-hour trip on Emirates Airlines from New York to Dubai, I’m at the airport awaiting my luggage. With me is my identical twin sister, Katrine, and we are both giddy with excitement to see what this scene is all about. I have tours of spas planned, plus I will be attending […]

Driving back to the city from the NYSPA meeting at The Sagamore, we were accompanied by Ingo Schweder (Corporate Spa Director, Mandarin Oriental ) and his delightful fiancé. We stopped at the Roosevelt baths in Saratoga Springs right next to the Gideon Putnam resort, which were remodeled into a beautiful spa just a few years […]

Yesterday I was up at The Sagamore in northern New York to attend the first meeting of the recently formed New York Spa Association (NYSPA), a new organization whose mission includes revitalizing the historically rich spa industry in the state of New York. Professor Mary Tabacchi, from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, the major […]

Earlier this week Peter and I were in the “audience” during a presentation given by two Cornell University students who are getting their Masters of Management in Hospitality (MMH). They had chosen the topic of revenue management in the spa industry and used the two of us as resources. The students’ primary and secondary research […]

“Women use an average of 12 products on their skin every morning just to get ready for work.” Dori Soukup shared that wisdom at last week’s panel on spa residential living when someone asked her whether enough products would be sold if a spa were not open to the general public but only to members […]

One of my dreams came true on Monday. Having been the “lone ranger” three years ago when predicting the popularity of spa lifestyle communities, it was heartening to have the privilege of moderating a panel at the American Spa Expo on Spa Residential Living. And it was even sweeter that my husband, Peter, was there. […]

On Friday Avon announced that it is closing its salon and spa in Manhattan on June 16, after eight years of operation. Avon’s only spa is prominently located in Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue. When I heard the news, I naturally wanted to get more details, not only because we participated in a press event […]

I spent today going through medical tests at the WellMax Center for Preventive Medicine in La Quinta, California (near where I am vacationing and, yes, trying to resist the temptation to call my office). We met Dr. Dan Cosgrove (pictured at right), its founder, five years ago at an event here in the desert that […]

This observation was shared by Ed Burstell, the Senior VP of General Merchandise for Bergdorf Goodman at an event that I attended last Thursday evening. He was part of a panel for the Luxury Marketing Council, a group that meets regularly to share insights on marketing to the luxury consumer. The panel was entitled “The […]

Most people know Peter Greenberg from NBC, where he has been the Today Show’s travel editor for many years. He is also a best selling author – Travel Detective is one of my favorites. I was introduced to Peter several years ago by my friend Kim Marshall, who is involved in the spa PR world […]

Our business trip included one extra day for sightseeing, which we spent at the very famous wonder of Asia, Angkor Wat in Cambodia. I was really touched by the magnificence of the stone temples and the graciousness of the people. The general poverty of the country makes the contrast between the smartly designed five-star Hotel […]

Sallie and I are at Chiva-Som to conduct the first Spa Specialist Training Course for Virtuoso travel agents. We are joined by six top-notch travel agents for the few days we are here. (We decided to teach our first course at a spa, since there is no better way to learn about spas than being […]

Traveling in Asia with our COO, Sallie Fraenkel, has been a delight. We share many interests, but adventuresome eating is not one of them. Sallie will try every fish ball and oddly named indigenous delicacy with great enthusiasm, while I stick to basics when traveling (spaghetti and Caesar salads all through Asia is fine with […]

The plane from New York directly to Singapore is 18 1/2 hours long, a record for me. Actually, I didn’t know that planes could fly that far without stopping to refuel. Then another two-hour flight from Singapore to Bangkok and another one-hour flight from Bangkok to Hua Hin. I must say I was quite pleased […]

The London spa conference is over, and I’m heading back to New York. I reviewed the notes I took over the course of three days listening to over 30 speakers and made a short list of “highlights” – things that resonated with me: New terms: Twilight Spa – incorporating some nighttime bathing De-staffed spa experiences […]

Which spa does more than 1,000 spa treatments per day? Canyon Ranch SpaClub at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

Today I had lunch with some fellow spa professionals. One was from Hong Kong, one was from Bali, one from Australia, and another from the UK. Later in the afternoon I had tea with a spa colleague from Dubai, chatted with spa owners from Brazil, and was introduced to a spa owner from Turkey. I […]