Sweet Home Away From Home
More than half of travelers are likely to use spas and fitness centers when they travel. Now, when it comes to me and most of the people I know, we select the hotels and resorts we stay at based one-hundred percent on the amenities that the resort has. Yes, we definitely require a spa. If the resort does not have a spa, then the secondary consideration is the day spas in the immediate area.
More and more travelers research their vacation and business travel needs online. Travelers want to see where they will stay. Virtual tours, previous guest’s reviews, and all-inclusive packages are becoming more critical in the decision of where to stay. No longer is it just the comfort of the bed and the quality of the restaurant. For consumers like me, I want to see the spa. Resorts are now responding to the increasing demands for spas, yoga, meditation, fitness, and healthy food choices. Some resorts are now offering spa-regular spacious rooms. These spa suites incorporate luxury, convenience, comfort, and a new level of feeling at home when you’re on the road.
InSPAration Is A Two Way Street
People wanted to bring a new sense of luxury into their homes the trend was to create a spa resort environment at home. Homes began to look like mini spa resorts with the additions of features like elegant swimming pools, outdoor kitchens, well-landscaped outdoor living areas, granite countertops, master bathrooms complete with steam rooms, rain showers, towel warmers, saunas, Illumatherapy Baths, hydrotherapy tubs, and heated floors. Massage rooms, fitness centers, and theater rooms were being incorporated into the flow of the house. Home luxury resorts; create very little need for people to venture out or travel. You get to enjoy the sanctuary of your home retreat every day.
The people who travel, demand a new level of service. No longer does the traveler only look for a clean room and a nice bed to sleep in. The bar has been raised. Today’s traveler now wants to bring that home luxury directly into their hotel room or suite. Heavenly beds, coffee makers, wireless high-speed internet, cable/satellite television, media hubs for your computer, personal audio players, and room safes large enough to handle your personal equipment are expected. San Diego Hard Rock Hotel is an example of the new expectations. A few Resorts are now exceeding the expectations with the introduction of the all-new spa suites. As you will see, the interpretation of what “spa” means and what it includes varies based on the hotel or resort.
Not All Spa Suites Are Built Alike
Experience the Incredible Spa Retreat – The US Grant, San Diego, CA
At the recently restored US Grant in San Diego, services from a local day spa are offered in every room, but the six deluxe spa rooms, which start at $649, function as live-in retreats. The deluxe spa rooms have infinity tubs with color therapy lighting and generous marble showers with six to 12 showerheads. Spa Velia will bring the spa treatments to you.
Enrich your San Diego journey with inspirational spa treatments. Choose from: Radiant Skincare Treatments, Nail Services, Sumptuous Body Wraps, Scrubs or Timeless Massage Journeys that begin with your selection of three custom-blended aromatherapy oils. Tranquil and convenient, these custom created spa treatments are performed in the privacy of your elegant guest room.
A-Room-A-Therapy – The JW Marriott Desert Ridge, Phoenix, AZ
Aromatherapy is featured in the six Revive Spa guest rooms. With relaxation and well-being at the core of the design, the rooms are designed to evoke a sense of tranquility with soft, muted lighting, Kashwere amenities, Zents, and an Alora Ambiance air diffuser.
Spa services are performed in the Revive Spa, where 41 elegantly appointed treatment rooms offer a diverse menu of spa experiences that incorporate beautiful, tranquil settings and indigenous flora and fauna into signature treatments where ancient rituals join force with cutting-edge techniques. Relaxation Package includes: Exclusive Revive Spa Guest Room, Four 50-minute spa treatments at Revive Spa, Complimentary Revive CD, and Breakfast for two at Revive’s Spa Bistro
The Complete Spa Suite – Hotel Palomar, Washington, DC
The 335 room boutique lifestyle hotel provides business and leisure travelers with a sophisticated, artful sanctuary amidst the bustling activity of Washington’s vibrant DuPont Circle. The hotel evokes the original Hotel Palomar design concept of timeless sophistication, with an overall tone that is modern, tailored, and elegant, soothing guests with artistic touches and accents.
Stepping through the doors of the Hotel Palomar, guests will leave behind the clamor of the city and enter a world of artful sophistication. In the hotel’s grand, two-story lobby, guests are greeted by striking architectural elements featuring exotic woods, inspiring bold artwork, and geometric forms including a loosely geometric flooring of charcoal stone and mocha-colored marble. Adjacent to the mahogany registration desk inset with stainless steel, guests discover a signature Palomar design element – a wall with a series of niches, featuring an eclectic and colorful collection of objet d’art. Guests enjoy socializing in the comfortable living room area, featuring deep-seated lounge groupings and a highly stylized, monolithic transparent fireplace, clad in French Rouge Du Roi crimson marble.
Hotel Palomar Washington DC’s specialty hotel suites combine style and luxury. Relaxation abounds in every room, while the eight motion rooms keep you moving. All suites offer in-suite spa services. Imagine the absolute luxury of having a full-service day spa in the calm and comfort of your Hotel room. Averaging more than 800 square feet, the beautifully-realized suites are havens for business and relaxation, showcasing the quintessential downtown Washington DC hotel suite experience.
Relaxation Rooms offer Fuji soaking tubs for two, specialty bath salts and customized aromatherapy soaps shaped around a guest’s own scent preferences. The suites also feature relaxation music to create a gentle escape from the world outside.
Motion Rooms have personal fitness equipment and are ideal for frequent travelers with health in mind. Visitors can take advantage of their Spin, Cardio & Core Training, Yoga, and Pilate’s rooms as well as the Washington Ballet Room.
The In-Room Spa Services feature Fresh® skin and body care products at the heart of Hotel Palomar’s mind, body, and spa program. Their customized treatment menu is devoted to your skin and senses. Immerse yourself in a pampering treatment exploring the therapeutic properties of Fresh® Sake, Rice, Sugar, Orange Chocolate, and Umbrian Clay. The effective ingredients and cultural traditions of beauty are reinvented in these treatments, blending innovative formulas, therapeutic techniques, and unique sensory journeys that instill visible and lasting results.
Spectacular View – Park MGM, Las Vegas, NV
The recently renovated spa provides an array of services to help you feel rejuvenated and refreshed.
Hydrate your skin with their signature facials and unwind with their stress releasing massages. Slip out of your robe and into a seaweed wrap or simply let your cares melt away with a soothing massage.
However you choose to spoil yourself, you’ll find exactly what you’re looking for in the Spa at Monte Carlo. Then, you can continue to spoil yourself in the luxury of your spa suite. A full-size Jacuzzi surrounded by Italian marble, a stereo surround sound system, and a wet sauna to relax and detoxify in allows your spa relaxation to continue in the privacy of your room.
Spa Lifestyle Rooms – Mandarin Oriental, Miami, FL
Ideally located on prestigious Brickell Key, its deluxe, waterfront location perfectly befits the opulence you’ll find within.
An innovative, wellness-focused option in accommodation, the Spa Lifestyle Rooms are for guests wishing to eat healthier, maintain their exercise routine, sleep more soundly and unwind, and relax while away.
Spa Lifestyle Rooms are specifically designed for the healthy-minded guest. These rooms are certified allergy-friendly, complete with an air purification system so that you will breathe easier and wake up more refreshed. Additionally, there is an in-room fitness program, personal lifestyle consultant, and spa cuisine offerings, all to provide a stress-free environment. A wellness dumbbell rack and wellness ball from Technogym plus a yoga mat, organic cotton yoga straps, and yoga blocks are provided for your in-room workout. Private yoga and meditation classes can be arranged in-room or in The Spa’s Chi Studio.
All Spa Lifestyle Rooms are located on the sixth floor of the hotel and each features an expansive, private veranda with views of Biscayne Bay and the Miami skyline, a marble bathroom with separate glass shower, cherry wood furniture and a choice of king-size or two double beds.
The 15,000 square-foot Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Miami is an award-winning sanctuary. It features 17 private treatment rooms, including six stunning VIP suites, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay.
Two of the spa’s spacious, split-level Mandarin Suites include a personal multi-jet tub and oversized shower, two are custom-designed for Thai massage and two are specially designed for couples wishing to share their experience.
The spa used exotic textures in its construction, like bamboo, rice paper, glass, and natural linens, to achieve an ambiance of total harmony. It’s the perfect place in which to indulge in holistic treatments that blend elements and ancient wisdom from around the world.
Spa Package Specials: Combining luxury accommodation in the new Spa Lifestyle Rooms with a holistic spa experience.
Summer Spa Lifestyle: Guests arriving on a Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday may choose to book this fabulous package. Luxury accommodation in a Spa Lifestyle Room, American breakfast daily for two persons, A luxurious spa credit of $350, In-room fitness program and personal lifestyle consultant, A wellness dumbbell rack, and wellness ball from Technogym, Yoga mat, organic cotton yoga straps, and yoga blocks are provided.
Spa Ancient Ayurvedic: Echoes of ancient Ayurveda can be sensed in these specially chosen holistic treatments, which transfer you from the frantic pace of everyday life to receptive calmness. A combination of massages along with the replenishing aromatherapy blends and the activation of vital energy points will leave the skin completely revitalized.
– Luxury accommodation in a Spa Lifestyle Room or in a Dynasty Suite, for three nights,
– American breakfast daily for two persons,
– Welcome Foot Ritual, Facial Cleanse, Full Body Exfoliation,
– Choice of either Ayurvedic Holistic Body, Life Dance or Oriental Harmony Massage (there is a $150 supplemental charge for Oriental Harmony),
– Choice of Shirodhara or Marma Point Foot Massage,
– Choice of either Aromatherapy Facial or a Dosha specific wrap,
– 1 Yoga class per person, per stay.
Ultimate Spa Indulgence: Allow the world around you to come to a complete standstill when you experience The Spa’s unique four-day holistic journey. The cultural blend of treatment therapies along with The Spa’s philosophies of health and well-being achieve total peace and provide the ultimate in pampering and relaxation. Enjoy four nights of luxurious accommodations with daily American breakfast.
Day 1: Welcome foot ritual, Facial Cleanse, and Salt & Oil Scrub. Lunch: Spa Bento Box served poolside. Choice of Ayurvedic Holistic Body, Life Dance or Mandarin Oriental Hot Stone Massage, plus body wrap with fresh Algae, Nourishing Mud, or Herbal Oshadi.
Day 2: Luxury Aromatherapy Facial (including Soothing and Nourishing Eye Treatment)
Holistic Hand and Nail Treatment, Holistic Foot, and Nail Treatment. Lunch: Spa Bento Box served poolside.
Day 3: Yoga, Oriental Bath Soak, Choice of Thai Massage, or Shiatsu.
Valley of the Sun Spa Suite – Royal Palms Resort and Spa, Scottsdale, AZ
Privacy remains the ultimate luxury at Royal Palms Resort and Spa. Enchanting stone walkways curve throughout the property, inviting guests to indulge in a leisurely stroll amongst the fragrant citrus groves and exotic foliage. Set amidst lush courtyards and blooming gardens, the 119 beautifully appointed casitas, guestrooms, and the new Alvadora Spa Suites are part of the new Montavista Collection. Designed for guests seeking tranquility and serenity, each room is resplendent in Old World charm, many appointed with a breathtaking collection of European antiques, tiles, and artifacts.
The six luxurious signature spa suites offer an enchanting escape of self-discovery and promise relaxation deep within the enclave of the newly created Montavista. Overlooking the tiered garden courtyard and reflecting pool, many of the custom suites offer a terrace with magnificent views of the mountainside. Every detail has been meticulously tailored to appeal to all of the senses and create a venue for calmness and tranquility. The dark wood flooring and leather furnishing contrast with the white linen-draped four-poster daybed. Color therapy lighting, fresh flowers, intimate fireplace, reflective artwork, and French glass doors complete the suite. The master bath features a Kusatsu soaking tub with steam shower, luxurious linens, and reflexology slippers.
The spa is seamlessly transitioned into the comfort of the suite to address flexibility and endurance attributes with dumbbells, and yoga mats. Special services include exclusive in-room spa treatments, sunrise, and evening turndown rituals.
Check out “Alvadora Spa Suite Packages“
More spa suites to come… – The Ritz Carlton, Rancho Mirage, CA
The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage will begin accepting reservations in September 2007. Located on a 650-foot bluff overlooking world-famous Palm Springs, the Coachella Valley, and the 10,000 ft. San Jacinto Mountain range, The Ritz-Carlton, Rancho Mirage is designed to complement its high mountain desert location by featuring natural elements of stone, wood, and fire which reflect the local landscape, colors, and culture.
Resort amenities will include cliff-side swimming and relaxation pools, the finest golf, and tennis experience with exclusive arrangements and memberships with premier courses and clubs in the Valley, along with a wide array of cultural and recreational activities including over 20 miles of mountain biking trails. The resort offers a “true luxury desert experience” in an unparalleled location, yet still provides convenient access to world-class shopping, dining, and a pristine mountain-top setting.
The Spa
Desert oasis and high-mountain inspired, the Spa is where the serenity of nature provides invigoration and renewal. All 16 treatment rooms within this brand new spa resort are bathed in the natural colors of the desert and surrounding mountains. Outdoor treatment rooms and a cliffside yoga deck are special highlights for a truly memorable experience.
Spa Suites A perfect complement to the spa, the 18 studio, one- and two-bedroom Spa Suites offer a private connection to the spa and easy enjoyment of the adjacent infinity-edge swimming pool. Crisp white stones accented by multi-hued blues reflect the desert sky and mirror the color palette of the spa, creating a serene design that seamlessly blends inside and out. Generous living rooms lead to private terraces and courtyards, many with fire pits, outdoor soaking tubs, and large outdoor living areas.
Selecting The Right Spa Suites Spa Getaway For You
Spa Suites are a popular spa concept. There isn’t a standard definition for what defines a spa suite. Make sure you are informed prior to booking your spa suite vacation to ensure that it will meet your needs and exceed your expectations. As you can see, spa services may be added; some spa services may be in your room and others down at the actual Spa.
Exercise equipment may or may not be included. Some exercise and spa amenities may conveniently be in your spa suite for your relaxation enjoyment including, Jacuzzis, oversized soaking tubs, steam rooms, saunas, aromatherapy, bath salts, color therapy, appropriate spa music, and the expected spa robes and sandals.
Whether you are a discerning traveler, who wants to be able to relax, release and rejuvenate during a vacation, without having to run all over the place, or a business person looking for a wonderful respite after a hard day’s work, there is a spa suite with your name on it, but Book Early, there are only a few select suites and they are in high demand.
