He also writes regular columns for Spa Management, Healing Retreats, Pulse, and American Spa and has been featured in Medi-Spa, Skin Inc, Spa Asia, and Novelles Esthetique.
His hands on expertise in fitness, spa treatments, esthetics and alternative medicines give him a unique holistic global vision of the industry and brings to Aspen Spa Management an international expertise second to none.
After graduation from the Cornell University Hotel Management program and a short time as a Director of Inspection Services for the Duncan Hines Institute, he joined the Cornell University staff and began his consulting career.
He consulted for the Ministries of Tourism of France, Morocco, Tunisia, Brazil and Mexico and for major corporations such as the Ritz Carlton, Bulgari. Four Seasons, Accor, and Omni.
In 2003, he joined Nissan Europe as head of sales and service quality, where he was in charge of propelling the Japanese auto maker into the Top 3 carmakers by customer satisfaction and recommendation criteria.
From 2005, he was in charge of setting up sales subsidiaries in the Nordic countries and Eastern Europe.
In 2007, he completed his commercial training with an MBA at HEC, the elite French business school. His main objective at Sofitel is to help reposition the brand on the luxury segment, notably by putting customer expectations at the heart of the services offer and by deploying systems designed to guarantee their perfect delivery.
Olivier Arnoux, 38, has been in charge of the Customer Experience Department at Sofitel Monde since October 2007.
He started out as a management advisor with General Motors in 1994, working with car dealerships, before becoming head of regional sales.
After a short period in sales with Toyota, he moved to the French subsidiary of a consultancy specializing in automotive retail (development of distribution networks, optimizing sales and financial performance, etc.) and worked with most European car manufacturers.
Fiorella Baserga has always played a key role in the organization of highly successful events with particular emphasis on highlighting and giving increased exposure to the latest trends in the sector.
She has participated in workshops and debates regarding the definition of precepts and strategies inherent in wellness centre management.
Ms. Baserga boasts in-depth expertise in all areas related to the range of services available in the Italian wellness industry and is always in search of innovative proposals in the sector. A keen traveler, she researches the market not only from a more general but also scientific viewpoint.
Fiorella Baserga is the Editor of the Wellness , Hospitality and Trends area for BE-MA EDITRICE, one of the top five technical publishing houses in Italy. In addition to publishing 28 magazines, 4 websites and several annual directories, BE-Ma EDITRICE is also active in the field of video production(www.bema.it).
In particular, since 1999, when the first issue came, she has been responsible for the coordination of the magazine, SUITE BENESSERE, a leading reference tool for all those active in the wellness industry (hotels, beauty institutes, spas, fitness centres, Day Spas and specialist medical centres).
She is also responsible for all the editorial aspects involved in the publication of GUIDA AL BENESSERE, the only reference of its kind to offer a complete, updated overview of the wellness industry in Italy.
She also helped to set up the Spa Academy in Casablanca in collaboration with the “International Hôtel Spa Academy, USA”, of which she is General Secretary.
She is currently organising the first Moroccan Spa Hotel Congress to be held in November 2008. As a business associate, she brings her expertise to this sector which involves a wide number of countries, including Senegal, Turkey, Tunisia, Syria and several of the Arab Gulf countries.
After completing a degree in Communication and Management at the Ecole Supérieure des Cadres (Management School) in Casablanca, and a number of work placements abroad, Majda founded her own Communications and Event Organisation company in Casablanca: “MAGUY WORK”.
The company specialises in health, beauty and well-being. It was Majda who organised the very first Festival de la Beauté in Casablanca. She founded and became President of the Moroccan Spas Association.In 2001, with the assistance of André Gédouin, she started the Armor Arcoat spa, which in Breton means sea and land, a permanent invitation for a stationary journey. In 2006, she received her department’s bronze medal for tourism for setting up the spa and for the excellence of her career.
Véronique Bregeon, owner of the four-star Coq Gadby urban resort
located in the center of Rennes, was not at all interested in running
this flagship Breton hotel even though it had been in her family for
four generations.
Traditional and intuitive, Véronique left behind the
exporting of art objects, and “due to family obligations” as she so
well puts it, she decided on her parents’ death to pursue their work,
making the hotel a home away from home so that guests, on
leaving, would have a great desire to return.
She can thus gives companies ideas and creative clues in order for them to create tomorrow’s products and centers. She specializes in wellness & nature in all shapes and forms (nutrition, beauty, plants, massages, alternative medicines, therapies...). Furthermore, she is training to be a coach in order to help people during the changing periods of their lives, by being either a guide or a catalyst.
After having spent 9 years in the Sales and Marketing Department of a big cosmetic group, Pascale becomes an independant, in 2000, as a “trendsetter”.
She travels all over the world looking for future trends and life styles, and discovering new products (Japan, USA, UK, Australia…).
In every issue, Isabelle CHARRIER, with her team of specialists, takes it upon herself to provide a complete panorama of the international wellness market, analysing the latest trends and influences of the wellness industry.
Allencompassing and innovative, this magazine is an invaluable work tool, reflection tool and promotional tool for all players in the wellness market.
Today, EMOTION SPA Magazine is placed in the top 30 in the PRO WELLNESS PRESS sector out of 350 titles referenced internationally.
Isabelle CHARRIER has been involved since many years in the Spa, as she has always been passionately fond of beauty and wellness.
After she had worked in marketing and communication then collaborated in various magazines about the universe of voyage, thalasso and Spa, she creates in 2004 EMOTION SPA Magazine, edited by the I.M.C company, specialised in the publication of magazines and books on the Spa and pool material industry.
High class hotel branch are equipped with the solution NYMPHEA, which is also voted unanimous by many trade marks.
ADN’s knowledge is trade worldwide today within 15 countries on the 5 continents.
ADN informatique is also editor of HOMING, the hotel and resorts management solution and, according to his needs SOFTBOOKING, which is a management solution of online booking called RESALYS.
Even if he received an engineer training period, Herve Colly integrated in 1986 the software company ADN of which he became the C.E.O. in 2003.
He was the creator, as entering the Cie, of the data-processing management solution.
NYMPHEA is dedicated to the market of the hydrotherapy and the well-ness. This long experience conferred to him, like with its teams, a thorough knowledge of these activities.
The solution equips the majority of the French’s thermal centers , thalassotherapy ones and the Spa orientation logically was essential in the development, specially in the last 5 years.
Today she has upwards of a dozen clients including airlines, tour operators and hotel groups such as the upscale Starwood Hotels and Resorts group in Africa and the Indian Ocean. Starwood's hotels include Le Méridien, Sheraton and Luxury Collection.
Small up-market units such as Le Richelieu in the Ile de Ré, a Michelin-starred 4-star Luxury Relais & Chateaux establishment, have also called on her services.
Nathalie Compagnon has recently pooled her expertise with those of Eric Fiat of Actis Consulting, which specializes in the sales and marketing representation of foreign hotel groups in France.
Nathalie Compagnon has been a press agent in the tourism and lifestyle sector since 1989.
After working as a journalist, she decided to "switch to the other side" and became a press agent for her clients.
Her move to the other side means she has the dual culture that is essential for the proper understanding of the customary practices of both sides.
After setting up two companies (Néos and Indigo) with her business partners, and that are still in operation, Nathalie Compagnon went out on her own once again and four years ago registered her own brand, A CHACUN SON IMAGE ("To each his image"), in the public relations and advertising sectors.
Over the past several yeas he has kept up with market changes by adapting and also anticipating trends such as the incorporation of a fitness center and Qualicert services certification.
Most recently, he has expanded the hotel site and created a spa and beauty space in the thalassotherapy center.
He is a member of the Bureau de la Fédération Internationale Mer et Santé, actively participates in the fitness club of the Maison de la France, and is in charge of the economic observatory for the Syndicat de la Thalassothérapie.
After training at the Ecole Hôtelier de Nice, Martial Denêtre began working in the business hotel sector of the chain hotel business in 1986 at the age of 20.
In 1992 he took over management of the Hôtel Alliance Métropole**** at the age of 26. He left the hotel after one year to take over the management of the Hôtel Alliance Pornic in 1993.
In 1995, following the departure of the head of the thalassotherapy center, the opportunity to take over the management of the entire establishment presented itself, and he became one of the first managers at the age of 30 to head a hotel complex combining hotel, restaurant and thalassotherapy services.
Her experience of the arts of wellness and, more importantly, her in-depth analysis of the requirements of hotels wishing to install a spa, have meant that she was constantly confronted with the recurrent, complex needs of the program, namely: what clientele, what product differentiation, what physical environment, what suppliers, what recruitment, and so on.
Most recently, as part of the strategic repositioning of the Sofitel brand, she was given the task of working on the new Resort & Spa Sofitel identity in international markets. Taking a holistic approach to wellness, she became part of the circle of experts of the SPA-A trade body and has been closely involved in training for careers in spas and in developing a national quality procedure.
Aldina Duarte Ramos's career to date has been structured by the immediate alliance of beauty, wellness and the hospitality industry, notably with luxury Paris hotel Le Bristol and the Anne Sémonin brand.
She went on to oversee the hands-on opening of the first Anne Sémonin concept spa in Bangkok, located in a luxury hotel.
Her experience of luxury hotels means she has been confronted with the exacting service requirements devolving from the lifestyle of a high-end clientele. After that she did a stint with Accor, where she was charged with creating the turnkey LeSpa concept as part of an operational marketing team. She then oversaw its global roll-out for the Sofitel, Novotel and Mercure hotel groups, tailoring the concept to the needs of each location. Through this enriching experience she discovered many types of spas all over the world.
She is a true visionary and the strength and authenticity of her work are concentrated in the synergies between her extreme sensitivity, her cosmopolitan background, and her undimmed creativity that combine with a passion for hard work, the telling detail, and exacting standards of execution, resulting in consistently high-quality projects, each with a unique soul.
Trained at Boston University in the US, Brigitte Dumont de Chassart has worked for over 25 years on top-quality, highly-regarded programs in Western and Eastern Europe and Asia in a wide variety of areas and for signature clients, including four- and five-star hotels & resorts, cruise ships, luxury boutiques, club houses and restaurants.
In recent years she has been a pioneer in interior design for spa programs, working with Shiseido and l’Occitane in Europe, Six Senses in Asia, and with Sisley on the Byblos in Saint Tropez.
Wishing to learn about the world of spas, she joined Aspen Resorts International.
After an intensive induction into the various aspects of spa management at international level, she used her legal expertise to specialize in Human Resources and Learning Services. This is the core of an industry that is currently seeing explosive growth but that suffers from a lack of expertise in the area of recruitment and training of spa personnel.
After specialist university studies in health law, Karine Hélie worked as an intern in the French Ministry of Justice and subsequently at the Paris Necker Public Hospital for sick children in the Patients' Rights department, subsequently joining a law practice in Paris.
She has also taught health law for a master's law program and has given numerous lectures on health law and intellectual property.
She writes in the health and well-being pages of a Canadian weekly and has written many other articles on legal topics for Editions Tissot.
He has authored two books, Apprivoisez votre stress (Editions d’Organisation) and Les thérapies marines (Editions Dangles).
He is a regular contributor to radio and TV broadcasts and has co-organized symposiums on nutrition and marine-based therapies: Nutrition Santé Mer in Granville as a member of the Scientific Committee, and MEDEC (Symposium Mer et Santé 2003).
Dominique Hoareau is a physician and spa and thalassotherapy consultant, the creator of the Nature et Santé and Terroirs et Bien-être Spa concepts, of Thermo-Lumin’Essence (with Galya Ortega) and of the Apprivoisez votre stress and Spa coaching well-being sessions.
After practicing a holistic approach to medicine using a range of therapies as a general practitioner, he moved into preventive medicine.
He became a head doctor for thalassotherapy, and also worked as a consultant on the development and marketing of marine-based food supplements.
Since that time, Bertrand Jaquet has returned to directly managed operations, devoting his attention to his own businesses in the departments of Sarthe (Grand Hôtel de Solesmes) and Morbihan (Domaine de Rochevilaine), which employ 110 staff and have a turnover of 9 million Euros. Public awards: Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur, Tourism Silver Medal and Chevalier du Mérite Agricole award. Professional awards: Best young barman in France (1968), Michelin starred head chef in the Michelin guide (1980), Personality of the Year 1989 (for the French hotel industry), Relais & Châteaux since 2004, Worldwide award 2004 (best Hotel Spa), best Relais & Châteaux Spa 2007.
A self-taught business owner and entrepreneur for the past 40 years, Bertrand Jaquet was just 19 years old when he built up his first hotel restaurant. Since then he has always had new projects on the go, establishing a number of hotels in his home area, the Loire valley. Some of these are now managed by worthy young employees, which has helped to get them up and running, particularly in terms of securing financial resources and providing management support as and where required.
In 1983, Bertrand Jaquet developed a hotel cooperative which now has a network of 180 hotels throughout France and has played a pioneering role in the following areas:
Marketing – setting up of an international booking centre.
Establishment of a staff training centre
Implementation of a quality control programme.
Creation of a central purchasing agency.
Not only as one of ISPA’s original founder of “Spa Management Journal”, a continued commitment to industry excellence saw this remarkable vision and innovation after the successful launch of the industry's first publication dedicated to medical spas, "Medical Spas Review", since 2000. And since 2006, the industry’s first Travel Trade Business "Medical Tourism Magazine", is another major and significant industry first.
Guy Jonkman was one of the original founders of ISPA in 1990; early on he established himself as a leading force through his vision for the industry, but also through his incredible contributions in publication, which have been innovative and have underscored the intrinsic value of the business component side of the industry.
He embarked on furthering this leadership and innovation by introducing the industry's first ever such business-focused dedicated world publication, "Spa Management Journal", since 1990.
During his time at YPB&R (2001-2004) he guided the research-driven development and execution of branding and marketing communications strategies for several of the firm’s prestigious destination and hospitality clients.
Prior to his position at Ypartnership, he held various leadership positions in luxury hotel chains, and destination resorts & spas in the United States, Europe, and the Asia/South Pacific region gaining extensive experience in property development and operational functions.
Organizations he has provided services to include the French Government Tourism Office, The Leading Hotels of the World, Le Méridien Hotels, Wyndham International, and the International Spa Association (ISPA). Ludovic holds an MBA-accredited Masters of Management in Hospitality from Cornell University and a Bsc from the Glion Institute of Higher Education.
Ludovic Lainé is the President and Managing Partner of LaPaz Group, an internationally renowned organization specialized in the sustainable development, strategic positioning, and management of tourism destinations and hotels & resorts.
A pioneer in the field, LaPaz Group has helped for more than 12 years, governments and private sector clients committed to the sustainable use of their natural and cultural heritages, and to the improvement of the quality of life of the host communities.
Ludovic was previously the Managing Director of the New York office for YPB&R (now Ypartnership), America’s leading marketing, advertising, and public relations agency specialized in the travel, leisure, and entertainment industries.
4 years of human exchanges and adventures, during the creations and the projects in over 20 countries, has able him to confront the industry’s ‘French Touch’ to the international emergence of the spa industry, especially in the anglo-saxon countries.
In the field, he coordonates the ‘help missions’ for design and launching of new centers, in France and abroad, surrounded by a pluridisciplinary and very specialized 13-people team.
After having studied literature, obtained a diploma in Political Sciences and a masters degree in public management, Erwan discovered the world of thalassatherapy and was, for 10 years, the Head Manager for the Atlantic and Mediterranean coast centers. Directeur de centre sur la côte Atlantique et en Méditerranée.
At the end of 2001, the THALGO executives asked him to be the Head Manager for the new coaching structure, the THALGO SPA MANAGEMENT, created for the spas and thalassatherapy designers, partners of the group.
Music Skin Care is a service that will tailor a sound environment to correspond step-by-step to the treatment protocol. The music is not just an add-on of the kind provided by CDs of relaxing sounds, but is bespoke-designed to form the musical component of a treatment, since each sound environment is tailor-made and perfectly integrated into the care ritual.
After setting up one of the very first internet sound design agencies when the World Wide Web took off, and creating the soundtracks for a number of Paris runway shows, Thomas Madrid teamed up with Jean-Philippe in 2003 to found the SET and SEE agency, offering the Music Skin Care concept.
Since 2005 he teaches at the Ateneo Creativo - IDI Interior Design Institute-Milan.
In 2006 he participated at the exhibition "50+2y Italian design" at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing where the most important designers of international Design from 1954 till 2006 were selected.
In 2007 he teaches within the short course "Low cost hotel" at the Domus Academy in Milan in collaboration with the "University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins". "University of the Arts London Central Saint Martins".
In 2007 he's organizing the event "Made in Italy for Dubai" within the exhibition "Abitare il Tempo" in Verona (Italy).
His projects have been published in the most important italian and international design magazines.
Matteo Nunziati was born in Bologna in 1972.
He opened his interior design office in Milan in 2000.
The design sector of the studio includes industriaI products collaborating with important furniture , lighting and covering firms.
The sector of Interior Design is specialized in designing Luxury hotels, Residences, Wellness Centres, Spa, which have been produced all over the world. (Europe, Asia, Arabia)
Since 2004 he cooperates as a "Project Leader" at the Domus Academy -Milan, in the field of "Master in Interior Design" and is in charge of the "Hotel Design" short-course (edition 2004 and 2005). Since 2004 he works together with the Department of Industrial Design/Graduate Institute of Innovation and Design - National Taipei University of Technology of Taipei, Taiwan
In the past 15 years or so he has developed performance models and excellence strategies that can be applied equally well to spas, hotels and resorts, and the business sphere.
A columnist for Dragon magazine, he has also published seven books on the philosophy and practice of martial arts, personal development, and coaching.
Jean Marc Ortega, who heads the Institut Equilibre et Performance, coaches top managers and specializes in team dynamics and development.
He is a psychotherapist and a trainer of trainers, teaching coaching in a DESU post-graduate program at the University of Paris VIII.
During his seven years in charge of operations, both turnover and financial performance continued to grow.
In 2007, when the group was reorganised, M. Rollin, SCIH President, offered him the post of Director of operations for the entire group of THALAZUR spa centres.
With a host of new projects and ambitions, Jean-Luc was proud to accept his new role – to develop the THALAZUR brand.
As soon as he took up his new post, he set about revising the brand’s image, with a change of logo, a new website and creation of a graphic charter. Above all else he sought to motivate all the teams on the various sites to work together – this for him was the key to the future success of THALAZUR.
After completing a degree in management accountancy, Jean-Luc spent 3 years working for Club Méditerranée, where his job took him to places as far afield as the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and Florida.
In 1989 he joined the Accor group as Tourism & Leisure Manager at the Novotel in Guadeloupe. He remained in the West Indies for 7 years, where his final post was as Assistant Director at the Novotel Diamant in Martinique.
Wishing to explore the business hotel sector, he decided to return to France where he spent two years as Hotel Manager at the Novotel Sénart in Paris. During this spell in the Paris region, he met Stanislas Rollin, owner of the hotel he was managing.
The SCIH group acquired a site in Antibes at the end of 2000, a complex comprising a hotel with 164 rooms, residence of 103 apartments and Thalassotherapy Institute. The initial period was difficult, with teams having to adapt to a new style of management, and of administration in particular.
A highly service-oriented manager, he built up the Spa operation and improved the service quality, propelling Beau Rivage Palace into the Forbes Magazine ten most beautiful hotel spas rankings and also topping the Leading Spa Of the World quality rankings in 2008.
Following a higher diploma course in tourism and several years' experience in managing sports and leisure amenities in France and Switzerland, Stéphane Reumont moved to head up the Cinq Mondes Spa at the Beau Rivage Palace hotel in late 2005.
She is currently forging partnerships with luxury hotels and is responsible for the management and oversight of existing partnerships, which include hotel and day franchises, in order to optimize the results and operations of spas such as Beau-Rivage Palace in Lausanne and Monte-Carlo Bay in Monaco.
Following a period in sales and marketing in the business tourism sector, Florence Schaeffer opened and ran the Cinq Mondes Spa in the Méridien Barbarons in the Seychelles as spa manager.
She moved to the Cinq Mondes corporate headquarters in late 2007 as head of franchising.
Eric de Tourtier has been working in spa development for many years. He joined Cinq Mondes in June 2007. At Cinq Mondes, the French specialist market leader for spas, he heads a multi-disciplinary team to assist hotel and day spas in their projects, boost their economic development and nurture their brand image.
After training with pioneers such as Allan and Tanya Wheway (the designers of spa destinations like Champneys in the UK and Chiva-Som in Thailand), Franck Trecco has since 2000 headed the Hydro Concept company, which specializes in the design and construction of spa centers.
Turnbull also served as Director of Autobytel Europe, where he assisted in Prior to that, Mr. Turnbull was Chief Executive of Toad plc, a technology business start-up focussed on consolidating the fragmented automotive aftermarket business.
Mr. Turnbull played a pivotal role in raising £16m in City funding for the company and was also responsible for successfully floating Toad on the London Stock Exchange.
Mr. Turnbull spent the early part of his career working his way up from Graduate Trainee in the Marketing Department of Ford Britain to Advertising Manager for Ford Europe.
He also served as a Director at Nissan Motors (GB) Ltd and Reliance Security Services Ltd. Mr. Turnbull received a BA (Hons) in History/Politics from Warwick University and holds an MBA from Durham University.
He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCHIM), a Fellow of the Institute of the Motor Industry (FIMI) and a member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (MIPD).
Kevin Turnbull’s passion for start-up businesses and a detailed knowledge of translating successful American business models to Europe makes him ideally suited to lead Spa Finder’s expansion into Europe.
In addition to hands-on experience launching new Internet marketing concepts to untapped business sectors, Mr.Turnbull brings over 25 years of corporate management and marketing expertise to Spa Finder Europe.
Mr. Turnbull’s recent experience as Director of Daimler Chrysler UK’s luxury car brand division, where he oversaw sales and marketing for the ultra-luxurious Maybach and the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren – has given him unique insight into the luxury travel market.
Previously, Mr. Turnbull served as CEO of Autobytel UK, a subsidiary of Inchcape plc, introducing Autobytel.com, the successful online car buying and selling model developed by Pete Ellis, current CEO of Spa Finder, Inc., to the United Kingdom’s automotive market.
Physical well-being and mental serenity Quite naturally, the Management of the Golf Resort has called upon the services of this unparalleled professional so that its new Spa should be not only one of the most beautiful but above all
one of the most effective, thus guaranteeing the
best possible quality of care to its clients.
Even better, on 15 January of this year Nabiha Volpi was recruited as Spa Manager, so that her expertise might be available on a full-time basis. “I accepted because, after having established the Spa at the Park Hyatt in Dubaï, I saw that the Spa has several points in common with golf.
In both cases we are looking at a solitary sensory adventure where each person is alone with himself or herself in search of physical well-being and serenity of mind. The difference is that, at the Spa, a team of professionals contributes to intensify this sensation and, consequently, the performance played out on the golf course.”
Nabiha Volpi is a woman of body and mind. This former dance professor knows how the mind influences the physique and vice-versa.
This is why she developed, notably, an exclusive relaxation technique known as the Body Wave.
But, in order to take her quest for body-mind balance further, this 45 year old Mediterranean woman made herself over at the end of the 1980s to become a practicioner. After earning diplomas as a beautician and professional masseuse, her reputation grew rapidly.
It was to her that the prestigious Paris
palace Le Bristol turned, in 1993, to open one of its first eastern Spas.
After a stint at Bergdorf Goodman on 5th Avenue in New York she returned to Paris in 2001, to the very connected Hôtel Costes, where she was tasked with creating a Spa.
Since then, Nabiha Volpi travels the world; her professional expertise in matters of acquisition and training, as well as her skills as a practicioner, have become an international reference.
