NEW YORK—A yoga class in the morning; a kickboxing class to power up before a big meeting; a massage at the end of a long day. In today’s health-obsessed culture, taking care of your mind, body and soul—even while traveling—is important to many people. At least that’s the stance Logan Sugarman, CEO, Refresh Body, is taking.
Logan Sugarman
Refresh Body
For nearly 10 years, the company’s on-demand spa platform has provided at-home and in-office health and wellness services to high-end users who want a private yoga or Pilates instructor to come to their home or office. Since the end of last year, Refresh Body has been steadily expanding its reach to boutique hotels, partnering with them so they can provide the same type of health and wellness concierge services to guests.
Recognizing the many challenges some hotels face when it comes to operating their small- to medium-sized spas, Sugarman set out to provide them with a unique health and wellness brand marketing and amenities program that was profitable, easy to manage and provided guests with the best experience possible. “We looked around and thought, ‘Hey, we could offer a huge value add to hotels, particularly boutique hotels with no spas, and give them the ability to bring these health and wellness, spa-related services on-site,’” he said.
“In the current environment, you’re looking at a cohort of people who want more experiential and wellness-oriented services,” added Sugarman. “Every boutique, luxury hotel has a famous cocktail list and a celebrity chef restaurant. What I think people are looking for now is something that speaks to their body and mind and health even more so than food and drink amenities.”
Refresh Body builds out technology specific to the hotel and, according to Sugarman, the hotel doesn’t have to do anything. “They simply put our backend into their spa-booking page and it’s all taken care of, and we can set that up in a couple of days,” he said. “It’s easy, doesn’t cost them anything extra but allows them to promote an experience or amenity through the website and through the WiFi sign-in in the hotel room, and all the while, generate revenue for the hotel at each interaction. Every time they book a service, net revenue is generated for the hotel.”
Sugarman explained that when they implement a program for a boutique hotel, the technology and web presence is white-labeled to match the brand and feel of that particular hotel. “We don’t want it to be about Refresh, we want it to be about the property and have this be a true hotel guest amenity rather than another third-party provider,” he said. A guest will be able to access the program through a link on the hotel website. “Once they click through, they enter our booking system, which has been white-labeled to match the hotel brand, and then they can swipe through the different services and book what they want.” The concierge would also have access to the program, so a guest could simply call downstairs and order the desired service, Sugarman added.
A key component of Refresh Body’s success is its team of elite practitioners and instructors. “Our vetting process is probably the most stringent in the industry. Only about 10% of those who apply are accepted; we are very selective,” said Sugarman. “It’s a multi-stage vetting process that includes structure interviews, technical exams, live demos, background checks and a mentorship program. Once you’re brought on board, you’re teamed up with someone who’s been with the organization for a long time who helps train you on best practices and answers your questions.”
According to Sugarman, Refresh’s thorough screening of providers is what helps to set it apart from the competition. “Health and wellness is not just about tech skills; it’s about personalities and approach,” he said. “Hotels need to maintain their brand and their consistency with every guest interaction. They can’t be fodder for your vetting mechanism. You need to have excellence at every interaction. Every time you book something for a guest, you need to be sure it will be one of the best services your guest has ever had.”
From massage to yoga to kickboxing, Refresh Body works with each hotel to custom design a health and wellness program for guests
From mindfulness and massage to yoga and Pilates to interval training and boot camps, Refresh Body works with each hotel to custom design a program, including on- or off-premise settings, one-on-one sessions and small classes. Currently, the company is working with The Mark in Manhattan on a program to launch Sacred Space NY, a high-end, bespoke service that promotes health, healing and beauty from within. “We’ll be the delivery mechanism for it.” explained Sugarman. “We can very much tailor our programming to the hotel’s brand and to the guest who stays there and make sure all of those things fit together. Even though we service groups nationally, we want a local feel. So, if you’re in Miami, you’re doing Zumba or kickboxing or interval training, depending on the type of travelers and the hotel,” he said. “In New York, it’s more mindfulness training and massage. We can bring whatever the hotel wants us to bring in as far as the type of health and wellness service it is looking for.”
Sugarman said that the vast range of services Refresh Body’s team of providers offer is another “huge differentiator” that allows them to stand out from the competition. “Most groups out there are single modality, i.e., massage, yoga or Pilates. A hotel would have to contract with seven different groups to get a range of services to match the needs of each guest,” he said. “We walk in and say, ‘Let’s figure out what you want and what’s your range of services.’ The hotel only has to deal with us and we’ll deal with every provider out there. Also, the hotel will have one group managing consistency and quality and ensuring guest satisfaction. The concierge only has to deal with one group.”
The company’s goal is consistency across the board. For example, all Refresh Body massage therapists use the same towels, lotions and other materials, so every time a guest uses that service, he or she has the exact same experience. According to Sugarman, providing guests with a tailored health and wellness program that always features the same highly qualified instructors and providers will also encourage brand loyalty among those guests. “I think that the definition of luxury brand is high-level service that is consistently applied and that consistency is really what makes you trust that brand,” he said. “Connect guests with a great teacher or a great program and then they’ll come back to the property not just because the beds are nice and they like the concierge and the hotel manager but because they now have a great yoga instructor and love having that in the morning.”
Currently, the Refresh Body platform is in hotels in Boston; New York; Washington, DC; Miami; Denver; Chicago; Dallas; San Francisco; and Los Angeles, and the company has plans to expand. “We hope to be in the top 20 cities in the next six months,” said Sugarman. “What we’ve seen is a really big response from boutique hotels so far. The interest level and clients we are bringing on board speaks to the quality and consistency of what we bring in house, but also that there is a real demand for this. It’s something that people understand and are looking to address, both from a guest amenity side and from a revenue standpoint.” HB
