The Berkeley, London

10 Years of in-house operational success & excellent profitability....

Overview

Howard Consulting assisted in creating this, one of the first Hotel Spas in London. It has become one of the best known and most photographed Spas featuring a fabulous pool with a retracting roof and views over Hyde Park .

Objective

The brief was to renovate an outmoded Health Club and transform it into a Spa & Health Club that would be the best of it's type. We established that we had to reposition the club and Spa and direct it at a younger group of affluent professionals. We wanted to increase its profile, maximise profit per square metre and maintain an in-house operation.

Constraints

The essential capital investment was large, due to an ageing shell requiring total rehabilitation. We were also subject to reductions on authorised expenditure during the concept stage. Furthermore, we were facing a potential additional cost to raise the Spa's profile, particularly if this meant joining forces with a prestigious brand name and increasing service levels.

Achievements

We re-allocated Space sensibly, with a limited budget, yet changed the concept. We adopted the pool as the Spa's signature photo and made it a key element of the Spa experience.

Howard Consulting negotiated an exclusive arrangement with Christian Dior. This enabled us to raise profile and use the Dior name in the hotel's collateral. An immediate impact was made via PR activities producing print in international media worth £2 million in year one.

In it's second year the Spa achieved 4 times it's pre-remodel revenues. In Year 7 the Spa generated £850K of revenues with a 46% GOP. For 10 years the Spa was extremely instrumental in raising the Hotel's profile receiving many accolades in the International press .

Client Satisfaction

"We knew from the onset that the existing health club at the time was in great need of redevelopment. Having the right concept and understanding the overall potential of the Space meant that we needed specialist assistance with a proven track record. We hired Howard Consulting for this and immediately felt we had the right partnership due to the approach in all aspects of the review, concept and design input. The end result was an outstanding urban Spa generating great success for the property and becaming the model for others."