Jean Guy de Gabriac on nurturing talent

Jean Guy de Gabriac, CEO and founder, Tip Touch International

An award-winning advisor and educator in guest experience, Jean Guy de Gabriac specialises in elevating the skills and engagement of spa, wellness and hospitality teams.

“Fundamentally,” he says, “spa operators thrive when they nurture their team to flourish. This means recognising talent rather than seeing therapists as just ‘hands for hire’. After all, there is no successful guest experience without successful therapist engagement.”

A culture of wellness

“It takes grit and vision to invest time and money in building a culture of wellness within your therapist team,” de Gabriac continues

“There are some standout examples of exceptional guest experience and team satisfaction, including Grand Resort Bad Ragaz in Switzerland.

“Therapists there are given the opportunity to use their favourite techniques in the Tamina Flow Signature Massage. The spa offers regular refresher training and a focus on smart body mechanics delivers a deep intensity of massage with minimum effort from the therapist to avoid issues such as repetitive strain injuries.”

Observing best practice

De Gabriac adds that Four Seasons Hotels, Resorts & Spas has recently rolled out a Best Practices module on ‘Massage and Draping’ for its 120+ spas. The aim is to ensure that “therapists feel protected from any misinterpretation by guests, and guests from any misunderstanding on the delivery and stroke work in massage techniques”, he explains.