Macdonald Hotels & Resorts

As a collection of 24, four and five star spa hotels located in picturesque towns and cities across the UK & Europe, Macdonald Hotel & Resorts provide the ultimate spa experience to guests, all seamlessly managed by Core by Premier Software – the leading single and multi-site business management system.

Macdonald Spa Hotels are renown across the globe for providing first-class spa treatments within world-class facilities. From countryside to city, every spa hotel is full of charm and strong local character, which makes it the go-to brand for many travellers searching for opulent spas in stunning locations.

Managed by real hoteliers who have a genuine passion to deliver an unrivalled experience no matter which spa hotel you visit, each has its own individual personality, but is easily recognisable through the pure luxury associated with the Macdonald brand.

Whether visiting the 5-star Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel or 5-star Randolph in Oxfordshire, each hotel spa has been designed to revitalise, rejuvenate and relax guests to the same high standards no matter where you are in the world.

It is this attention to detail that make Macdonald spa hotels true destination spas, each providing sumptuous and relaxing experiences that sees guests return time after time.

From the light, airy treatment rooms with fresh new treatments that leave guests invigorated and with a renewed sense of wellbeing, through to warm, sensuous relaxation areas with fine dining, there is a Macdonald spa hotel to suit every occasion.

Whilst guests sit back and relax, running through the heart of each spa hotel is an invisible thread that works tirelessly to generate data to help the group deliver world-class experiences at competitive prices.

Core by Premier Software has been created specifically for the spa, wellness and leisure industry, providing both a single and multi-site business management solution.

With a depth of functionality incomparable with any other software system, its interface provides front of house functions such as scheduling and retail sales through to marketing and access to over 400 reports.

Macdonald has been working with Premier Software for 13 years, most recently with Core, and has been closely analysing its data across all its hotels to develop a business strategy that streamlines its spa offering whilst increasing sales, improving retention rates and encouraging brand loyalty.

Providing treatments and services which meet the expectations of a group of 24 spa hotels can be challenging, but consistency in data capture and how the data is utilised is key, as Richard Clay, Group Spa Revenue Manager for Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, explains: “Around three years ago Macdonald offered around 190 different packages and treatments, with each spa responsible for determining which packages and treatments they provided.

"We now have just five, core spa day packages and residential packages, which has led to a collective increase in spa revenue of 30 per cent and
is improving year-on-year."

"Central to this success is Core. On a day-to-day basis, we utilise around 10 of its reports and then around an additional 10 on a regular basis, which pulls the same data from across each hotel."

"These reports provide a daily snapshot of how the spas are performing. We can see bookings taken, treatments completed and cancellations, enabling the revenue team to build an on-going profile for each spa."

"Although the reports can be set to run automatically, we tend to pull the data ourselves and export into the financial reports required by head office. Being able to see the data in real-time, we can track performance in much more detail both individually and as a group."

In addition to reporting, Core’s back-end system allows the allocation of spa packages and treatments to be pre-set across all spas, which is hugely beneficial as Richard explains: "Core’s simplicity and multi-site functionality means spa managers do not have to sit and create bespoke packages and treatments as this is all pre-determined, freeing their time to concentrate on the client experience."

“Core just makes everything simple. The data we pull is complex, but since streamlining the spa business package bookings have increased 31 per cent and treatments by 10 per cent,” says Richard.

“It helps with tracking and signposting emerging trends, auditing and future forecasting as well as providing room hour analytics and occupancy rates. We can extract data from two date points and cross-reference performance to predict future growth."

"The amount of information Core retains is exceptional and we can tap into that data at any time of day, any day of the week. So if we are experiencing a downturn in bookings, we can quickly utilise the automated marketing and SMS text function within Core to send last minute offers – either as a group or for an individual spa.

"Without Core, we would not be able to do this as efficiently and with as much success. The uplift in business across all spas is clear to see and we are still exploring other reports and how the data can be used to improve spa performance further," added Richard.