When it comes to spas in Quebec, the variety is staggering.
There are Finnish spas and Swedish spas, and spas specializing in reflexology or pressotherapy. There are mud wraps and floating baths with sea salts, as well as floating baths with Dead Sea salts. Not to mention chocotherapy. There are hot-stone massages, Oriental cocoons, kinesitherapy and chromatherapy. Plus, there's maple-sugar exfoliation.
And that's just in the Laurentians.
Brilliant niche marketing I would say, and yet typical of spas in this province. Each one has carved out its own niche and developed its own personality, without much market overlap. And yet, collectively, these spas add up to something greater than the sum of their parts in terms of how they define the Quebec tourism industry. Outside our borders, people are noticing. The Toronto Star, for example, had a major feature recently on the front page of its travel section about women escaping to spas in the Laurentians for serious R&R.
But I think I have something new to add to Quebec's eclectic list of spas: the trio.
It's not like the trios you order at McDonald's. Think more in terms of what you do when you bundle your telephone, cable TV and Internet with the same service supplier; you get a bundling discount in return.
Bundling has long been a feature of the travel industry in general, such as a one-week all-inclusive package deal to the Dominican Republic. But you're seeing a lot more of it in the short-hop, short-stay end of the travel market, and in Quebec the spa industry is leading the way.
People go to a spa to relax. If the spa is in the Laurentians or the Eastern Townships, they probably will want to stay in the area for a night or two. And if they're staying overnight, they're probably looking for a good local restaurant, too.
Result: Spas are teaming up with B&Bs and restaurants to create mini-packages that provide overall discounts of up to 20 per cent.
I first heard about this bundling phenomenon from Stephane Gervais, a former Mont Tremblant restaurateur who is now co-owner of a spa in Morin Heights, Spa Le Baltique, which opened 13 months ago. It has created partnerships with a few local high-end B&Bs to offer interesting deals.
In Morin Heights in the middle of St. Sauveur area, Couette et Fourchette, a B&B, offers a package consisting of one night of accommodation, breakfast, table d'hôte dinner, a 75-minute private minivan tour in and around St. Sauveur and access to Le Baltique, which is normally $40 a person. The overall package costs $134 per person, based on double occupancy. A two-night package is $179 each.
In the Eastern Townships, Spa des chutes de Bolton, in Bolton Centre, south of Eastman, is a good spa to check out if you want to relax after a day of skiing, or if you want twin up a spa visit with dinner at a good local restaurant. The Bolton spa's ski-and-spa deal, $61.95 per person, includes a day pass at Owl's Head followed by a spa visit. The spa-and-fine-dining option, $69.95, includes a spa visit followed by a meal at one of two partner restaurants in Eastman or one in Magog.
When package deals include overnight accommodation, it's usually the hotel or innkeeper to whom you pay the overall bill. For that reason, the websites of hotels and inns usually have the most detailed information on the package deals. Sometimes the spas' websites only mention the names of their partners. Googling hotel/B&B/spas by region of interest is also a good way to start exploring bundling options. |
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