WELL-BEING PROFITABILITY AND THE POWER OF PEOPLE: INSIGHTS FROM THE 2025 FORUM HOTEL&SPA (France)
At the heart of the 17th edition of the Forum HOTel&SPA, held on June 5th, 2025 at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, stood two pillars of the hospitality and wellness industry: human capital and economic impact. |
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WELL-BEING PROFITABILITY AND THE POWER OF PEOPLE: INSIGHTS FROM THE 2025 FORUM HOTEL&SPA (France)
At the heart of the 17th edition of the Forum HOTel&SPA, held on June 5th, 2025 at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, stood two pillars of the hospitality and wellness industry: human capital and economic impact. |
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Article written by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on 2025-06-10
 Vladi Kovanic and the three winners of the Black, Blue and Red Diamond Awards: Marie-Paule Leblanc-Péru, Stéphane Reumont and Caroline Mahé-Léa.
Photo credit © Faust Favart / Investing in people for sustainable luxury
François Delahaye, Chief Operating Officer of Dorchester Collection and General Manager of Plaza Athénée, opened the conference with a clear assertion: “It’s all based on people.” His keynote, focused on debunking misconceptions in hospitality, championed a human-centric approach to luxury.
Delahaye emphasized the value of training and care for spa therapists: “Spend money and time for repetitive training… not just technically with brands like Valmont, but more importantly on human skills – how to listen, how to care.” This philosophy echoes across Dorchester’s wellness strategy, centered on making guests feel like their best selves.
The guest experience, he reminded, begins with the staff: “You need to make sure that the people are genuine.” Speaking about the Dior Spa at Plaza Athénée, he underlined the importance of authenticity and thoughtful service in every encounter, particularly in moments of transition, like after a long flight or before an important business day.
Data, design and the guest of tomorrow
Roger A. Allen, Group CEO of RLA Global, unveiled insights from the latest Wellness Real Estate report. Of the 11,000 hotels studied, properties classified as “Major Wellness” (generating over $1 million or 10% of revenue from wellness) showed markedly better Total Revenue per Occupied Room.
“The more spa professionals understand hotel metrics, the better they can influence CAPEX decisions,” Allen stated. This call to action was echoed by Simon Casson, CEO of Corinthia Hotels, who noted: “The way you deploy the capital, how much treatment rooms you have, how those spaces are designed… The key question is, does the investment make the guest want to stay an extra night?”.
Casson offered a vivid distinction between “good” and “great” hospitality: “Good can be bought… but the quantum leap from good to great is human, it's experiential, it's delivered by people.” He continued, “A guest paying 2,000 euros a night knows they cannot buy genuine care or someone anticipating a need – that's where the true luxury lies.”
Casson also addressed how leadership must evolve: “As a leader, your primary job is to create, nurture and maintain an environment where employees can be the best version of themselves.” His vision for Corinthia’s cultural transformation includes meritocracy, kindness, and empowerment: “Do not treat people badly. Do not be angry, do not shout, do not be discriminatory.”
Freedom and sustainability: the new imperatives
Echoing the forum’s central theme – “True luxury is the freedom to choose” – Thibault Drege, General Manager of Four Seasons Hotel George V, explained how his spa model embraces flexibility: “We preselect some brands, but give guests the luxury to choose… trusting the team to make the right call is the power of that freedom.”
In a roundtable on ecological transition, Fabien Piacentino, General Manager of Le Couvent des Minimes, shared the challenges and triumphs of building a sustainable spa within a luxury framework: “It was out of the question to discard elements of heritage.” He emphasised the importance of heritage, but above all of people. “The greatest luxury is the human being who delivers it.” The spa, powered mostly by geothermal energy, achieved ECOCERT certification within 18 months of reopening.
As Barbara Pruvost, Manager at ECOCERT Greenlife, and Anaïs Fretté, Project Manager at Wellness Consulting, highlighted, the shift toward sustainability requires collaborative engagement – from architecture to supplier choices, from training therapists to educating guests. “We treat our staff like we treat our environment,” added Piacentino, reinforcing the intimate link between internal culture and client satisfaction.
Ultimately, the luxury of choice lies at every link in the hospitality and spa value chain. From the architect to the supplier, through the teams themselves before even offering the guest a choice, true luxury is the audacity to offer options – and to stand by them.
2025 Black, Blue and Red Diamond Awards
Highly awaited each year, the Red Diamond Award, Black Diamond Award, and Blue Diamond Award are distinctions created by the Forum HOTel&SPA to honour men and women who have made a lasting contribution to the wellness and spa industry.
Mr. Stéphane Reumont, Spa Director at Guerlain Spa, Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne.
The Black Diamond Award celebrates excellence in the world of Spa and Medi-Spa by recognising an individual whose career and commitment have made a lasting impact on the industry.
Ms. Caroline Mahé-Léa, Operations Director at Thalgo.
This award recognises the management qualities, innovative spirit, and commercial dynamism of a personality in the thalassotherapy sector.
Ms. Marie-Paule Leblanc-Péru, President of SPA-A.
The Red Diamond Award is given to a person who embodies, with fierce devotion, the principles and practices of wellness throughout their life.
 François Delahaye, Chief Operating Officer of Dorchester Collection and General Manager of the Plaza Athénée, spoke at the Forum.
Photo credit © Faust Favart /
 Simon Casson, CEO of Corinthia Hotels, and Verena Lasvigne, Managing Director and Founder of VLF Spa Consulting, at the 2025 Forum.
Photo credit © Faust Favart /
 Fabien Piacentino, Managing Director of the Couvent des Minimes, spoke about ecological transition and sustainability alongside Anaïs Fretté and Barbara Pruvost.
Photo credit © Faust Favart /
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