The golf course is not the only place to do business in a casual setting. The new spot to network with colleagues and clients is the hotel spa.
According to the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers, 39 percent of the high-end hotels being planned in the United States will include spas, more than double the number five years ago. The increase is partly a result of demand from business customers, according to the firm.
For a growing number of companies, the spa is the novel choice for corporate outings. During annual sales meetings at the camera company Canon, participants wrap up several days of number-crunching and strategy brainstorming with a choice of either a golf outing or time at the spa. Over the years, the spa option has grown more popular, said Terry Markwart, a sales director for Canon.
"Golf isn't relaxing," he said. "It's very competitive, and you have to get up early in the morning. It adds more to the stress." A trip to the spa at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco two years ago gave Markwart the chance to get the kinks out of his back as well as hash out advertising strategies with colleagues.
"It's a good chance to network and talk in a relaxed atmosphere," he said.
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Source - International Herald Tribune
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