INTERVIEW
Lilian Roten
Jane Kitchen talks to Lilian Roten, the brains behind the brands for Swissôtel’s in-house Pürovel spas and its boundary breaking Vitality wellness programme
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wissôtel launched its in-house Pürovel spa concept in 2011 and now features the branded spas in 12 of its 32 hotels, with 12 more in the pipeline. The company has also been integrating touches of wellbeing into every aspect of a hotel stay as part of its Vitality programme since 2012 – making it one of the first wellness hotel groups. With a nod to the company’s Swiss roots and Alpine heritage (Swissair and Nestlé were the original owners of the group) Pürovel spas are designed to remind guests of the invigorating Swiss Alps. Lilian Roten is vice president of the Swissôtel brand. Born in the mountains of Switzerland, she’s been with the company more than 20 years, focusing first on operations and more recently, on brand strategy. Roten works closely with Andrew Gibson, vice president of spa and wellness for Swissôtel’s parent brand, FRHI Hotels & Resorts, to ensure all spas stay on-message and convey that sense of alpine vitality. Roten tells Spa Business how the Pürovel concept was developed, where it’s heading and how it fits with Swissôtel’s push for wellbeing through its Vitality programme.
78 spabusiness.com issue 4 2015
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the rejuvenation that happens between spring, summer, fall and winter. The name actually means “a gently floating mountain stream” in Rumantsch – the language spoken in the mountains.
What makes Pürovel a Swiss brand?
Roten, born in the Swiss mountains, has been with the hotel group for 20 years
Why did Swissôtel develop a spa concept? We really wanted to make sure we had something that we could hang our hat on – otherwise, we’re just selling a massage, and everybody else sells a massage. We didn’t want to bring in a consultant who just said, ‘this is a concept – see how it fits’. We looked at what we’re really good at and the essence of the brand. And if you’re born in Switzerland – I mean the brand, and myself as well – you deal with nature all the time. The inspiration was really about the four seasons and
In my eyes it starts with physical aspect, and then treatments need to be in place as well. Pürovel is Alpine-inspired in its look and feel, but we also incorporate unique elements from each country – in Turkey, you will have a hammam, in Thailand, you will have Thai massage, in Sri Lanka, you might have ayurveda. For the design we draw inspiration from the mountains and valleys of Switzerland, using soothing shades like greens and adding a touch of colour, like flowers in a forest. There’s an element of freshness and vigour. At the entrance to our spas, we have images of the landscape that reflect the seasons in Switzerland. So when we open in Dubai in a few years, it will be hot, but in the Pürovel Spa you’ll first see a beautiful winter landscape as if it’s December in Switzerland. The uniforms are also more of a sporty outdoors uniform, rather than an Asian-inspired look. In terms of materials, we use honest materials – if it looks like wood it is wood. Authentic materials are essential to the