NEW ORLEANS— In the final days of August 2005, there weren’t too many minds here concentrating on getting a spa treatment or maintaining a fitness regime. Most, if not all, thoughts were fixed on coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the destruction wrought by the forces of nature. Over on Royal St. in the French Quarter, however, Stephen Caputo actually did have fitness— as in fitness center— on his mind. The director of operations at the historic Hotel Monteleone was wondering how long it would take and how much it would cost to repair the property’s glass-enclosed rooftop facility, which the storm had basically blown away. On the second floor, Judy Blum, co-owner with Cindy Cocke of Spa Aria, was grateful her business in the hotel had been spared, but as the city began its clean-up, the harsh truth sank in that only a fraction of her veteran staff— and guests— would return, at least in the near term. A year later, both facilities at the Hotel Monteleone, a member of Historic Hotels of America, are open and operating, having gone through a period of transition the likes of which neither Caputo nor Blum wants to see again. The rooftop facility, long noted for the views it offered 16 stories up of the Mississippi River, French Quarter and downtown, was a shambles. “All the glass got shattered out of there and all the equipment got basically destroyed,” recalled Caputo, whose been with the property 13 years. There also was a rooftop pool and full-service pool bar with about 70 chairs and some dining tables that suffered some destruction, “but it’s all up and running now,” he said. All the equipment had to be removed and the whole fitness center had to be redone, which kept the facility closed for six months, said Caputo. (The hotel itself remained open for a week after the storm, closed, then reopened to guests by mid-October, utilizing 50% of the hotel’s rooms inventory. It was only this past March that the hotel’s nearly 600 rooms were all in inventory.) “We’ve put in new cardio equipment, new weight equipment, individual pieces, video monitors on each piece of equipment, which is called cardio vision,” he said, noting an estimated $60,000 has been invested in equipment. “Then we put in another $30,000 in renovations of the fitness center with beefed-up air conditioning, redoing the flooring, etc.,” he added. Fortunately, the Monteleone was in the habit of having agreements with other area hotels to let its guests utilize select facilities, so while the fitness center was restored guests were at the nearby Omni Royal Orleans working out. (The Monteleone is now returning the favor as the Omni’s facilities undergo renovation.) Caputo felt the fitness center is the type of amenity a Four-Diamond property has to have. “What really sells the fitness center is the tremendous view that you get from up there,” he said, but noted having all new, state-of-the-art equipment also will deliver an advantage to the hotel in meeting guests’ needs. Asked if management considered moving the facility as a hedge against any future storms, Caputo said: “We never gave it a thought.” Meanwhile, Spa Aria, which debuted in the hotel in November 2004, was Blum’s first business venture inside a hotel. She and Cocke had established themselves as spa operators with Shine Spa and Specialties in the French Quarter and had been in business for about eight years when they were approached by client Andrea Thornton, the Monteleone’s director of sales and marketing, to consider opening inside the full-service hotel. “We hadn’t been in a hotel environment before and we really didn’t know what to expect. But we knew the reputation of the Hotel Monteleone was very solid and we knew they would do everything in their power to promote us. Plus, we had a very steady, local clientele, so we felt like it was a win-win situation, which it has been,” said Blum. The property also was getting its first spa and given the hotel’s history— it has been owned and operated by the Monteleone family since 1886— Blum’s vision for the spa sought to combine its legacy with her facility’s more contemporary, albeit basic, approach. “It’s a concept that’s more grassroots and all about the energy of the people that we hire, the therapeutic ability that they have. We don’t use any machines in our services; it’s all about the human touch. I thought incorporating that alternative type of feeling with this historic hotel was going to be different. And it does work very well,” said Blum. She also called upon Shine spa manager Chance Brignac to assist with visual merchandising and creating atmosphere in the new endeavor. While hotel guests contribute to the spa’s bottom line, Blum said the facility gets a lot of traffic from the city’s French Quarter, Warehouse District and Central Business District. “We get a lot of business from those we call our metrosexual males. They buy the skin care, and get pedicures and manicures and massages.” Blum said she’s also finding more women are talking their husbands and boyfriends into getting couples massages. “It’s like the new trend now,” she said. Part of getting guests and locals alike to consider services that translate into revenue for the spa and hotel is to promote the facility as one that is “safe,” according to Blum. Spa Aria has four treatment rooms, a manicure and pedicure station, and a retail area that features the all-natural Pavonia spa line, and employs 15 people. “We call it a cozy retreat because it is quaint and is small but we’ve done such great things with the space; it’s got a very comfortable feel,” she said. Blum leases the space from the hotel, which gets a monthly percentage of the spa revenue as rent; she tagged annual revenue at approximately $850,000. “We haven’t had a full year under our belt yet,” said Blum, noting while there was no physical damage to the spa, Katrina had its impact. Overall, Caputo is optimistic. “We do believe we’re on the upswing; we’ve had some good months back-to-back with May and June up in the mid-50, 60 percentile (the Monteleone usually is in the high-60 to low-70 percentile for the period)….we are seeing a lot of short-term pickup.”
