I took part in the HOTELSPA Forum, a day rich in meetings and reflections, brilliantly organized by Vlady Kovanic at the heart of the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris. This annual event brings together the key players in the spa, wellness and prestige hotel sectors, to discuss the major issues shaping the future of our businesses.
It was in this stimulating atmosphere, where we take the time to think about hospitality differently, that I had the privilege of talking with François Delahaye, whose career and commitments have long inspired me. This second article sheds further light on this exchange, highlighting his human approach to management, his intuition for revealing talent and his vision of excellence in a sector undergoing constant transformation.
What is your vision of wellness and spas?
The future of spa and wellness is moving towards something far more holistic and personalized than ever before. Of course, the setting has to be magnificent, the products exceptional – and we’re proud of our collaborations with Dior and other top brands. But what really shapes the future is the depth of experience.
There are three main trends:
- Personalization thanks to emotional intelligence: it’s no longer a question of simply offering a “treatment menu”. It’s all about feeling the customer, even in what they don’t say. What’s his state of mind? What kind of day has it been? This demands emotional intelligence from therapists , as well as technical skills.
- Time as the new luxury: As I said earlier, time is becoming the ultimate luxury. Customers aren’t just looking for a treatment, but a moment to themselves, away from the hustle and bustle, in a place where they feel seen and understood.
- Integrating well-being into the lifestyle: Well-being is no longer a one-off pleasure. More and more, our customers are looking for continuity. They ask for advice, products, routines – a link between the spa experience and their daily lives at home. We need to become partners in their well-being journey.
At the end of the day, it’s all about people – those we welcome, and those we train and support to care for them.
Where do you stand on the theme of longevity – and the growing desire to fight time…? is this a trend for the spa world?
Yes, longevity has become a major issue today. More and more people are seeking not only to live longer, but also to live better, with energy, health and vitality. This is clearly a growing trend.
On the one hand, we work closely with exceptional partners such as Christian Dior and Valmont, who bring in-depth expertise and advanced technicality to our spa offerings. Their know-how, their products – the science behind them – are extraordinary. But that’s only part of the equation.
In the end, it’s the human connection that makes all the difference. Because no matter how advanced the product or protocol, it’s our teams – our staff, our therapists – who stand in front of the customer. They are the face of the experience. This is why interaction must be holistic. Customers aren’t there just for a treatment; they’re there to feel seen, understood and supported.
To achieve this, we are investing heavily in :
- Training, not just technical but also human
- The culture of pre-care, where experience is taken into account long before it begins
- And above all, the long-term development of our employees within our facilities.
We don’t just want them to do a job. We want them to grow. Because a confident, well-trained therapist offers not just a service – but an experience that truly touches the client.
People are the key to the customer experience,
François Delahaye has a rare talent for spotting, revealing and nurturing the personalities who will shape tomorrow’s hospitality and gastronomy. It has given a chance to some of today’s leading figures, offering them not only an exceptional stage, but also an environment conducive to the expression of their creativity.
He accompanied the rise of Christophe Michalak, whom he appointed head pastry chef at the Plaza Athénée in 2000, well before Michalak became world pastry champion. Later, he set his sights on Cédric Grolet, a young, as yet little-known talent, whom he propelled to the Meurice, enabling him to revolutionize palace pastry with his sculpted fruits, and become a veritable world star.
True to its vision, Delahaye continues to breathe new life into its business by welcoming Jean Imbert to head up the kitchens at the Plaza Athénée, thus affirming its audacity and ability to renew the codes of luxury. These sometimes unexpected choices reflect his deep-seated conviction that the success of a place depends on the men and women who bring it to life, and that it’s up to management to give them the means to shine.
For François Delahaye, it all starts with recruitment. Whether in a five-star hotel or a simple Parisian café, the dynamic is the same. Take the example of a cab – you’ll find drivers who genuinely like to welcome you, who smile, who appreciate the human relationship, and then there are others who carry the weight of the world on their shoulders, who are closed, overwhelmed, elsewhere.
You feel it immediately – that natural disposition to be kind, generous, to love people. And honestly, it’s universal. In every country, in every culture, this desire to care for others exists. Sometimes you just have to find it. Or encourage it. Or train it. But it all starts with the person.
So yes – I believe that the spirit of hospitality begins with something very simple: the human wish to do something good for someone else. Without that, you can’t pretend. With that, you can accomplish wonders.
How do you see artificial intelligence in customer relations?
“AI didn’t arrive yesterday – we’ve been working on it for years, long before it became the trend it is today. It’s a bit like spa longevity: everyone’s talking about it now, but some of us started down this path much earlier.
We’ve even created our own internal system, called Nexus. It’s a tailor-made platform designed exclusively for us. Its objective is clear: to help us better understand and connect with each customer.
Every member of our hotel teams is equipped with a Nexus-connected device. This gives them instant access to the customer’s profile – past stays, preferences, allergies, even their presence on social networks. Is he an influencer? What has he published before? How much did he spend? What does he like, what doesn’t he like? It’s all there – in real time.
The system is driven by AI, at the service of human relations. The aim is to enable our teams – whether at reception, the concierge or the spa – to offer a more personalized and intuitive experience.
Yes – AI is already integrated into our daily operations. We don’t use it all the time, it can’t replace human instinct, but it undeniably improves our service. We have no choice but to use it – and used well, it brings real help.”
