Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Spa Operations Development and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and thelobby.com's expert on everything spa. Throughout the upcoming week, he will be posting tales from Paris where he has just returned from the annual European Spa summit.

I’ve spent the past few days in Europe hearing from different European spa leaders on the state of the industry, the challenges we face and the ways to overcome them. Much like in the U.S., Europe is dealing with the rapid growth and demand of the spa industry. The clear message for spas is simple: the days of “if you build it they will come” are over. Spas need to be created in the right way and marketed in the right way to stand out amidst a sea of growing competition.

The European Spa Summit, hosted in Paris this October, focused on the importance of not only treating customers through their 5 physical senses, but also by considering an important 6th sense: “service.” While I do agree that service is of tantamount importance in the spa setting, I look at the senses as channels to deliver that service. That is why the new Heavenly Spa concept for Westin Hotels and Resorts was developed with 7 senses in mind. The five traditional, physical senses of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch, and then two additional senses, spirit and emotion. The spa, as an extension of our hotels, is an extension of the excellent customer service we provide. By considering all the senses, we can provide that service in different and deeper ways.