ABSTRACT

Over the last 2 years, spa and wellness services have begun to expand rapidly, seemingly as an emerging business sector, and are also recognized as a new form of tourism product for hotel operators in Malaysia. Spa and health centres are commonly found in resort hotels and it is seen as an add-on service to the in-house guests as part of the leisure activities that they can enjoy during their stay. Also, it is a way to generate hotel revenue besides room, food and beverage. The growth of the spa and health services business can be witnessed not only in the resort hotel sector, but it is also evident in the commercial sector such as individual private operated centres located in shopping malls and business commercial buildings in Sabah. Because it is a new form of service business, there has been little attention given by the government in terms of regulations, policies, and standard practices of operating spa and health centres in Malaysia. Although both the hotel and commercial sectors offer almost the same type of spa and massage services, there exists a wide range of price difference between these two sectors. The difference in pricing is mainly due to difference in qualities from its facilities, environment, and professional services as well as product ingredients used.