Macdonald Hotels partners with International School of Beauty Therapy

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, owner of spas including the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, has partnered with The International School of Beauty Therapy, which is developing a bespoke training programme for the hotel group.

The aim is to produce highly skilled spa therapists to work across the 21 Macdonald properties. The 'beauty steps' programme will be accredited and standardised by Cidesco. Macdonald Hotels said it wanted to attract therapists highly committed to a career in spa.

The programme will invest in each therapist's personal development, and Macdonald said that each participating hotel “will receive a talent pool of long serving and high performing cost-effective trainees”.

“'The Macdonald Way' will be the bible for this partnership and it will be written as we deliver. It will comprise standardised practices that all hotels can use as a reference guide, from how the therapist beds should be set up to the uniform rules that need to be abided by.

"After the first 12 month period, Macdonald Hotels will then have an in-place program for the next cohort of apprentices,” said Louise Leach, founder of The International Beauty School.

Onsite training will be provided at each spa in addition to online support through a dedicated intranet with an open forum for help. Level two is dedicated to facials, manicures and spa host training, followed by level three which focuses on body massage techniques and blended oils.

Following successful completion, the program will then provide a progression course to encourage the therapist to progress within the company. The programme will commence in September.