Moevenpick Hotels plans to create a spa management structure for its North African and Tunisian forays, according to the Moevenpick Gammarth Tunis spa manager Jihen Derbel.

“We are hoping to create a spa concept which harmonises the high standards and efficient procedures we employ in our facilities,” Derbel told Spa Opportunities at SPATEC Europe 2014.

“Expansion opportunities in Africa are increasing and we need a better infrastructure. Our customers are travelling and experiencing other kinds of spas so we want to make sure we are offering something unique. Demand has increased and we need a way to enforce the same methods across our portfolio of individual spas,” Derbel continued.

She explained that this new structure will mean treatments from some regions can be transported to Moevenpick Spas in other countries.

“In Tunisia we use oriental products – such as black sand – in our hammams and with this new structure, we will be able to incorporate these treatments in our spas in Europe too,” Derbel said.

The African spa industry is growing, according to Derbel, and Moevenpick hopes to work with consultants and not-for-profit association A-Spa-Maroc to push for the implementation of a spa association for North African countries.

Derbel also lamented the lack of schools for spa management in North Africa and she said that the only country in Africa which has its own spa association is South Africa.

In the coming year, Moevenpick plans to open two properties in Morocco: the 184-bedroom Moevenpick Hotel Casablanca – with a rooftop pool, spa, three restaurants and six meeting rooms – scheduled to open by Q3; and the under-construction 374-bedroom Moevenpick Hotel Marrakech in Q1 of 2015.