Learn about SpaExcellenceSM
Standards, Education,
Assessment
and Certification |
The
International Standards of SpaExcellence(SM)2014
A Quality System Approach for Spa Businesses
Available as an electronic book (82 pages) for $35 US.
Please note that the EXE file is not automatically delivered. The EXE file is emailed individually by me (Julie Register) as soon as I am notified of the order by PayPal. Click on the button below to order your copy.
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| ON MY MIND
The Robert Trent Jones Golf and Spa Trail
468 Holes of Championship-Golf on 26 Courses at 11 Sites
Over 10 Million Rounds of Golf
5 Luxury Spas
by Julie Register
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is a collection of public championship-caliber golf courses in Alabama designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr. The concept was created and executed by Dr. David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, which is the administrator of the pension fund for employees of the state of Alabama. The mission was to effectively diversify the assets of the state's pension fund and economically help the state of Alabama with the philosophy that "the stronger the Retirement Systems of Alabama can make Alabama, the stronger the Retirement Systems will be." It was the largest golf course construction project ever undertaken at one time anywhere in the world. Over 700 pieces of equipment were in operation at one time. By 2005, 10 of the 11 sites were complete. The historic Lakewood Golf Club in Point Clear underwent extensive renovations and was later added to the RTJ Golf Trail, bringing the total to 11 Trail sites, 26 courses and 468 holes. According to the New York Times “The Trail offers the best public golf on earth.” My husband, Jeff, agrees.
Robert Trent Jones Golf and Spa Trail
Jeff, a friend from Delaware, his brother from Nebraska and Jeff's dad who lived in Alabama golfed on the newly completed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in 2005. They used the RTJ Build Your Own Package service to create their itinerary and make hotel and tee time reservations. Each day they checked out of their
economy
hotel, ate breakfast, played 18 holes at a RTJ course, ate lunch, played 9 more holes, showered then drove to the next RTJ site. Over a week they played different courses at Grand National, Capitol Hill, Cambrian Ridge and Magnolia Grove. Jeff said they had a fantastic time. He spent less than $500 for the whole week (lodging, food and golf), and the courses were some of best he'd ever played - public or private.
The RTJ Golf Trail added resorts and spas near the golf courses. Now, in addition to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, there are eight resorts and hotels, as well as a Robert Trent Jones Spa Trail that includes five luxury spas in the Trail’s Resort Collection.
Jeff and I visited Ross Bridge in 2006 less than a year after it opened and really enjoyed the experience. Since then we've talked about going on the Robert Trent Jones Trails - Golf for Jeff and Spa for me. The state of Alabama is pretty big and the Trails go from the far north in Muscle Shoals to the Gulf of Mexico - over 1,000 miles by car full circle. The majority of Trail sites are 1-3 hours apart from each other. We decided to split the Trail into multiple trips:
 Central: Hoover (spa), Montgomery (spa) and Opelika
 Southeast: Dothan
 South: Greenville, Mobile (spa) and Point Clear (spa)
 North: Birmingham, Muscle Shoals (spa), Huntsville and Gadsden
We went on the central part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf and Spa Trail in June and July of 2014. In preparation for the trip, I purchased a RTJ Spa Trail Card for $50, since I would be visiting two of the five RTJ spas. The RTJ Spa Trail Card is good for a calendar year and includes:
a $20 gift card
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20% discount on spa services
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20% discount on regular rated rooms (Not to be used in conjunction with any other discount, limited number of rooms available, subject to availability)
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20% off all spa retail products
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10% discount on food and beverage in the hotel
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Complimentary glass of wine in the spa after the spa service
Also, if you use the RTJ Spa Trail Card at all five Resort Collection Spas within a year, you get a free treatment of your choice - up to a $100 value.
I used the card at both spas for spa services and retail products. I found it interesting that the only restaurant that in the three properties that knew about the 10% discount was the one in Opelika - the only one without a spa!
The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail offers two very reasonably priced membership options, as well as a RTJ Trail Card for residents of the state of Alabama or those living within 100 miles of an RTJ Golf Trail site that offers reduced rates for 18 holes that include a cart.
Details of our 2014 trip follow:
Central Loop
Stop #1: Birmingham - Highlights include a very relaxing massage at The Spa at Ross Bridge, an "awesome" round of golf on the Ross Bridge Golf Course, one of the longest courses in the world, and dinner on our balcony overlooking the golf course and pool while enjoying the tunes of a bagpiper below. Click HERE to read about our experience at Ross Bridge.
Stop #2: Montgomery - Highlights include a lovely Signature Facial using Skin Authority products at The Spa at Montgomery, a new "favorite place to play golf" at the Capitol Hill - Senator Golf Course and a hotel located on the historic Alabama River offering a nice selection of places to eat and things to do. Click HERE to read about our experience in Montgomery.
Stop #3: Auburn/Opelika - Highlights include great golf on the scenic Lake and Executive Courses. Click HERE to read about our experience in Opelika.
We will be driving from Atlanta to Panama City, Florida in the fall of 2014 and Jeff will most likely have an opportunity play Highland Oaks in Dothan then. We plan to do the southern loop in 2015 and the northern loop in 2016, sooner if we can.
Even when we eventually visit each site of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, Jeff could do it over and have a completely different golf experience since all but one site have multiple golf courses at them.
Robert Trent Jones Golf and Spa Trail
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http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=*EJTVpauQ/0&offerid=61746.10000013&subid=0&type=4
Just Released!
In The Grand Spas of Central Europe, historian David Clay Large follows the grand spa story from Greco-Roman antiquity to the present, focusing especially on the years between the French Revolution and World War II, a period in which the major Central European Kurorte (literally, “cure-towns”) reached their peak of influence and then slipped into decline.
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Spring Fling Wellness Weekend
at 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel
in Clayton, NY
April 22-24, 2016
Join authors Liz Price-Kellogg and Kristen Taylor, for a weekend of yoga, meditation, cooking instruction paired with mindful eating practices and more $376 for single occupancy and $519 for double occupancy includes:
2 nights’ accommodations,
an autographed copy of their book, For the Love of Food and Yoga: A Celebration of Mindful Eating and Being, a personal journal, and
all meals and activities (excluding spa services.)
Reservations: 315-686-1100 ext 7012.
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