CMO Roundtable With Dana Benfield, Chief Marketing Officer at Spavia Day Spa

How do you integrate technology into your marketing efforts while also ensuring a personal touch?

Dana Benfield
Chief Marketing Officer
Spavia Day Spa

At Spavia Day Spa, we believe technology should enhance human connection, not replace it. This mindset guides how we integrate technology into our marketing efforts while ensuring a personal, thoughtful experience remains at the core of everything we do.

We use technology to anticipate guest needs, personalize communication, and simplify their wellness journey. From tailored emails to customized treatment recommendations, every touchpoint is designed to make guests feel seen and valued. Building on this focus on the guest experience, our digital ecosystem has been intentionally built to reflect Spavia’s high standard of care and hospitality, whether that be through our online scheduling processes, automated reminders, or post-treatment follow-ups.

This same philosophy applies to our localized marketing efforts for our franchisees. They are the heartbeat of Spavia, and we see technology as a tool to strengthen their local connection with guests. We provide scalable, automated marketing support to help them maintain consistency across the brand while preserving their ability to engage authentically in their markets. We’ve also incorporated real-time feedback tools, including survey automation, so that we can listen to our guests’ needs and continually improve the experience on both the local and national levels.

Looking ahead, AI is already reshaping how consumers search and interact with brands. We’re continuing to evolve our content strategy to meet guests where they are, whether it’s in traditional search or AI-driven platforms. We’re embracing these innovations with care to ensure our marketing remains rooted in human emotion and connection. For us, technology is a tool to help share authentic stories, but it’s the people, purpose, and guest experience that make those stories meaningful.

Ultimately, balancing innovation with intention is nonnegotiable. We’ll continue exploring new tools and platforms but only when they help us connect more meaningfully, improve the guest experience, or support our franchisees. Technology can open doors, but human connection will always be at the heart of our brand.