What’s in a name? There is certainly not much sweetness surrounding the arguments of the title chosen by the communes of Strassen and Bertrange for the new aquatic centre that forms a stunning architectural  centrepiece between the route d’Arlon and the route de Longwy. “Monsieur Olinger and Mondorf are not at all happy that we have the T-H-E-R-M in our name,” readily admits Gaston Greiveldinger, President of the Syndicat CNI Les Thermes and mayor of Strassen. “But the two communes agreed that we should make reference to the Roman history of the area. We do, after all, lie on the Roman road between Arlon and Trier and we have the rue des Romains. There are also local archaeological sites pointing to Roman times.” That is an argument that doesn’t wash with Marc Olinger, the aforementioned Director of Mondorf Domaine Thermal. “I must say I am quite angry about the term Les Thermes. It is a stolen name; it is misleading because they are not a spa.” Olinger says he made the Syndicat CNI Les Thermes aware of this false designation at an early stage, but they countered with the argument about the Romans having been there. “Well what have Romans got to do with spas? Spas were not just a speciality of the Romans, and I think their argument is wrong. We are in the process of analysing the matter from a legal perspective.” What concerns Olinger is that foreign visitors will be attracted to Les Thermes under false pretences. “I am not worried about Luxembourgers, because everyone in the country knows that the only spa is at Mondorf.”

But Greiveldinger claims that at no moment did the Syndicat CNI Les Thermes have even the tiniest thought of measuring up to Mondorf Domaine Thermal or attacking it or taking away its clientele. “Roman spas were a meeting point, and that is what we want to be. People should experience a good time at Les Thermes. Mondorf shouldn’t take the name that seriously, we don’t view it so dramatically and don’t really see us as competition.” There is no doubt, however, that Les Thermes will provide new competition for Mondorf Domaine Thermal in several areas, and also poses a challenge to the Pidal complex in Walferdange and even to La Coque on the Kirchberg which has recently expanded its services to include wellness and sauna. Olinger readily admits that in terms of aquatic leisure and wellness, and perhaps even for fitness, Mondorf will have to compete with Les Thermes. But he is confident that what the Domaine Thermal and its Club has to offer is a more complete package. “We have a fitness area of 1,800 square metres, eight saunas and two Turkish baths,” he says with some pride. Olinger does understand that residents west and north of the city will at least want to have a look at what Les Thermes has to offer. And he admits that geographically Mondorf is not in an ideal situation, especially given the traffic delays on the A3 and A13 motorways during the evening rush hour. “But I want to stress that if visitors take the national roads via Bettembourg or Frisange, they will not face such heavy traffic.”

Head of the peloton

Whether the Les Thermes facility suffers the same problems remains to be seen. The route d’Arlon, route de Longwy and adjacent A6 motorway are all major exit routes at rush hour, though Greiveldinger insists that public transport is a priority. What is clear is that Les Thermes will not be overlooked by passing drivers – it is a stunningly aesthetic design, the result of an architectural competition won by Jim Clemens, Witry & Witry and Hermann & Valentiny et associés, that has already been dubbed the UFO by locals. “Les Thermes is something exceptional, but that has its price,” says Greiveldinger. “And if you have something as exceptional as that, you have to ensure the content is also exceptional.” So the decision was taken to make the complex into something much more than a mere swimming pool. So, as well as a 25-metre indoor pool, children’s and outdoor pool and waterslides, Les Thermes comprises sauna areas, fitness (managed by the CK group), a beauty parlour by Escale Beauté and three restaurants (the more upmarket of which, Les Thermes, is also accessible to diners who have not used the aquatic centre. “We wanted to do things right from the start and be at the head of the peloton, so to speak, as soon as we opened,” says Greiveldinger.

The idea behind Les Thermes dates back to 2000 when the two communes took a long hard look at their leisure facilities and decided that what they lacked was a swimming pool. The Syndicat was founded in 2002 to construct and manage the pool facility. Strassen and Bertrange have divided the investment and running costs equally, although because the facility is built on Strassen territory that commune gets to preside over the Syndicat. “We realise that the facility will be a significant financial burden on the coffers of the two communes over the next few years,” says the mayor. “But we are more than capable of carrying that burden – this is not a gamble that we have taken.” Indeed, the financial impact on each commune will finally reach 16.8 million euros. Of which 11 million has already been paid so that each commune has to invest another 5.8 million each this year. “That will complete the capital investment and will mean that as of 2010 our extraordinary budget will be discharged. But from then on the amortisation and management costs will be included in our ordinary budget, which will also include receipts from the facility.”

Clear competencies

Marc Olinger’s ire is not just reserved for Les Thermes. He is also surprised that La Coque has recently opened a Centre de Détente. “I ask myself if that fits in with the philosophy of those who conceived La Coque. Originally it was supposed to be a sports and cultural centre and there was never any talk of wellness. I have even spoken to the Minister for Tourism and the Middle Classes, Fernand Boden, to say that we have self-financed our wellness complex whereas La Coque has received 50% state financing...” Nevertheless, therapy and health remain Mondorf Domaine Thermal’s core business, according to Olinger. Recent cooperation with Finnish company, Evalua, has helped develop this branch as the complex launched its Healthcare at Work programme. The spa is already working with two major Luxembourg companies in helping them asses, preserve and enhance the health and well-being of their employees in a number of areas – anything from stress to muscular problems caused by poor ergonomics, fitness and diet. “This is an area in which we have quite clear competencies, and it is not easy to break into if you do not have a basic knowledge and expertise in the sector,” says Olinger. The other area in which Mondorf Domaine Thermal offers a unique service is cure treatments for all sorts of ailments. The spa has an agreement with health insurance funds to take on, at pre-agreed rates, patients who have been prescribed a cure by their general practitioner. But Olinger says that negotiations will soon have to be started with the Ministry of Health to decide who will pay for a comprehensive renovation of the spa facilities. “Either we will have to raise our cure prices to pay for the work, or the state will have to take over part of the investment costs in the context of its budget for hospital infrastructure.”

However, with the Domaine also comprising a hotel, conference rooms and a first class restaurant in De Jangli it is also pushing the conference and corporate hospitality business. Indeed, the Domaine hired two new sales staff last year to help develop this area of the business. Despite shrinking budgets for conferences and seminars, Olinger says that the spa is looking to attract new business from Germany and Belgium (the latter already provides the greatest number of clients) and will also launch an aggressive marketing campaign in France. “The combination of conference, fitness, wellness and spa facilities offers businesses something different,” he says.

Greiveldinger is looking to a similar geographical catchment area for Les Thermes. Market research, he says, suggests that the venue will attract people within a radius of 150 kilometres. But he also says that Les Thermes will be available for use by local schools – not only from the two communes but also from high-schools from other towns. “It is not just about tourism and leisure,” he says. Indeed the mayor is keen to emphasise that he does not want Strassen to be viewed as a commune dedicated to leisure. “We won’t hide behind Les Thermes,” he says. “We will continue our investment policy in other infrastructures.”