The mandi bunga, or Malay floral bath, is a traditional treatment at the Tanjong Jara Spa Village
VILLAGE ROLLOUT Since 2002, YTL Hotels has opened four more Spa Villages across Malaysia, two in resort locations – Spa Village Tanjong Jara (2005) on the country’s east coast and Spa Village Cameron Highlands (2006) in the tea-growing region – and two in city hotels: Spa Village Kuala Lumpur at the Ritz-Carl- ton Kuala Lumpur (2005) and Spa Village Malacca at the Majestic Malacca (2008). All four sites have a healthy capture rate of 20 to 30 per cent; the resort spas, with their captive audience, tend to get slightly more traffic from hotel guests, while the city loca- tions also accept day-spa business. The sites vary in size and scale – the
urban spas are more compact and tend to offer more shorter treatments rather than packages – but all have at least six treat- ment rooms and share the philosophy of honouring local healing traditions. In Tan- jong Jara, for example, this is encapsulated by the mandi bunga, or Malay floral bath; in Cameron Highlands, by the signature tea baths; and in Malacca, by a Peranakan hair-washing ceremony. Products made with local ingredients are also used alongside the company’s preferred skincare suppliers, Ker- stin Florian and Sundari. In 2007, YTL Hotels launched its first Spa
Village Resort in Tembok, Bali – a decision that had as much to do with location as with strategy. In a beautiful, remote spot on Bali’s northern coast, the property – which YTL Hotels acquired in 2006 – had only 31 rooms and the staff, while dedicated to their work,
SPA BUSINESS 3 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
Spa Village Gaya Island [Borneo] will push boundaries when it comes to customer education. If it proves successful when it opens in 2012, a second Borneo resort is set to follow
“were not very commercialised,” says Chik. “Tere were also already a few resorts in the area, so we decided to do something more niche, which wouldn’t compete.” Playing to the inherited staff’s strengths
of commitment to service and love of the local culture, Chik and her team created an all-inclusive destination spa experience, including a daily massage and three meals a day, and centred on Bali’s rich healing tra- ditions. While occupancy fluctuates, in high season it is upwards of 70 per cent.
GREAT HERITAGE In addition to its six Spa Villages, the com- pany operates a number of other spas including the Starhill Spa at the Marriott Kuala Lumpur and the Muse Care & Eco- Spa – an in-room offering plus one dedicated treatment room at a newly acquired Muse hotel in St Tropez. Tere are also two resort spas within its Niseko Village development in Hokkaido, Japan: Green Leaf Spa at the Green Leaf and Wakka Spa at the Hilton (see p48). Spa Village, however, remains at the heart
of the company’s spa strategy, with two more set to open next year: one at the Majestic Kuala Lumpur and one within a new-build resort on Pulau Gaya island in Borneo. With six treatment rooms plus other facilities, Spa
Village Gaya Island at Gaya Island Resort will push boundaries when it comes to customer education, says Chik – the signature expe- rience will be the Sabah Scent Exploration, where the guest is helped to create their own blend of essential oils, tailored to their indi- vidual needs. If Gaya Island proves successful when it opens in April 2012, a second Borneo resort on Pulau Tiga island – a more exclu- sive experience with spa treatments created around volcanic mud – is set to follow. With all this on the cards, Chik admits
there are challenges ahead – not least in find- ing good spa managers, although, “this is the problem of the whole industry, not just me!” she laughs. Luckily, YTL has its own hospitality school in Kuala Lumpur – the International College of Hotel Management YTL (ICHM-YTL) – which is already prov- ing a rich source of upcoming talent. Looking forward, there’s no doubt that spa
will remain at the centre of the YTL Hotels story. “Spas are part of our DNA,” says Anthony Champalimaud, the company’s VP development Europe and America. “At every single one of our projects, the question comes up: how do we create a great spa expe- rience here? How do we tie it back to the YTL story and this great heritage of health and wellness? It’s foremost in our minds.”
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