Spa & wellness
Right: Top-notch facilities – holistic treatments are conducted in Zulal’s dedicated therapy spaces.
Previous page: Zulal works hard to combine luxury and holistic therapy under one, beautifully decorated roof.
wellness. “You combine the two together under one roof and we can only have a success story to tell everyone,” Vastolo says. Even before it opened, the resort was nominated World’s Best New Wellness Retreat 2020 in the World Spa Awards.
From Thailand to Qatar Until he decided to partner with Zulal Wellness Resort, Chiva-Som CEO Krip Rojanastien had been extremely cautious about expanding beyond Thailand, protective of his brand’s unique DNA. But seeing a property owner so determined to promote wellness gave him the confidence to make the leap. “We knew that this would not be a regular hotel investment; Zulal would be a brand that would stay in line with what Chiva- Som practices,” Vastolo explains. The Chiva-Som team was also attracted to Qatar as a destination. “It’s modern but they want to keep their roots, their identity, and they are very proud of that,” says Vastolo. “Qatar is investing a lot in healthcare, universities, museums, art and culture, and less in this ‘Las Vegas’ reputation in the Middle East.” The resort will support Qatar’s strategic plans to diversify its economy and attract visitors to the country as part of its National Vision 2030, at the same time as bolstering Her Highness Sheikha Moza’s goal of building healthier societies at home. Indeed, Zulal is two hotels in one. At the adults-
only Serenity Resort, guests have access to an enormous wellness centre including 64 treatment rooms and a hydrothermal suite, as well as pools, restaurants, movement studios, shops and areas for quiet contemplation. On the other hand, the Discovery Resort is designed with the whole family in mind. There, families can enjoy wellness experiences together, like swimming in the man-made lagoon and participating in movement activities, as well
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as learning more about adopting a healthy lifestyle. Serenity guests can also use all of the Discovery facilities. With its world-class airline and excellent
connectivity with Europe, Qatar also made sense logistically for the Chiva-Som brand, which has a large database of European clients. “It becomes a very good alternative for people who don’t want to travel as far as Thailand,” Vastolo says, “There’s no jet lag to recover from and you can easily go for a short stint of four to five days.”
A localised approach In Qatar, Chiva-Som has localised its wellness approach, adopting products and treatments that are traditional to the Middle East to create the world’s first centre for Traditional Arabic and Islamic Medicine (TAIM). “Despite the fact that the first medicine book was written by an Arabic philosopher, Ibn Sina, Arabic and Islamic medicine has never had the same success as Ayurveda or traditional Chinese medicine,” Vastolo says. “Zulal’s owners wanted to push the bar and bring back this knowledge. We have brought in ingredients that are inspired by Arabic medicine and applied that in our treatments, our food and everything that is related to the guests’ well-being.” For example, many dishes contain olive oil
and black seed, while pink Qatari clay is used for body masks. Zulal also has an apothecary, which dispenses traditional herbs. “We try to take whatever is available locally and from the region and adapt that in our different modalities,” Vastolo says. Taking the helm at Zulal has been a steep learning
curve for Vastolo, even after more than 20 years in the hospitality industry. “Managing naturopaths is very different from F&B or housekeeping
Hotel Management International /
www.hmi-online.com
Zula Wellness Resort, Frog and Wolf.
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