Luxury resort operators are specialising their services in order to stand out amid intense competition, writes Keith ChanSanya’s booming tourism industry has resulted in a rapid rise in luxury resorts and falling room rates, leaving visitors spoilt for choice.迷你倉 However, as the visitor market becomes more sophisticated, resorts need more than a large swimming pool, good restaurants and a white-sand beach to guarantee success. Crucial to staying ahead is the need to create a market niche in the products and services they provide so that they stand out from their rivals.Situated on a private beach opposite the busy Dadonghai beach, the Mandarin Oriental, Sanya is targeting visitors who enjoy the privacy of being tucked away in a quiet location. These are often the same people who seek quality lifestyles and are health-conscious.“With an increasing interest in holistic health care in the West, we have seen a corresponding increase in the number of guests who actively choose Sanya as a travel destination for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatments,” says Paul Jackson, general manager of the Mandarin Oriental, Sanya.To meet this demand, the hotel has introduced TCM treatment services offered by certified practitioners. Jackson says guests travelling to Sanya for health and wellness reasons are looking for a complete experience. Therefore, in addition to TCM and spa treatments, the hotel offers a range of activities to assist them in achieving their wellness objectives.The hotel’s in-house masters can be booked for groups or private lessons in tai chi, qigong and kung fu, while its qualified staff offer yoga, Pilates and personal training.Jackson says he believes the wellness travel trend will continue to evolve, particularly in the field of non-invasive anti-ageing, weight management and beauty treatments.In addition, the hotel is creating a range of healthy gourmet cuisine options for its guests using the freshest seasonal produce available in Hainan. A TCM herb garden is being built at the resort to ensure guests receive the best organic produce.Also making the most of the demand for health care and wellness is Haitang Bay Gloria Sanya, which opened in September last year. The hotel is the only seafront property in Sanya with a natural hot spring, which is generally believed to have healing properties.Gloria Sanya has the added advantage of being near the Hainan 301 Hospital, which opened last year and is the city’s only Grade-A comprehensive hospital built to boost Hainan’s medical tourism sector.The hotel recently launched medical packages inclusive of accommodation, meals, transport and check-ups at the hospital文件倉 The packages start from four days, three nights to as long as one to two weeks for extensive check-ups.According to Nicolas Solari, general manager of Haitang Bay Gloria Sanya, the packages target wealthy travellers who are able to afford having family members stay with them while in hospital.The hotel will make sure guests receive personalised care. For example, upon arrival at Sanya airport, guests can use the special hospital channel for priority access, and special nutritious food can be prepared.Some resorts have identified family-friendly products and services as their niche, and the Renaissance Sanya Resort & Spa near Haitang Bay caters specifically to this market.“Because Renaissance Sanya Resort & Spa is a large beach resort, our primary market is families who are on vacation,” says Sean Baskett, the hotel’s general manager. “To attract families, we needed to provide facilities that can entertain the whole family and, as a lifestyle resort, our aim was to do this in an innovative way that allowed our guests to discover.”The hotel says its swimming pool, with an area of nearly 10,000 square metres, is one of the largest resort pools in the world, and it also offers a splash park and water slides. It has a large R-Cade amusement centre, which houses a mini-cinema, gaming zones and lounge chairs for guests to relax. Other amenities include a three-lane bowling alley, snooker and billiard tables, table tennis, air hockey and football.The hotel’s R Kids centre has eight rooms with different themes where children can play games, read, watch TV, do arts and crafts, and enjoy other activities, while parents can choose to participate, relax or leave their children with the attendants for a few hours while they enjoy some adult time.Families are also a key focus at the Sanya Marriott Resort & Spain Yalong Bay. According to Edmund Ko, the general manager, the resort has been offering family packages since 2007, and this year it has introduced a new concept.“We offer discounts not only for the couples and their kids, but also their parents,” he says. “We offer a 50 per cent discount for the parents so that they can enjoy their holidays together.”The initiative, Ko says, is also in response to the central government’s call for people to take good care of their elderly family members.For all family packages, the kids are still the centre of attention.“For the kids, we offer them a backpack that contains everything they need during their entire stay. We offer daily activities for the kids at different times, and activities that the whole family can participate in, such as painting T-shirts and making accessories,” Ko says.存倉
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