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A flurry of resort openings has bolstered the super-luxury end of the Maldivian tourism market – even attracting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. We see how the newest destinations are setting the bar ever higher with their spas
By Neena Dhillon | Published in Spa Business 2014 issue 3
Service culture rules at Velaa Private Island, the most expensive resort in the Maldives
When it comes to picture-postcard getaways, the Maldives instantly springs to mind. The stomping ground for royalty, affluent travellers, honeymooners and the sybaritically inclined, this nation of low-lying atolls spans 90,000sq m and beckons alluringly from the Indian Ocean. The 26 atolls comprise 1,196 islands, only 200 of which are inhabited. Just over half of these are home to resorts, the majority of which boast a spa.
Tourism is the largest industry here. In 2012 it accounted for 38 per cent of government revenue, clocking up receipts worth US$1.9bn (€1.4bn, £1.1bn), according to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. Tourist arrivals reached the million-plus milestone in 2013, representing an increase of 17.4 per cent over 2012. Forecasts suggest that 1.2 million people will visit in 2014, with Europe the largest regional feeder market. China is the single-biggest source country, however, generating 29.5 per cent of visitors. Still, speaking to tourism insiders, it’s clear the Maldives is less concerned about growing numbers exponentially and more intent on targeting high-net-worth individuals.
Since resort guests represent a captive audience – most excursions are local, water-based activities and island hopping isn’t common – operators expect a spa capture of at least 20 per cent. Yet this doesn’t mean that there’s not competition to boast the most refined spa. Heading to Noonu Atoll where two resorts have ushered in a new era of outsized luxury, we find out what makes them distinctive.
Read more about other luxury brands which are debuting in the spa sector on p46
Cheval Blanc Randheli Cheval Blanc is the hospitality concept of Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), one of the biggest luxury goods conglomerates in the world. It’s second site – chosen four months into its opening by the UK’s Prince William and Kate Middleton for a quiet escape – has partly been responsible for the current buzz surrounding the Maldives. Along with its sister property in Courchevel, France, the new island complex is driven by the core values of LVMH and Cheval Blanc is evolving into a collection of intimate, exclusive and contemporary maisons. Additional hotels are already in development in Paris, Oman, Mexico and St Barth.
LVMH is a master of branding. Certain unifying elements therefore – including white décor, craftsmanship, the inclusion of a fine dining French restaurant (Le 1947), a personal service approach known as Art de Recevoir and a signature spa – form part of Cheval Blanc’s DNA. It’s a carefully considered proposition conceived largely with the European and Middle Eastern clientele in mind – the same group of people who already purchase their fashion, accessories and wines from LVMH. European flair certainly runs through the silky, sleek design of the 45-villa Cheval Blanc Randheli – the work of architect Jean-Michel Gathy (see SB12/2 p64). Yet in some of the curvaceous lines, pops of colour and local decorative materials, the property does incorporate a touch of the exotic.
Set on its own dedicated island, the Cheval Blanc Spa combines six treatment villas overlooking a lagoon, plus generously proportioned changing rooms, steamrooms and plunge pools, a hair studio using Leonor Greyl products, a barber, yoga pavilion, Thai massage pavilion and an arrival building with its own pool and healthy spa bar. Light and airy, with high-vaulted ceilings, the spa’s white and taupe colour aesthetic turns the attention outwards. Guests are welcome to while away time on this island retreat, lounging in beach hammocks or by the pool and sampling the cuisine.
Leveraging a partnership with another of LVMH’s brands, Guerlain treatments dominate the spa menu and include rituals exclusive to the property. The US$300++ (€224, £178) Randheli Sun Ritual for example, comprises a scrub and enveloping oil massage to prepare the skin for tanning. General manager Renato W Chizzola says staff aim to personalise a sequence of events for guests – if they’ve been diving in the morning, staff suggest the After Diving Experience in the afternoon because it’s designed to relieve muscle tension and improve circulation. Other ways in which the resort supports spa awareness is through the offer of a complimentary 20-minute Jet Lag Recovery massage to all guests at the start of their stay.
As with most luxury spas in the Maldives, there’s no policy of discounting but staff, at their own discretion, can look after loyal guests by extending their treatment time. The two double Orchidée villas are reserved exclusively for visitors who wish to elevate their experience by paying slightly more for a treatment – US$210++ (€157, £124) for a 60-minute massage versus US$190++ (€142, £113) – in return for a hand and foot massage to top and tail the selected therapy.
Brand partnerships are at the heart of Cheval Blanc Randheli’s proposition – Pucci and Hublot are two of the names stocked in the island’s concept store – but there is the possibility to work outside the LVMH stable. The spa, for example, is looking to add an organic treatment line in keeping with the naturalness of the destination. “We do have the freedom to leverage brands within the LVMH group but also with other brands that we feel fit our values and our island destination,” Chizzola concludes.
The neutral interiors of the spa help to emphasise the stunning outside setting
Cheval Blanc is the hospitality concept of LVMH – one of the biggest luxury goods conglomerates in the world
The spa has a Thai massage and yoga pavilion
The spa has six treatment rooms, while there are 45 resort villas
The spa has six treatment rooms, while there are 45 resort villas
Velaa Private Island Developed around the core philosophy of providing the ultimate in privacy and variety, you could say that Velaa is an island of firsts. It claims to feature the biggest wine and champagne collection in east Asia, the only ‘snow room’ in the Maldives, a semi-submarine and the first four-storey tower constructed on a resort island. Guests are invited to ascend Tavaru tower’s open-air elevator to privately dine on the top floor and drink in the views.
Owned by Czech entrepreneur Ji?í Šmejc and his wife Radka, Velaa is the realisation of the couple’s dream to develop a palatial home away from home in a destination they’ve often visited and fallen in love with. Persuaded by local hospitality specialist Mohamed Nihaj to transform their personal venture into an exclusive resort business instead, the Šmejcs have gathered their own operational team to run the 45-villa, US$215m (€157m, £128m) island. While ensuring an array of gastronomic and leisure diversions, the Šmejcs have also placed emphasis on service culture. A total of 300 staff includes a small army of butlers assigned to each villa. All this, in combination with a bold, witty and coolly assertive design by Czech architect Petr Kolar, means that Velaa has opened with the highest rates in the Maldives: US$1,500-US$3,100 (€1,100-€2,260, £890-£1,890) for an entry-level pool villa, per night, dependent on season.
Velaa is also home to the first Spa My Blend By Clarins in Asia. The concept – selected by Radka – aligns with the resort-wide philosophy of personalisation and uniqueness. In addition to the customised facial therapies for which My Blend is renowned, the spa also offers seven My Blend wellness programmes designed around goals such as detox, vitality or relaxation. Spa director Becky Wyton explains that her team is also primed to “entirely tailor programmes in line with the needs of individual guests.”
Velaa receives many of its visitors from eastern Europe, Russia, China and the Middle East, typically staying at least a week. Recognising that travellers to the Maldives are also likely to be interested in holistic treatments, the spa menu incorporates rituals from Bali, Thailand, the Philippines and India.
Drawn internationally from as far afield as Peru, Australia and South Africa, the 16-strong spa team, including 10 therapists, has been handpicked for its variety of treatment specialisms. All members of the team were on-site four months prior to the resort opening in December 2013, and between January and March they collectively completed 1,100 hours of training. Wyton and other key members of the Velaa management team previously worked at Huvafen Fushi, the Maldivian hotel where the Šmejcs holidayed for years. As such, there’s notable camaraderie.
Flanked by a juice bar and boutique, the entrance walkway, decorated with Asian bells marks the start of the spa journey, leading to six treatment villas – two singles, four doubles – all with dressing rooms and showers. Meranti wood and Jordanian stone offer a cooling respite from the heat but for those who desire a connection to the outdoors, the villas have floor to ceiling glass doors with two extending out to external terraces. Additionally portholes beneath the Gharieni treatment beds afford a direct line of sight to the lagoon below. The two single villas are equipped with internal wet facilities – a Klafs Sanospa massage tub in one and Klafs Sanotherm heated water treatment tub in the other.
The spa’s two-storey oceanfront experience zone, including an open-air whirlpool, comprises some more unusual relaxation spaces. The sauna and steamrooms, for instance, can be coupled with time in the Maldives’ first snow cabin where drinking water is cooled to -15°c. For an altogether different therapy, the spa is also equipped with Klafs’ Wolke 7 Cloud 9 – a multi-sensory cloud-like pod which uses vibration, colour and sound therapies to induce deep relaxation.
The resort’s butlers are effective in highlighting the spa, dropping guests off for a tour and arranging treatments. Capture rate statistics are certainly healthy. In March, 37 per cent of resort guests had a treatment and Wyton also notes that the “spa’s revenue per occupied room – well over US$200 (€146, £119) – is considerably higher than the local average.”
Velaa’s reservations and revenue manager Sandeep Thekkil says the focus in year one is “less on driving resort occupancy, rather on perfecting the product and delivery of experiences.” The spa seems to be playing its part – one gentleman who’s well known in the music industry made 11 repeat visits during his two-week stay. In order to meet the discerning tastes of the travellers whose pockets are deep enough to afford a stay here, Velaa will need to continue setting these highest of standards.
To read a first-person experience of Velaa, and an interview with Clarins’ spa development manager Morgan Lefrançois, see p62.
The customisable Spa My Blend By Clarins range is in keeping with the resort’s focus
on personalisation and uniqueness
The spa already has a capture rate of 37 per cent and one well-known musician made 11 repeat visits to it during his two-week stay
The revenue per occupied treatment room is US$200, a figure which is considerably higher than the local average
Velaa’s snow room – the first in the Maldives – is part of the wellness offering at the resort and is effective in cooling sunburn
There are six treatment villas in total
Klafs supplied the snow room
Klafs supplied the Cloud 9 multi-sensory pod
Neena Dhillon is a spa, hotel and travel journalist Email: [email protected]
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