Minor Hotels has been busy recently with a flurry of recent openings. Can you tell us about some of the latest developments?
In 2024 we opened some of the best Anantara hotels in the United Arab Emirates. The Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat is very exclusive, with just 22 rooms and suites, and the Ras Al Khaimah resort is almost a Maldivian experience with overwater villas. The Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna Hotel in Austria was another great acquisition - a rebrand of an iconic hotel. In October, we launched Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, and we've got a lot more coming - including in Zanzibar, China and Zambia.
What about your growth plans going forward?
Our aim is to open another 200+ hotels in the next three years, which will add about 40,000 rooms. We have a strong pipeline, with about 80 hotels already in progress, so we are confident that we will meet the target. We are looking at adding at least another 50 hotels in India over the next ten years, and also expand our brands in China. We feel strong in southern Europe, but we want to expand into the Nordic countries. We've already launched NH Collection in Copenhagen and Helsinki, and there's huge potential there.
What about launching new brands, or is your portfolio now complete?
We only have eight brands. In the future, we might have one or two more soft brands - we are looking to maybe create a collection at the luxury level. So, if you have a unique hotel that's a luxury brand with a passionate owner - but it's not an Anantara - it can be part of that collection.
What we don't want to do is have 40 different brands where no one can tell you the difference between brand number 25 and 35.
How hard is it to launch brands in new markets?
When we go into new countries we have to work twice as hard to promote the destination and the brand, which we've done in quite a few places that seemed like mission impossible. A good example is Abu Dhabi's Sir Bani Yas Island. No one wanted it because it was far from Abu Dhabi and you have to take a boat crossing, but we took it and created a destination experience. On the back of that, we attained Qasr Al Sarab Resort. Now we've got a relationship with one of the sovereign wealth funds in Abu Dhabi who have invested with us in Thailand, the Maldives and Singapore.
What does Minor Hotels bring to the market?
People in Europe and the US want that Asian hospitality, and I think that's something we bring. We also add our F&B expertise - it's one of our core businesses and we own a lot of our high-end and casual dining restaurants as well.
Can you tell us more about your medical wellness?
I think, especially post-pandemic, there's been a huge demand for wellness. People want to feel good, be active, feel less than their age, and live life without being dependent on other people. Coming from an Asian background, we're used to pampering and spas, but now we have elevated that into medical health and wellness. We've launched a new dedicated facility at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. It's a 1,700 sqm facility spread over two floors, adjacent to the main resort, so it can offer that integrated wellness offering. It has proper doctors and medical specialists, not just a spa, and it covers four pillars - traditional Thai medicine, advanced medical wellness, nutrition and physical wellness.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1732641496/articles/wucbecu1H1732779689376/4177135814.jpg]
We also have an IV drip bar, which is a joint venture with Veritas out of Singapore, where we do jet lag, detox, weight loss, immunotherapy, and the best one is a hangover cure, which I've been told works really well - 45 minutes and you're ready to go again! These longevity hubs have been a big attraction for modern travellers.
What else is Minor Hotels getting up to?
We do trains, cruises, planes... Our luxury Vietage train in Vietnam offers a six-hour trip from Da Nang to ...
In 2024 we opened some of the best Anantara hotels in the United Arab Emirates. The Santorini Abu Dhabi Retreat is very exclusive, with just 22 rooms and suites, and the Ras Al Khaimah resort is almost a Maldivian experience with overwater villas. The Anantara Palais Hansen Vienna Hotel in Austria was another great acquisition - a rebrand of an iconic hotel. In October, we launched Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, and we've got a lot more coming - including in Zanzibar, China and Zambia.
What about your growth plans going forward?
Our aim is to open another 200+ hotels in the next three years, which will add about 40,000 rooms. We have a strong pipeline, with about 80 hotels already in progress, so we are confident that we will meet the target. We are looking at adding at least another 50 hotels in India over the next ten years, and also expand our brands in China. We feel strong in southern Europe, but we want to expand into the Nordic countries. We've already launched NH Collection in Copenhagen and Helsinki, and there's huge potential there.
What about launching new brands, or is your portfolio now complete?
We only have eight brands. In the future, we might have one or two more soft brands - we are looking to maybe create a collection at the luxury level. So, if you have a unique hotel that's a luxury brand with a passionate owner - but it's not an Anantara - it can be part of that collection.
What we don't want to do is have 40 different brands where no one can tell you the difference between brand number 25 and 35.
How hard is it to launch brands in new markets?
When we go into new countries we have to work twice as hard to promote the destination and the brand, which we've done in quite a few places that seemed like mission impossible. A good example is Abu Dhabi's Sir Bani Yas Island. No one wanted it because it was far from Abu Dhabi and you have to take a boat crossing, but we took it and created a destination experience. On the back of that, we attained Qasr Al Sarab Resort. Now we've got a relationship with one of the sovereign wealth funds in Abu Dhabi who have invested with us in Thailand, the Maldives and Singapore.
What does Minor Hotels bring to the market?
People in Europe and the US want that Asian hospitality, and I think that's something we bring. We also add our F&B expertise - it's one of our core businesses and we own a lot of our high-end and casual dining restaurants as well.
Can you tell us more about your medical wellness?
I think, especially post-pandemic, there's been a huge demand for wellness. People want to feel good, be active, feel less than their age, and live life without being dependent on other people. Coming from an Asian background, we're used to pampering and spas, but now we have elevated that into medical health and wellness. We've launched a new dedicated facility at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. It's a 1,700 sqm facility spread over two floors, adjacent to the main resort, so it can offer that integrated wellness offering. It has proper doctors and medical specialists, not just a spa, and it covers four pillars - traditional Thai medicine, advanced medical wellness, nutrition and physical wellness.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1450191940/1732641496/articles/wucbecu1H1732779689376/4177135814.jpg]
We also have an IV drip bar, which is a joint venture with Veritas out of Singapore, where we do jet lag, detox, weight loss, immunotherapy, and the best one is a hangover cure, which I've been told works really well - 45 minutes and you're ready to go again! These longevity hubs have been a big attraction for modern travellers.
What else is Minor Hotels getting up to?
We do trains, cruises, planes... Our luxury Vietage train in Vietnam offers a six-hour trip from Da Nang to ...
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Business Traveller Uk (Digital) - 1 Issue, December 2024 - January 2025