Banyan Tree Group, Singapore, has announced the launch of five new brands over the next 18 months that will lead with a focus on “Stay for Good” values in operations and guest experiences that promote community engagement and partnerships.
In 2022, the group will introduce Garrya, Homm and Folio, as well as two brand extensions of Banyan Tree named Veya and Escape. The brands are being developed in response to COVID and the new potential for conversion opportunities in resort destinations, emerging second-tier tourism destinations, as well as increasing consumer interest in wellbeing and sustainability-minded travel offerings.
Four Garrya and two Homm have been signed in Asia with more in the pipeline. These portfolio additions support new milestones in groupwide hotel RevPAR, which improved 18% in the first nine months of 2021 versus the same period in 2020, and seven openings in 2021 with the November opening of the first Garrya Huzhou Lucun in China, followed by the December debut of Homm Bliss Southbeach Patong in Phuket, Thailand, and soft-opening of Banyan Tree Veya Phuket in December 2021. A total of three Banyan Tree Veya are in the pipeline for 2022 in Thailand, the Maldives and Mozambique.The first Escape called Buahan is expected in April 2022 in Bali, Indonesia.
“Covid has given the travel industry an opportunity to reinvent ourselves for the better,” Ho Ren Yung, senior vice president, Brand HQ of Banyan Tree Group, told HOTELS. “This means offering diverse experiences for evolving traveler needs and also adopting a customer-centric, agile approach. Our new brands fit localized growth opportunities across the 23 countries we operate in. With the common foundation of our “Stay for Good” program, we’re looking forward to scaling not only our footprint but also our ambition of using travel and our business as a platform for positive change.”
Looking ahead, the group will see 19 openings across seven countries (Maldives, Thailand, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mozambique and Saudi Arabia) throughout 2022 across what is now a 10-brand portfolio.
Here is a brief description of each brand:
Homm: home-on-the-go accommodations inspired by destination-specific touchpoints and ‘sense of belonging’ travel experiences.
Garrya: contemporary, minimalist, upscale haven in urban areas, offering a distinct wellbeing approach for sophisticated travelers who seek beauty in simplicity of design.
Folio: a micro-hotel concept providing big experiences in small, elegantly designed spaces for practical and environmentally conscious travelers. Functional hotels and conveniently located.
Banyan Tree Escape: a no walls, no doors ‘naked’ retreat in communion with nature, where no more than 20 open-air villas provide escapist space for personal discovery, wellbeing and deep-rooted cultural immersion intimate eco-luxury resorts.
Banyan Tree Veya: wellbeing-centered destination resorts offering a clarified approach to wellbeing and learning of sustained lifestyle practice – built on Banyan Tree’s eight proprietary pillars with tailored wellbeing activities and guidance led by a professional wellbeing host.
This year to-date, Banyan Tree Group has signed 20 hotel management agreements worldwide, including Benin, Mexico, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Thailand, China and Vietnam. Banyan Tree is set to double its footprint of 54 properties across 23 countries by 2025.
The Stay for Good program is a structured framework that aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Stay for Good embeds core stewardship values in operations and guest experience, promoting community engagement and partnership to drive long-term impact in three core pillars – Environment (Our Environment), Society (Our Communities) and Governance (Our Responsibility).
“This expanded multi-brand ecosystem fortifies our stronghold in the lifestyle spectrum in Asia, while diversifying our offerings to meet the evolving needs of diverse, affluent travelers around the world,” said Eddy See, president and group managing director of Banyan Tree Group. “As an independent, mission-driven company with our core DNA in wellbeing and sustainability, we define what ‘good growth’ looks like. We are committed to being an exemplar and leader in our field, inspiring better living for our guests and associates in all the communities where we operate.”