BANGKOK Minor International, owner of the Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas brand, recently appointed Eve Weatherburn vice president of marketing. She joins Minor from IHG, where she was brand director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Weatherburn talks with HOTELS about her plans to grow Anantara’s brand name globally.
The interview
HOTELS: What are your goals for Minor and Anantara from a marketing standpoint?
Weatherburn: My main goal is to continue to develop Anantara as a luxury brand that focuses on delivering unique experiences to guests. As we expand the brand into additional markets, there are numerous opportunities for new guests to experience the Anantara brand for the first time, and for returning guests to experience the brand in new locations worldwide. My short term goal is to support the hotels’ business needs with relevant marketing strategies, and my long-term goal is to continue the development of the Anantara brand experience for all our guests on a worldwide level.
HOTELS: You’re coming from the world’s largest hotel company, IHG, to a much smaller company in Minor. How will your former jobs help you in your new role, and what kinds of things will you need to relearn?
Weatherburn: There are a lot of synergies with my previous role with IHG and my current role with Minor Hotel Group. My former role provided me with great exposure across all regions—Asia Pacific, Americas and Europe, Middle East and Africa—these are all relevant markets to my new key focus, the Anantara brand. I also had regional responsibility for branding and marketing for a luxury group—again, both responsibilities within my new role. The only difference between the two jobs is that previously I looked after one region at a time with IHG and now I have the opportunity to oversee all global markets with the Anantara brand.
I see my role with Minor Hotel Group as an opportunity to apply and develop my knowledge across a global focus for a smaller group of luxury properties that are more leisure-focused, whereas my role with InterContinental was more to support corporate hotels.
HOTELS: What is your strategy for raising Anantara’s brand awareness in new markets?
Weatherburn: In 2011 we have a number of new properties welcoming guests across Asia and the Middle East to further enhance Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas’ enviable worldwide portfolio. Anantara Kihavah Villas, Maldives, is poised for its grand opening in January, to be joined by Anantara Al Madina A’Zarqa in Oman, Anantara Sanya and Anantara Xishuangbanna in China and Anantara Uluwatu in Bali in 2011. We will also actively target emerging tourism markets such as China, India and Russia to promote the Anantara experience.
All our resorts offer an indigenous experience, from the resort architecture, interior design and F&B to guest experiences, excursions and spa treatments, all inspired by the culture or history of their particular location. We are passionate about every guest leaving with an amazing story and an eagerness for them to return to Anantara over and over again.
HOTELS: Prior to joining the company, what was your perspective on the Minor and Anantara brands?
Weatherburn: I was familiar with Minor Hotel Group and the wide range of properties from Asia to Africa. Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas was also familiar to me as a growing luxury resort brand with a range of properties in envious locations around Asia and the Indian Ocean, which has since expanded into the Middle East.
Anantara has always been true to its brand promise, which offers an experience to guests unlike any other, one that couples serenity with exoticism and state-of-the-art convenience with indigenous charm. An experience that celebrates the destination in all its natural beauty and cultural allure. In today’s world there are a lot of hotels groups, so it is key to have a strong brand promise which constantly evolves and stays in tune with guests needs. I recognized this in Anantara and it was something which appealed to me both personally and professionally.
HOTELS: Does the Anantara brand need to be updated or modernized in any way?
Weatherburn: I think the Anantara brand is very well designed for guests looking to enjoy the culture, heritage and natural beauty of our resort locations. Our brand promise is to bring story-collecting travelers closer to local cultures and experiences with luxury and heartfelt hospitality in exotic destinations. So it is more about continuing to evolve and strengthen the brand to remain unique from competitors and continue to delight our guests in not only the existing resorts, but also new resorts in the future.