History and Development of W Retreat & Spa - Case Study Example

History and Development of W Retreat & Spa History and Development Located on the exclusive and extremely exotic island of Fesdu, W Retreat & Spa – Maldives – was opened on 23rd September, 2006. Since the resort’s opening, there has been a lot to tell about the resort. Even though, the resort seemed to start big, it has made some changes since 2006, which have improved the operations of the resort (Asia Web Direct, 2013). W Retreat & Spa, on November 2008, joined forces with Heidi Klein, a London based fashion designer, to create an elite W Maldives Bikini. The resort appointed Michaelangelo L'Acqua as the Music Director of the resort. He was responsible for looking after the music affairs of the resort. In 2011, the resort appointed Marcus Reinders as the Managing Director of the resort, Mauro Gomez as the Chef Executive, Jenné Lombardo as the Fashion Director of the resort and Joseph Boroski as the Director of Cocktail Culture. The resort was voted as the best by Lonely Planet Magazine in 2012. Nikolaj Retpen replaced Mauro Gomez as the Chef Executive and DJ Truck was appointed as the resident DJ of the resort (Etihad Holidays, 2012). Strategic Plan W Retreat & Spa – Maldives, cast away in the blue waters of the Indian Ocean, lies dexterously in the immaculate beauty of Fesdu Island. With a perfect weather, as well as a never-ending sunshine, the spa is an ideal water sports playground and retreat (Flyer Talk, 2009). Below the surface of the hotel lie clear waters where residents can observe sea turtles as well as the starfish poses, whereby they can take pictures. From Malé, the capital city of the Maldives, people must fly in a sea plane in order to reach the small Fesdu Island. The luxurious resort is a small but jawdroppingly picturesque 25-minute sea plane journey from the town of Malé. Unlike many island spas, the travelers are lucky there are no such things as bridges because, apart from the guests and staff of the spa, this part of Indian Ocean is uninhabited. However, people should make no mistake as taking a trip to this tropical heaven is far from roughing it. The hotel’s bi-level beachfront rooms roost on soft sand. The rooms also have constant supply of warm water taken straight from the Indian Ocean. It also includes smart amenities such as sundecks, private plunge pools along with outdoor rainforest showers. All these were made possible by the fact that the hotel is surrounded by an ocean (Asia Web Direct, 2013). The strategic position allows for games such as kite surfing, windsurfing, water skiing and wakeboarding. Marketing The target market of W Retreat & Spa is individuals between the ages of 28 and 35. Even though children are allowed in the facility, the retreat has a strict policy of no children below the age of 13. This is due to the layout of the resort. Children below this age might accidentally fall into the Ocean, which the administration highly wants to avoid (Etihad Holidays, 2012). The hotel also offers wedding and honeymoon facilities meaning that people who are old enough to marry are welcomed in the facility. The spa, in reality, is a place where affectionate people go to connect. The administration focuses more on building the relationship between two people who have a romantic relationship instead of the usual family setting. This means that a whole family cannot relate well in the spa. The spa also targets individuals who like to travel or escape their normal daily routines. This is because the spa is located in a place that is considered a middle of nowhere. This means that the people travelling to such a place are those that wish to be locked out of the normal world and reside in a place where they are not familiar with (Flyer Talk, 2009). The spam, in summary, targets people who want to have fun and also relax for a while where nature lets them cool down for a while. Seasonality According to the resort’s board, high seasons are experienced through the whole of December to Easter. Also, from June to the fall of summer is regarded as a peak season. The rest is as regarded an off peak period or "shoulder" (Let’s Go Maldives, 2013). Throughout December and January, people are always all over the resort, and basking in the beach around the hotel. However, when it is winter, in the region, normally from May to July, minimal people are witnessed in the resort. After the cold season, people like to relax on the perfect stretch of white sand, which the resort has to offer (W Hotels Worldwide, 2013). This grants them an opportunity of playing with the waves. A lot of people confess to the resort’s administration that they are forced to work extra hard all through the winter just to take a trip to the terrific region during summer. This is because the resort offers an extremely overwhelming atmosphere during the summer. The resort administration has even put in special offers, which attract more customers to the resort during the summer compared to other seasons of the year. People who decide to take a trip to the resort during winter mainly are those that go there on honeymoon are to get married (Maldives, 2013). This is because they come from other parts of the world maybe sunny and prefer to be there during winter. Local Community Positioning One of the main policies of W Retreat & Spa is the corporate community engagement, which refers to the activities or actions that a firm takes in order to establish a positive relationship with the surrounding community. This policy ensures that the firm or company is operating in line with the welfare of the community members, which will assist the company in avoiding any wrangle. This is the most visible manner that the resort demonstrates its ethics. Through assisting its local community, the resort portrays a positive behavior towards people (Let’s Go Maldives, 2013). If the locals appreciate what the resort does to them, then this will also attract internationals to the resort. Challenges will be minimal when a company uses its locals to establish itself. The W Retreat & Spa employs people from the local community in various positions in the resort, which makes them feel appreciated. The board goes out of its way to educate these people on how to run a hotel, thus everything goes on smoothly in the spa. This elevates the status of the local community through giving them jobs. The resort also tries its best to not pollute the environment, which maintains the cleanliness of the area. Even though, the locals reside on the main land – Maldives – they still appreciate a clean surrounding, which the spa does best to offer. They resort goes out of its way to organize events that also incorporate the locals, which they appreciate a lot (Maldives, 2013). HR Functions The HR manager of W Retreat & Spa has control of the whole ambiance of the resort. According to the resort’s administration, the grounds of running a five star hotel begin with its staff. This might make clients/customers feel at home or just another hotel they have walked into (Ryan, 2010). One area the HR manager of this resort has to focus on is employing a steadfast staff. This is a vital role, and it is crucial to employ a vibrant and active work force for the resort. The employees are the people who create that welcoming environment, which attracts a lot of customers to the resort. The HR manager is also responsible of maintaining the staff of the resort. According to the HR manager, not many individuals had a dream of working in a hotel (Ryan, 2010). Therefore, it is essential for the HR manager to formulate ways that will maintain the workers at the resort. This means that it is the duty of the HR manager to try to reduce employee turnover. Finally, the HR manager, with the assistance of the resort’s administration, formulates policies, which will enable the resort to attract the employees, as well as the clients, it needs. The HR manager is regarded as the person who holds together the resort’s staff in order to avoid any wrangles and enable to business to function properly (Ryan, 2010). Customer Services The resort offers its customers a chance to indulge in ultimate recreation at the Away Spa, which seats over-water. The spa gives its customers a terrific view of the water flowing under the resort (McCarthy, 2009). 66m2 of outdoor and indoor treatment areas grant total privacy and full recreation of the customers. The resort also incorporates a natural healing therapy, which is carried out in one of four lavish treatment villas. This shows how the resort is dedicated to its customers and their well-being, as well as comfort. When they ask for anything, it is granted to them. The resort also offers a cherished wedding scenario/setting on an abandoned stretch of white sandy beach on a desert island (Mooney, 2009). People can show their commitment to one another through a ceremony witnessed by family and friends in the center of paradise. An impressive celebration of a key milestone with dances under the Maldivian stars. The policy of the resort is they offer whatever their customers wish for (Mooney, 2009). Also, some of the services that they grant are bar, room service, Internet Wi-Fi, concierge services, safe deposit, laundry, lounge area, spa services, currency exchange, express check-in, swim-up bar, massage parlor, express check-out, swimming pool, porters, restaurants gift shop and wake-up service. This is the perfect place that anyone could go on holiday, whether long or short, just to escape from their normal life routine and relax their mind. Guest Activity Programming With its up to date and cutting edge technique focused on a life-oriented idea, this resort is in ideal harmony with the island and its comprehensive arcs of polished white sand and calm blue waters. Residents can flirt with the escapade over the water with the resort’s adrenaline comprehensive water sports or they can go underneath with Down Under, the resort’s PADI qualified team of dive experts (W Hotels Worldwide, 2011). With the help of these PADI experts, the residents can discover some of the finest dive scenes in the Maldives all in close proximity (McCarthy, 2009). Apart from the sea diving, some of the activities, which the resort offers are Sweat, Wet, Words, W Lounge and Away Spa. Sweat refers to the gymnasium of the resort where anyone who goes to work out there must come out sweating. Wet, on the other hand, refers to the pool games of the facility. The activity was given the word wet because it makes people wet. "Words" is a comprehensive library located on the spa where people who wish to read go. W lounge is an area where people can relax while waiting for the seaplane. Finally, the Away Spa is where people go for massages and body therapies (Mooney, 2009). Some of the games that the resort offers are, wreck or reef scuba trips, underwater video course, snorkeling, reef scooter trips, overnight scuba/sailing tour to hammerhead shark point, water skiing, kite surfing and windsurfing. Future Directions W Retreat & Spa is set to become one of the world’s leading resorts in the future. This is because of the expansions that the resort has been making recently (Ratti, 2011). The resort has incorporated techniques, which have attracted numerous customers to the resort, and the resort has become a must go destination for many individuals. The resort is planning, in the future, to put more discounts on their rates, frequently change its interior design and incorporate more activities than before, which will attract more customers to the resort than presently (Ratti, 2011). The resort has got a magnificent deal of oceanic scenery and a vivacity woven together in a fine natural topography. A Lot of visitors are getting engrossed to this superb spot for spending their holiday with the ocean each year. However, the resort plans to add more water bungalows than the ones it currently holds, which will offer more spectacular views to the enormous water body surrounding it than it does currently (Visit Maldives, 2013). The Ocean Heaven villas, in addition to the Ocean Oasis, the main segments or the resort, are also under planned expansions, which will offer a breathtaking glance to the marine life forms, even during night times under the undersea lighting. According to the resort’s administration, the resort, in the future, will be a place people wish to be their second home. People will not think of going to other destinations for holiday apart from this resort (Ratti, 2011). Environment Sustainability W Retreat & Spa has done its best to sustain the environment and reduce pollution through its cleanliness policy. The resort does its best to recycle any waste material that can be recycled, unlike most resort, which throw their waste into places such as rivers or normal dump sites. A person can hardly find any waste material around the private island while they are walking (Visit Maldives, 2013). Amazingly enough, the sewage system of the resort is connected to the main land – Maldives – meaning that no human waste goes into the ocean. A person would expect such a resort to dump its waste into the ocean since nobody resides around that area, but this is not the case. Also, the aircrafts they use to ferry their people to the resort are environmental friendly cause little/no harm to the environment. Health and Wellness – Product and Services W Retreat & Spa have a strict health policy from the food they offer to the activities that go on around the resort. They deem that in order for residents to feel relaxed around the resort, their proper health should be maintained. W Retreat & Spa serves a variety of foodstuff from what we call "junk food" to what doctors refer to as healthy food. The choice is in the person taking the food. However, they have state of the art gymnasiums where residents can work out to stay fit. The Away Spa, located inside of the resort, is where people go for medicinal remedies and alternate therapies (McCarthy, 2009). The resort incorporates a natural healing therapy, which is carried out in one of four lavish treatment villas. Water aircrafts are also docked at the beach in case a resident needs urgent medical attention is rushed to the hospital. References Asia Web Direct 2013, W Retreat & Spa – Maldives, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.asiawebdirect.com/maldives/north-ari-atoll/w-retreat-and-spa-_-maldives/ Etihad Holidays 2012, W Retreat & Spa – Maldives, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.etihadholidays.com/holidays/Hotels_WRetreatSpaMaldives.aspx Flyer Talk 2009, W Maldives - master thread, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starwood-preferred-guest/844323-w-maldives-master-thread.html Let’s Go Maldives 2013, W Retreat and Spa Maldives Island Resort, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.letsgomaldives.com/resorts/honeymoon-special/w-retreat-and-spa-maldives.html Maldives 2013, The official travel guide of the Maldives, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.visitmaldives.com/en McCarthy, A 2009, ‘Discover Asia’, The European Travel Journal, vol. 6, no. 8, pp. 50–54. Mooney, S 2009, ‘Travel to Asia and to the breath taking W Retreat & Spa’, An International Journal of Hotel Management, vol. 3, no. 8, pp. 89–92. Ratti, C 2011, Famous W Retreat and Spa in Maldives will blow your mind, viewed 4 January 2013, http://news.arcilook.com/photos/famous-w-retreat-and-spa-in-maldives-will-blow-your-mind/ Ryan, I 2010, ‘Functions of HR managers in the hotel industry’, Journal of Business & Hotel Management, vol. 2, no. 4, pp. 60–72. Visit Maldives 2013, W Retreat & Spa - Maldives - facilities & services – recreation, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.visitmaldives.info/maldives-w-retreat-and-spa-maldives/701-w-retreat-a-spa-maldives-facilities-a-services-recreation-.html W Hotels Worldwide 2011, W Retreat and Spa Maldives, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.wretreatmaldives.com/assets/u/WMaldives-FactSheet.pdf W Hotels Worldwide 2013, W Retreat and Spa Maldives, viewed 4 January 2013, http://www.wretreatmaldives.com/ Read More