Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts: Designing Romance By Wee Beng Geok & Seow Jia Min

Abstract

Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts (BTHR) opened in 1994, filling a gap in the marketplace with its small and luxurious boutique style hotel which until then, had been dominated by large hotels. Early on in the planning of their resorts, which were located in Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives and Seychelles, BTHR chairman Ho Kwon Ping and his brother, also chief designer of the resorts, Kwon Cjan, decided they wanted to recreate the romance of travel and provide their guests with a memorable experience. Utilising their own travel experiences, they decided that the most meaningful experiences were locations which gave one a 'sense of place'.

The case details how the two brothers went about building this ambience, building a romantic atmosphere for all Banyan Tree resort locations, with each resort reflecting its location's culture, yet with a consistency that was standard across all Banyan Tree locations. Together with the architecture, high service standard, utilisation of services such as the Banyan Tree Spa and Banyan Tree Gallery, and coupled with targeted marketing programmes, BTHR became known as one of the most romantic tourist accomodations, garnering praise and many design awards. Now, Kwon Ping wanted to open a new Banyan Tree resort in Bali. However, the market was flooded with other hotels and resorts of equally high standard. What could BTHR do to stand out from the crowd?

This case was commissioned by the DesignSingapore Council at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts.
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