This is the first Canyon Ranch property that will be operated under a management contract, a model that Iseli believes will be a success and can be applied in other markets. Iseli terms this movement as “Canyon Ranch 2.0”.
“Clearly [what sets us apart] is our philosophy with the integration of the five pillars of integrated medicine. In the early days Canyon Ranch used to be a destination spa offering, with a lifestyle based on the five pillars. And, next to it you had a hotel that supported the spa.”
“Now, we are opening up this new property in Kaplankaya; and we are running a five-star deluxe hotel, which takes the brand to the next level and we call it ‘2.0’. We are taking it to the next level when it comes to hospitality and services. We are benchmarking ourselves in the hospitality industry with the likes of the Ritz-Carlton, Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons. And of course [to back it up] we have the 40 years of experience of integrated medicine,” he explains.
| Advertisement |
Iseli asserts that when owners sign the brand, it’s about lifestyle with five-star service. Owners also look for ROI, and Iseli sees a lucrative avenue for owners and investors to get their money’s worth.
He says: “What makes it successful for an owner and developer is the Canyon Ranch Living component, which is a collection of private residences. Owners of the private residences buy access to the company’s services and programmes, of which there are 60 on an average every day. This makes it interesting for a developer to build the hotel on one side and the residences to support it.” Iseli is confident that the residences alone will draw in investment from all sides, and will be a value proposition from an owner’s perspective.
This being the first management contract of its kind, Iseli had to convince Canyon Ranch’s head office of its viability.
He explains further: “[It was a bit challenging] as there are people who have been running and working with the company in excess of 35 years, in the United States. They have never been exposed to such an environment, however, some of our executives and our chief executive officer, COO and chief development officer have all had international experience, which helped them facilitate the process of drawing up that agreement to come to a conclusion with our owners.”
He adds: “We do not want to be perceived as a cheap franchise of Canyon Ranch, we want to take it up to the next level, as I said a version 2.0 experience.”
With a spike in growth of travellers seeking wellness tourism, large hotel chains have invested significantly to boost their well-being brands.
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
