Spa Business issue 4 2011 - TourismInsights

The demand for natural cosmetics is increasing
in Asia, but the market is blighted by
false marketing claims, mislabelling of
products and consumer confusion, says
research company Organic Monitor.
Unlike Europe or North America (see
sb09/1 p34), Asia has no private standards
for natural and organic products, and using
western certification can be expensive.
Some products are promoted as organic,
even if they only contain trace organic
elements; and other companies are using
symbols and logos just of their certified
ingredients to give the illusion that the
overall finished product is certified.
There are some positive steps being made,
however. A growing number of specialist
retailers, such as organic food group Just Life,
are demanding brands to substantiate their
marketing claims by becoming certified.
In addition, other retailers are scrutinising
ingredient lists to verify a product’s
‘chemical free’ status.
Las Vegas-based Caesars
Entertainment Corporation
(CEC) is to make its first move
into Asia Pacific with a new
resort in Hainan, China.
The Caesars Palace Longmu
Bay project is the first major
venture of Caesars Global Life
– a new non-gaming division
created to build and manage
branded properties.
CEC aims to build 25 hotels
and resorts in China over the
next five years and has signed
an agreement with Guoxin
Longmu Bay Investment
Holding (GLBIH) on its first
project in the country.
GLBIH will be developing the area as a tourist
destination, with the first phase to cover a
5sq km (1.9sq mile) area. The 1,000-bedroom
resort represents a rmb3bn (us$471m, €352m
£303m) investment in the total rmb36bn
(us$5.6bn, €4.2bn, £3.6bn) scheme.
The RMB3bn resort will have a spa and is due to open in 2014
Due to open in 2014, the resort will have a spa,
a championship golf course and a marina.
CEC president and CEO Gary Loveman said:
“This will set a global luxury standard in China
and build a foundation for Caesars’ expansion
throughout the Asia-Pacific region.”
The collaboration focuses on Canadian spa-goers
Spa marketing company SpaFinder has
joined forces with Canada-based spa marketing
enterprise, WaySpa.
Under the new partnership, the
companies will offer one of the most comprehensive
online selections of spas, fitness
studios and wellness practitioners to consumers
in Canada.
It is also hoped that the collaboration will
increase the number of consumers that visit
properties currently marketing with both
SpaFinder and WaySpa.
At the heart of the venture is the new
spafinder.ca website, which aims to establish
itself as the leading internet-based
resource for the Canadian spa industry.
IMAGE: PHIL DATE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
ITC Hotels is to add a new
600-bedroom flagship hotel
to its portfolio of 16 luxury
properties that it owns and
operates across India.
The ITC Grand Chola,
which features a temple design
inspired by the Chola dynasty,
is due to open in Chennai in
early 2012.
Among the facilities will
be a 23,000sq ft (2,137sq m)
Kaya Kalp Spa, which will
have 12 suites for treatments.
One suite is a double and will
offer twin massage tables.
Meanwhile, two of the suites
will be dedicated to ayurvedic massages and
treatments using indigenous products.
ITC Grand Chola will adhere to the group’s
commitment to responsible luxury and will offer
eco-friendly measures to attain ‘positive statuses’
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts has opened its
eighth Sense spa at the new Rosewood Hotel
Georgia in Vancouver, Canada.
Located on the fourth floor of the 155-
bedroom property, the spa comprises five
treatment rooms, a manicure/pedicure lounge
The flagship property will have a 12-treatment suite spa
in water, carbon and solid waste recycling. ITC
claims that it is the “greenest hotel chain in the
world” and recently confirmed that all of its
hotels have now attained the LEED Platinum
rating from the US Green Building Council.
and separate facilities for both men and women
with sauna and steamrooms.
A wet treatment room with a Vichy shower
is also on offer at the spa, which uses products
from Priori, Beauty Through Balance, Spa
Rituals and Tara Spa Therapy.
18 Read Spa Business online spabusiness.com / digital
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