Bahrain
Kuwait
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
UAE
Print
Email
Discuss this article (0 Comments)At home in the dunes
by ArabianBusiness.com staff writer on Tuesday, 23 June 2009
Deserted beach
One area in which Banyan Tree does not need to partner with outside experts is in the field of spa, for which therapists will be recruited from its very own training academy in Phuket, Thailand.
Eppink says: "Banyan Tree is quite known for its spa facilities so we will have a large hydrotherapy facility and of course we have 10 different types of spa treatment rooms as well - deluxe up to what we call royal treatment rooms with their own experience showers etc.
"We will also have four spa treatment rooms in the sea on a private island; that's next to our beach club."
The beach club is 15 minutes away from the main desert resort, alongside the golf course, explains Eppink, but it is a private facility exclusively for guests of Al Wadi, with transport provided by the hotel.
Future plans include expanding this facility in order to offer guests the chance to stay both in the desert and by the sea, adds Eppink.
"A year from now, we will be building another 20 villas on the beach," he reveals.
It is the wide variety of facilities and activities on offer at Al Wadi that cause Eppink to predict that people will stay at the property "longer than the average desert resort".
"Most desert resorts have a two to three night [average length of stay] but because of the variety of activities available people can be active for a few days, relax for a few days on the beach, play golf and use the spa, so I think four to five nights will be the average at Al Wadi.
"Europeans can probably stay easily for a week, but of course there will also be people from the Middle East who come only for the weekend, so that takes the average down because most weekend business is two nights," says Eppink.
"Western Europe will be a key market for us, the GCC as well of course and to a lesser extent India, Japan and China, which are traditional markets for our company, so we have a well-established brand name," he adds.
And finally, with the option for people to use Banyan Tree Al Wadi for a week-long holiday, Eppink says it is also important to keep them feeling connected.
With that in mind, everywhere, except for in the nature reserve, will offer wireless internet connection.
"It's a company standard; people expect it from us," he says.
"We didn't offer internet in some of our hotels in Thailand and Indonesia for a long time - we didn't put it there on purpose.
"We want our guests to come and escape from work pressures, but by the time the average length of stay gets a bit longer, there are very few people that can live a week or more without looking at their emails," concludes Eppink.
Biography: Pascal Eppink
Pascal Eppink took up the role of general manager at Banyan Tree Al Wadi in the first quarter of 2008 and has been responsible for co-ordinating the operational aspects of the development as well as hiring and training the pre-opening team.
Well-versed in the Banyan Tree philosophy, Eppink was previously resident manager at Banyan Tree Phuket in Thailand, the group's flagship property, at which he was in charge of rooms, F&B, HR and engineering during his two and a half years at the resort.
Other notable experiences in the industry include roles as rooms and hotel manager at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa, director of rooms at Grand Hyatt Muscat, in Oman, and at Hyatt Regency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and resident manager at Orchard Hotel Singapore.
Eppink holds a bachelor degree in hotel management from the Hoge Hotelschool Maastricht in the Netherlands and is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German.
Pascal Eppink took up the role of general manager at Banyan Tree Al Wadi in the first quarter of 2008 and has been responsible for co-ordinating the operational aspects of the development as well as hiring and training the pre-opening team.
Well-versed in the Banyan Tree philosophy, Eppink was previously resident manager at Banyan Tree Phuket in Thailand, the group's flagship property, at which he was in charge of rooms, F&B, HR and engineering during his two and a half years at the resort.
Other notable experiences in the industry include roles as rooms and hotel manager at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel & Spa, director of rooms at Grand Hyatt Muscat, in Oman, and at Hyatt Regency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and resident manager at Orchard Hotel Singapore.
Eppink holds a bachelor degree in hotel management from the Hoge Hotelschool Maastricht in the Netherlands and is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German.
READERS' COMMENTS
Disclaimer: The views expressed here by our readers are not necessarily shared by ArabianBusiness.com or its employees.
MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM
TOP IN MIDDLE EAST TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY
TOP MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS STORIES
ALSO IN MIDDLE EAST TRAVEL & HOSPITALITY
LATEST MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS INTERVIEWS
From 
SHARE PRICE CHECK
RELATED STORIES
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts
| 21 stories- Spa design
3 Aug '08 | Features - Banyan Tree Al Areen wins international spa award
26 Mar '08 | News
Mobile
