Miraval CEO Tompkins reveals global expansion plans
Quoted exclusively in the latest edition of Spa Business magazine, Michael Tompkins, CEO of Miraval and newly appointed chair of ISPA, says the company will expand its resort spa concept globally, with sites already under consideration outside the US.
“I’ve been assigned by the board of Revolution Ventures (the company behind Miraval) and chair, Philippe Bourguignon, to find five new locations in the US,” he says. “At the same time, we’re evaluating a number of projects outside the US – we’d love to have a Miraval in Europe, for example, and are working on this now.”
Tompkins says growing international awareness of Miraval is in part due to its successful partnership with Clarins, which has leveraged its international press contacts to raise the profile of the Tucson-based resort.
“Miraval wasn’t known outside the US,” says Tompkins, “but we now have a growing profile and our proportion of international visitors, although small, is increasing. We were just nominated for a World Spa Award in Spain – something which would never have happened before we joined forces with Clarins in 2012.”
Miraval at Natirar to have Rockwell Spa
A second US site will open in 2015 at Natirar in New Jersey, an hour outside New York City, putting Miraval on the doorstep of the European and East-coast US markets and opening up opportunities for the brand to go global.
The new Miraval at Natirar will be built in and around an existing operation, which is owned and run by founders Bob and Kim Wojtowicz.
The stunning house, set in 400 acres, was the former home of the King of Morocco and already boasts a high-end farm to table restaurant called Ninety Acres, a cooking school, farm and membership club.
Miraval replaced previous shareholder, Virgin’s Sir Richard Branson, as a partner in the project in 2012.
The wooded site has a 60-mile unobstructed view into Pennsylvania: “All you see is rolling hills and trees,” says Miraval CEO, Michael Tompkins. “The property is set on a hill and from the other side you can see Manhattan.”
Natirar is an hour by car from the city and 25 minutes from Newark International airport.
Under the scheme, the existing mansion will be converted and a second building constructed, says Tompkins: “The new-build will have the same architecture and brick. There’ll be 66 keys and an underground tunnel to the new spa.”
Rockwell Group’s design for the spa is a dramatic, grass-roofed, minimalist glass building with a waterfall cascading from the roof.
As part of the development, Natirar’s fitness centre will be expanded by 6,000sq ft (557sq m) and its stables used for Miraval’s famous Equine Experience. In addition to hiking and biking trails, there’s also a lake on the property.
“We’ll organise paddle board yoga,” adds Tompkins. “We’ll also do snow shoeing in the winter and will be open year round.”
Tompkins says an announcement about a third US site is imminent and is likely to be made early in 2014.
For more on Miraval’s global development plans, click here to read Spa Business
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