Programming
Niamh O’Connell
Rosewood’s group VP of wellness reveals the brand’s response to COVID with its new retreat concept and spa reopening strategy
Consciously and unconsciously, resilience is becoming more important in our daily lives – especially due to the global pandemic,” says Niamh O’Connell, Rosewood’s group VP of wellness and brand experience. And it’s with this in mind that she’s curated 13 bespoke retreats to enhance people’s ability to recover from or adapt easily to change.
Following a stressful year with rising levels of anxiety, Rosewood’s Journey to Resilience retreats look to heal and address all wellbeing aspects: the physical, emotional and the mindful. They’ll be offered in Asia, Europe, North America and the Caribbean and focus on four main behavioural elements essential to fostering resilience. These are positivism, purpose, resourcefulness and compassion.
According to O’Connell, the programmes are “designed to assist guests in recognising areas of their lives they’d like to restructure or enhance, providing the tools and support they need to make these changes.” The idea is that individuals will be empowered through fitness, nutrition, treatments and other wellbeing therapies to face life’s challenges with confidence and ultimately establish a sense of deep inner equilibrium. “Whether through physical therapies or authentic healing treatments for the mind and emotions, this process helps individuals to adopt an enhanced and more resilient lifestyle, resulting in a complete sense of self-acceptance,” adds O’Connell. “Guests will feel a sense of calm, confidence, be able to manage their anxiety with ease and have a more positive outlook on life.”
Local wellness
In keeping with Rosewood’s A Sense of Place philosophy, which weaves the authenticity and character of a destination into the identity of respective properties, every retreat has been devised with practices reflective of local wellness traditions and natural surroundings. At Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco in Italy for instance, forest bathing encourages guests to immerse themselves in Tuscany’s UNESCO-listed countryside and vegetable-based cooking classes celebrate the country’s reputation for delicious food. Meanwhile, the programme at Rosewood Bangkok incorporates treatments such as tai pew ngam, a ritual inspired by Thai royals and Chong massage, a therapy reflective of the Chong tribe in eastern Thailand that improves energy levels.
Journey to Resilience retreats include a two-night minimum stay (at most sites) and can be elongated for an additional fee at specific properties. Pricing varies according to location. In Tuscany, it’s €6,000 (US$7,275, £5,225) per suite for three nights, for example, or in Bangkok, prices start at THB5,523 (US$182, €150, £131) per night.
• The team anticipated guests would initially be more cautious but there’s been a massive demand for touch therapies and a real desire to reconnect with therapists/nutritionists/PTs
• COVID has allowed people to reset their priorities and dedicate more time to wellness
• Popular treatments include massage, facials and aesthetics. The latter is especially popular as face masks are irritating people’s skin
• Massages have not been adapted and Asaya is still offering the full menu – with deep tissue and singing bowl massages being the most popular
• Initially opened with reduced operating hours and closed on certain days of week, it’s now extending hours and looking to open up on extra days
• The spa is operating at 50 per cent booking capacity, it’s building this up slowly according to the market demand
• Elevated hygiene practices – everyone wears a mask, hand sanitiser everywhere, washing hands on entry and regularly throughout visit
• Sanitation mats to clean shoes at entry points, glove stations, shoe covers, individually packed food and drinks
• No perspex screens at reception, temperatures are taken on arrival and all guests fill in a health declaration form
• Less physical touchpoints. No consultation folders, every pen is new – then goes into a used pen box and is sanitised
• Guest bookings are staggered to avoid high guest traffic in certain areas
• Changing rooms still available as existing 6sq m privacy pods already offer space for social distancing
• All bed linen changed (as before)
• Pool and wet areas remain closed
• Increased turnover time to deep clean rooms – 1 hour between clients (used to be 30 minutes which is still longer than most)
• Housekeepers are physically cleaning rooms, they’re not just being sprayed down
• No steam used for facials but everything else remains the same
• Every time a piece of equipment is used, an attendant sprays it down
• Local members and guests book in timed slots, using an app to book specific equipment
• Group class capacity has been reduced by 30 per cent
• Some machines/equipment only available on some days to ensure rotation and manage demand
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