Interview with Mr. Hoss Vetry, Multi-Property Vice President and General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay
As one of the most well-known luxury hotels in Sanya, The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay has enjoyed the highest occupancy rate and led the luxury hospitality market for eight years in a row. Over the years, the hotel received many prestigious accolades such as “Conde Nast Traveler 2016 Global Hotel Golden List”, “The Best Wedding Hotel in Hainan” in 2015 Hurun 100 Fortune, and “The Best Resort(by the sea)” by TTG China, and more.
Mr. Hoss Vetry, Multi-Property Vice-President and General Manager of The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay, has over 22 years of experience on three continents with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C. and has won a number of the company’s international awards, including “Annual Regional General Manager of the Year” in 2012 and “General Manager Award” in 2013. Since he joined The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay in 2014, he has led the hotel into a new development “golden era”. SpaChina interviewed him.
How doesThe Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay cater to kids’ special requirements?
We understand our young guests of today are the future guests of tomorrow, so we have created the Ritz Kids global program for children between the ages of 4 and 12. This program revolves around four key pillars. Water: emphasizes the importance of sea life and health. Land: encourages exploration and discovery. Environmental Responsibility: promotes the environmental health of our planet for the future. Culture: exposes young minds to a variety of art forms, including music, local customs and history, as well as cuisine. Signature Ritz Kids activities include Uncle Martin’s Secret Garden, the moonlight encounter with South China Sea creatures, and The Ritz Kids Summer Camp etc.
What is the signature wellness or health-care treatment at The Ritz-Carlton Spa?
About half of our menu is designed by our global office so that our guests can enjoy their favorite signature treatment anywhere in the world. However the other half of the Spa menu is designed directly on site by our expert therapists. We have been so successful to launch this year a series of treatments that are locally inspired, such as our Bamboo Massage which reinvigorates your body, our Lava Shell treatment that can radiate heat inside your muscle, or our Coconut Scrub which is anciently renowned in Hainan for beautifying and preserving the skin.
How do you attract international guests?
Our focus and goal is to promote Sanya and Hainan as a destination. Last year, we focused on reinforcing our emerging international markets, such as Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Russia and Kazakhstan, with some of them seeing triple-digit growth compared to 2015. These markets are mostly seeking wellness, medical tourism or golf, and we also see a lot of individual travelers returning to Sanya on their personal leisure time after a company incentive or international conference. So we see an opportunity for Sanya to be developed and promoted as a hub for meetings, incentive and special events in the Asia Pacific region. In this respect, The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay is planning its third international food and wine festival, which will present some of the most acclaimed international chefs, creating great traction in the Asia-Pacific region.
How do you keep The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay competitive?
With almost a decade of service legacy, our very first and most important competition lies in our capacity to always excel, innovate and improve. In the future, modernity and technology will surely influence guests’ motivations or decisions, yet the most important factor remains the quality of the experience provided. At The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay, we believe the spa has become a destination by itself. More and more guests look for a spa experience to relax their body, mind and soul.
Do you see challenges or opportunities from the Hainan medical tourism zone?
It is natural for medical tourism and wellness to reflect the development of Hainan. Beyond establishing Hainan as China’s first medical destination, we can even foresee the island becoming an international hub for the promotion of wellness and health, like Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand or Japan. For The Ritz-Carlton Sanya, Yalong Bay, our mission will remain the same: inspiring life’s most meaningful journeys for our guests. Of course this means we can expect every hotel to put stronger focus on their spa and rejuvenation offerings, which in turn will also contribute to the appeal of the destination.
