Interview with Mr Tomonari Tai,
Resident Manager at The Sukhothai Shanghai
Mr. Tomonari Tai has been in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and has worked for various luxury hotels under the brands of Hilton, Sofitel, Shangri-La and The Ritz-Carlton. His footsteps cover three continents including mainland China. He has undertaken different roles in hotels over the years and was promoted to Executive Assistant Manager, Rooms at The Ritz-Carlton Beijing, Financial Street before he joined The Sukhothai Shanghai. He manages the hotel services in a professional way with an elegant personal touch, leading the hotel’s well-trained operation team with his deep expertise.
“While the golden rules of services may be well established, I believe it is the details that make the difference and only by doing each service, big and small, perfectly can one create a memorable experience for the guests,” said Tomonari. “The most important part is to try to create some joyful experience with wellness.” In addition to his mother tongue Japanese, Tomonari is fluent in English and French, and can also speak some Mandarin and Shanghainese. SpaChina interviewed him.
The Sukhothai Shanghai has always positioned itself in the health and fitness space. What benefits does this wellness concept positioning bring to the hotel?
At The Sukhothai Shanghai, our wellness concept was thoughtfully defined, developed and executed since our pre-opening stage in combination with our design elements. For instance, our guests immediately fall into ZEN to nourish their mind and spirit in front of “Tian Chuang” with natural daylight, surrounded by natural stones at The Retreat reception area located on the lower ground level.
The calming room and energising room are fully soundproofed and allow our guests a sound therapy with singing bowl, meditation or any other wellness activities. A-state-of-the-art fitness studio is equipped with the latest machines to ensure every workout need is fulfilled. A 25-metre heated indoor pool surrounded by natural stone invites guests into the “Serenity”.
The Retreat comprises five treatment suites and each configuration is designed as “an independent villa in a villa” to deliver bespoke wellness experiences to guests with varying needs. A semi-private relaxation area with a wide range of books such as related to nature, arts and cultures is situated in the center of The Retreat for our guests to enjoy a peaceful time after treatment.
People’s wellness concerns have drastically increased in recent years mainly due to the pandemic. Sadly, people feel stressed and have tended to lose their passion. We are fortunate to co-operate with Ms. Victoria Svyatenko, our singing bowl instructor for five years by now. The Retreat was one of the pioneers to introduce authentic sound therapy by a quality-focused certified individual and her sound therapy truly promotes mental wellness. Furthermore, it is our joy of having a long term co-operation with Mr. Jacky Chen and his professional team to provide tailor-made personal training for our customer to improve their immune system. The personal training experience is a key point and our guests love it.
You have been experiencing the pandemic with us in China. From your perspective, what changes have taken place in the health and beauty needs of Chinese people in recent years compared to pre-pandemic?
In recent years, the pandemic has entirely changed our lifestyle by making our lives more stressful. According to a World Health Organisation survey in 2022, depression and anxiety disorder rates have increased by 25% globally. People feel stressed, and obsessive-compulsive disorders are getting severe.
These days, people focus on both mental and physical health. For instance, sound therapy with singing bowl and gong at Tian Chuang makes people feel calm and relaxed. In recent years, more children experienced our sound therapy too. Personalised training helps our guests sustain healthy workouts and exercise habits.
In the beauty, more and more people has Maskne (Mask-induced acne) due to wearing face masks for long time for past 3 years. This is caused by both physical and emotional condition and balance, and can no longer be solved with a simple physical method of facial treatment. The Retreat offers a unique nursing concept by intelligence technology skin treatment with Wishpro Magnetic Infusion Technology based device, combined with 13 patented serum infused capsules to enhance the effects.
What are the new needs do the guests in the SPA and Fitness of Sukhothai Shanghai have in recent years? What projects, treatments or wellness packages do you offer to meet these new requirements?
We have hosted quite a number of high-end skin care / beauty product launch events at The Retreat. Since last year, The Retreat organised Wellness Open House periodically to invite our loyalty guests, potential customers and influential individuals to experience the quality of being in good health as an actively sought goal through an interactive, experiential, educational wellness journey during the open house. For instance, sound therapy with singing bowls and gongs at pool side, personal training with certified trainers, recovery devices trials and essential oil blending. It is truly appreciated by all participants and business partners, and we look forward to organising more meaningful collaboration events.
Take the wellness home and learn wellness at The Retreat. In November 2022, we were thrilled to host the Centenary of BRIDESTOWE from Tasmania, Australia and The Journey of Stress Management at The Retreat. We are proud of our long-term collaboration with BRIDESTOWE to design together and introduce “The Sleep Well Therapy Treatment”, adapting their camphor-free natural lavender products, to promote our guests’ physical well-being, and also help them to reduce stress levels. We want our guests’ wellness concept acquired at The Retreat to continue at their home.
In the next three years, what kind of health projects do you think will be popular, and what plans does Sukhothai have to cover this?
Not all of us has a perfect health condition and I foresee people’s health consciousness will continue to increase both mentally and physically. “Mental Wellness” and “Rehabilitation Therapy / Physiotherapy” are what The Sukhothai Shanghai has focused on and will further focus on. As part of our mental wellness program, The Retreat has introduced sound therapy (since 2018), Singing Bowl Massage (since 2021), Sleep Well Therapy (since 2022). Meanwhile, each year new wellness tools such as additional fitness equipment, Pilates Bed and Reformer, are added to The Retreat to enhance our wellness program.
