Spreading the Banyan Tree Roots

From Angsana to Homm, homegrown hospitality juggernaut Banyan Tree Group appears to be building an interesting portfolio of hotel brands and concepts. Scion Ho Ren Yung explains why.

- KAREN TEE

One of my enduring memories of a recent stay at Banyan Tree Veya Phuket was having to pry my unwilling body out of bed at the crack of dawn, only to end up attempting to walk barefoot in a straight line down a lawn with my eyes tightly shut. This “conscious grounding” session was just one activity in a wellbeing-centric timetable that ranged from sound meditation sessions to high intensity circuit fitness lessons.

Admittedly, when the brand name Banyan Tree comes to mind, many of us probably have nostalgic memories of languid family holidays at one of its resorts in the region, like Bintan or Phuket. After all, the Singapore-based Banyan Tree Group did pioneer the tropical luxe resort aesthetic in the 90s and noughties.

But as is apparent, Banyan Tree’s one-year-old “offshoot brand” Veya — which is in fact located adjacent to its Phuket resort grounds and is the first property that the Group launched in 1994 — has an entirely different focus on personal wellness compared to the OG concept of luxurious idylling.

MORE IS MORE

Keen jetsetters may have also noticed how the Group has over the years launched multiple standalone hotel brands — in alphabetical order, starting from Angsana to most recently, Homm.

“The Group’s approach to expansion is ‘go wide, go deep’,” Banyan Tree Group’s senior vice president, brand & commercial, Ho Ren Yung, explains. “Going wide refers to a multi-brand approach, and going deep involves the curation of tailored experiences, specifically for the Banyan Tree brand.”