US company Rosewood Hotels and Resorts look to open new properties in Beijing and Phuket until 2014.
DALLAS – The next step in Rosewood Hotels & Resorts‘ ambitious Asia expansion plan will be the end-2014 opening of Rosewood Phuket. It will be the second Rosewood property inAsia following the launching of Rosewood Beijing during the summer 2013.
The resort, including 87 villas, 20 residences and six hideaway homes, will be located on the 1,968-foot (600-metre)EmeraldBaybeachfront inWestern Phuket, one of the island’s last remaining areas for a secluded beach resort enclave. Here, Rosewood’s A Sense of Place® philosophy will celebrate the landscape, culture and sensibilities of its special new home.
All private and public areas will blend interiors and exteriors with retractable glass walls. Cantilevered structures will meld with the landscape. “Green” rooftops of living plants will not only provide energy conservation but uninterrupted sightlines to theAndamanSea.
The resort will be designed to integrate organically into the hillside forest surroundings with an environmentally sensitive, contemporary architectural style showcasing the location’s striking natural attributes.
To preserve the 40-acre forest, including 150-year-old banyan trees considered sacred in Thai culture, Bangkok-based P-Landscape will retain or carefully transplant every tree within the site. Any introduced foliage will be indigenous species.
Singapore-based WOHA, principal architect, and Melbourne-based Bar Studio handling the creation of restaurants and hideaway homes, will incorporate sustainable practices and indigenous materials wherever possible, with ample use of stone and timber.
Strategic positioning of the one and two-bedroom beach, lagoon and pool villas will provide privacy and uninterrupted ocean views. At a minimum total area of2,600 square feet(240 square metres), villas will include separate lounge and dining spaces, swimming pool, garden, deck and outdoor shower and bath.
The 20 two-to-nine-bedroom tropical mansion residences are set on sites that average half an acre (quarter hectare), while the six two-to-three-bedroom forest hideaway homes are positioned on a steep slope with panoramic views of Emerald Bay, with a private gymnasium, 20-metre lap pool and lounge for exclusive use.
“Within this very special environment, Rosewood Phuket guests will feel ‘at one’ with the land and sea,” says Radha Arora, President, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts. “Everywhere, the innovative architecture with subtle Thai influences will blend beautifully with the natural landscape.“
Six restaurants and lounges will include a rustic Thai seafood restaurant on the beach, built with recycled teak wood; a hillside restaurant offering authentic Asian and Western cuisines; an all-day dining bistro; library lounge; spa cafe; and sophisticated beachfront lounge and bar deck area.
Sense spa will feature five treatment rooms, seven spa villas with steam and shower, a swimming and Watsu pool. A labyrinth garden, the central feature of the spa, will provide herbs and ingredients for the spa cafe and use in specialized spa treatments.
Rosewood Phuket will also feature The Pavilion, a new concept of residential-style meeting and function venue and a signature for all Rosewood hotels inAsia. Exclusive corporate retreats and social events of up to 300 for cocktail parties, will take place in a free-standing structure offering elegant relaxation areas, a residential-style kitchen, open terraces and a private entrance.
Recreational facilities will include a free-form and children’s pool, a beachside lap pool and a cascading spa pool with naturally filtered waters set amidst forest foliage. Also on offer will be a health club with gymnasium, yoga pavilion, sea sports pavilion and rooftop tennis court.
Founded in 1979 and headquartered inDallas,Texas, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts manages one-of-a-kind luxury properties in the world’s most desired destinations. Rosewood properties embrace the company’s A Sense of Place philosophy, reflecting the history, architecture, scale and sensibilities of the destination. The Rosewood collection includes some of the most legendary hotels and resorts in the world, includingRosewoodMansionon Turtle Creek inDallas, The Carlyle inNew York, Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, as well as contemporary classics such as Rosewood Sand Hillin California, Rosewood San Miguel de AllendeinMexico, and Rosewood Tucker’s Point inBermuda.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
