Resort redefines the modern luxury resort concept as Samui tourism rebounds.
KOH SAMUI, THAILAND – Silavadee Pool Spa Resort, the stunning luxury resort on Samui Island, announced its roaring success for 15 consecutive years as this year marks its 15 anniversary and revealed ‘The New Chapters of Luxury – S.E.A’ strategy to add a new dimension to and redefine luxury. The hi-end retreat aspires to elevate itself to world-class status based on three pillars, namely ‘S’ for Sustainability, ‘E’ for Experience and ‘A’ for Activity. The acronym S.E.A. is conceived to answer trends of modern travellers and in response to the recovery of Samui tourism.
Chonlada Soonthonvasu, Silavadee Pool Spa Resort’s managing director, said, “Silavadee Pool Spa Resort is a luxury resort that originated in Thailand and is managed by Thais. As this year marks its 15th anniversary, Silavadee has always been popular among Thai and foreign guests due to various factors such as its pristine location, world-class facilities, superb and meticulous service as well as warmth and uniqueness of Thai hospitality.
Now that Koh Samui welcomes the return of tourists with open arms, Silavadee has reached a 90% booking rate from foreign guests, 20% of whom are repeating guests from Europe, the US, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan while guests in new markets in Saudi Arabia and Israel also head for Silavadee. Most of them have made direct online bookings with the resort, as a result of online marketing plans executed during the height of the Covid-19 crisis which directly linked promotions and news to the consumers. Moreover, guests now are inclined to stay for longer periods and spend more compared to when they did in pre-Covid 2020. Therefore, Silavadee projected a 10% growth by the end of this year in comparison to 2020.
As 2023 marks Silavadee’s 15th anniversary, a new strategy called “The New Chapters of Luxury – S.E.A” has been introduced to deliver utter relaxation to guests through the resort’s three main pillars namely ‘S’ for Sustainability, ‘E’ for Experience and ‘A’ for Activity. The acronym S.E.A answers to the needs of modern travellers who seek a different kind of luxury than they’ve experienced before and responds to the speedy rebound of Samui tourism in the post-Covid-19 world as well as competition among tourism operators on Samui which looks to be increasingly intense.
“For the past 15 years, Silavadee Pool Spa Resort has been recognised and lauded by Thai and foreign guests as a superb resort with great service, beautiful location and unique natural surroundings. These factors motivate us to improve our service level and deliver a higher kind of luxury and we believe that our ‘New Chapters of Luxury – S.E.A’ strategy will guide us to create a truly relaxing experience for guests and help push Samui tourism”, said Chonlada.
The three pillars of ‘The New Chapters of Luxury – S.E.A’ strategy comprises of:
1) S: Sustainability, one of the core policies of Silavadee Pool Spa Resort, runs on the concept of “Back to Nature”. It started from the resort’s construction which keeps the natural abundance intact and uses eco-friendly materials for building and amenities within the resort. This year Silavadee will reinforce its commitment to sustainability, environment and community through various actions such as the distribution of income to the local communities by purchasing snacks from local vendors on Koh Samui, sourcing of ingredients within the island to cut transportation and greenhouse gas emissions, turning food leftover into compost for its in-house farm to combat food waste. Guests will also have opportunities to participate in activities which promote the environment and sustainability. For example, a visit to Silavadee Farm which runs on the circular economy concept. It is where vegetables, flowers and melons are grown and chickens are raised for ingredients to be used at the resort.
2) E: Experience is exceptional stay experience. This year, Silavadee Pool Spa Resort plans to elevate a stay into an experience for guests and provide service to meet the trends and behaviours of guests from the moment they book a stay to the checkout. To live up to its motto of ‘Silavadee Pool Spa Resort gives more than other luxury resorts’, there are in-room and in-resort amenities upgrades, new dishes and drinks, and highly attentive service to cater to individual needs and feelings of each guest. The resort hosts training sessions for its 200 staff on a regular basis to equip them with service minds to cater to the needs of guests more specifically. First-time guests will receive impressive experience and service while repeating guests will notice the improvement in their stay experience that the resort strives to deliver. The Experience pillar is Silavadee’s strong point which makes the resort well-known worldwide.
3) A: Activity refers to on-site inclusive activities. Currently, the resort offers a variety of activities for the convenience of the guests. On the occasion of its 15 anniversary in 2023, the resort has planned many activities to entertain guests no matter what lifestyle they have, including wellness service, exercise programme and consultation, food and beverage programmes, DJ sets and live music bands. These activities change monthly so guests can experience different activities during each visit and season.
“Silavadee Pool Spa Resort Koh Samui” comprises 80 guestrooms, 36 units of which are Deluxe type averaging 50sqm in size. Higher tier accommodation includes 40 Pool Villas and 4 Pool Villa Suites. The resort is well-equipped with various facilities such as Thai restaurant The Height, all-day dining restaurant Moon and rooftop bar Star. Silavadee Spa offers pampering and natural treatments in a serene setting. Moreover, guests can rest assured that security and hygiene measures are in place at the resort while all staff adhere to rules and regulations issued by the Thai Ministry of Public Health.
Andrew J Wood was born in Yorkshire England, he is a former hotelier, Skalleague and travel writer. Andrew has 48 years of hospitality and travel experience. Educated at Batley Grammar School and a hotel graduate of Napier University, Edinburgh. Andrew started his career in London, working with various hotels. His first posting overseas was with Hilton International, in Paris, and he later arrived in Asia in 1991 on Bangkok with his appointment as Director of Marketing at the Shangri-La Hotel and has remained in Thailand ever since. Andrew has also worked with the Royal Garden Resort Group now Anantara (Vice President) and the Landmark Group of Hotels (Vice President of Sales and Marketing). Latterly he has been the General Manager at the Royal Cliff Group of Hotels in Pattaya and the Chaophya Park Hotel Bangkok & Resorts.
A past board member and Director of Skål International (SI), a former National President with SI Thailand and a two time past President of the Bangkok Club. Andrew is the former President of Skål Asia. In 2019, Andrew was awarded SKÅL’s highest award the distinction of Membre D’Honneur.
He is a regular guest lecturer at various Universities in Asia.
