The freeze on travel and social gatherings is thawing across the world, leading couples in love to reconsider their wedding and honeymoon plans. As they do, Southeast Asian resorts that pride themselves on their romantic offerings are stepping up their courtship dance to sway decisions. By Karen Yue

Banyan Tree Group: rekindling romance
Despite keeping the majority of properties in operation throughout 2021, Banyan Tree Group hotels and resorts – which have traditionally conveyed a ‘sense of romance’ and come with wedding specialists to support guests – have seen a significant drop in destination weddings due to Covid-induced travel restrictions, significant reductions in air travel capacity and regulatory limitations on social gatherings.

At the group’s popular resorts in Phuket and Koh Samui, where some celebrations took place, the parties were on a smaller scale, with the largest wedding hosting just 70 guests; most were also hosted by local couples.

While honeymoon business in 2021 was nowhere near pre-pandemic levels, this segment of romantic activity proved to be less impacted by the pandemic, shared Michal Zitek, Regional Managing Director of Angsana Laguna Phuket.

The Group’s properties located in the Maldives – in particular Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, Angsana Ihuru and Angsana Velavaru – have been able to enjoy honeymoons and healthy occupations throughout the year.

According to Zitek, honeymoon occupancies at Maldives properties “were only slightly down compared to other locations.” They have benefited from the destination’s rapid resumption of international travel with minimal restrictions.

Newlyweds flocked to both resorts and hotels across the city, and most were from domestic markets. These patrons’ preference for privacy and separation from large groups and crowds intensified during the height of the pandemic, Zitek shared, and this has resulted in “an increased appetite for private dining, dining in intimate destinations and in-villa dining experiences.

To meet these expectations, properties have rolled out innovations such as romantic in-villa tea service, “floating breakfast” celebrations in the private pools of the villa or suite, as well as private dining on the beach, in the garden or in other unique places. Locations.

As 2022 unfolds with further easing of international travel restrictions, Zitek expects demand for destination weddings to return.

“Where there are weddings, there are usually honeymoons. So, due to the current pace, we expect to see a pick up in honeymoon business as the year progresses and air travel continues to (come back),” he predicted.

Zitek sees pent-up demand for larger destination weddings emerging from the UK, UAE, India and Australia. Riding on simplified entry requirements into Thailand, the Group’s properties in the Kingdom are reporting a “significant increase in enquiries”.

Banyan Tree Samui delivered a wedding buyout in late January, while properties in Phuket and Bangkok confirmed bookings for destination weddings from 2Q2022.

“Honeymooners have been known to (favor) new or emerging destinations with new branded offerings, so we anticipate this trend (will benefit) from our existing portfolio and new additions to our group,” he added. .

The Group welcomed eight new openings last year, such as the Banyan Tree Veya Phuket which opened in December. Over the next 12 months, the Group plans to open nine more in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Saudi Arabia – where a new flag will be planted in the latter country.

Looking ahead, Zitek said destination weddings and honeymoons will return with an even greater expectation of personalization — and the group is ready for that. Custom packages and itineraries take precedence over prescribed ones, and each property has an army of specialist chefs and service experts to support couples in love.

“(We also create) a myriad of unique and interesting destinations for wedding groups and honeymooners to explore,” he said.

Alma, Cam Ranh: Another Chance at Love
Sprawling over 30 hectares on the waterfront of Vietnam’s scenic Cam Ranh Peninsula, Alma was designed to be a very romantic resort and even bigger for social gatherings.

But with its opening scheduled for December 2019, just months before the pandemic arrived and swept the world into a travel freeze, Alma couldn’t see its forte put to good use.

Alma Sales Manager Son Hoang Le told TTG Asia, “We have temporarily closed our resort for eight months in 2021 due to a major Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam. As weddings usually need a long lead time, many of these celebrations in 2021 in Vietnam have been canceled due to the many restrictions in place to combat Covid-19.

The closure has also impacted honeymoons.

Despite the disruption, Alma managed to welcome a few couples seeking romantic getaways to the area last year. It was the perfect opportunity for the resort to show off its romantic and recreational potential.

Meanwhile, Alma was able to host some 77 corporate retreats and events between local infection waves, Son revealed, which further demonstrated the resort’s ability to hold gatherings of varying sizes. These business events have used a range of facilities, such as the Alma Convention Center, which includes a 300-person ballroom that can be divided into three smaller rooms, a collection of meeting rooms, a bar in the lobby and reception areas. Corporate groups have also enjoyed Alma’s 14 F&B destinations, long stretch of beach, sprawling lawns, and even the 6,000 m² water park.

“The wedding segment is important to our resort,” Son said.
And now that Vietnam has reopened its border to international travelers from March 15, Son is in a festive mood.

“We very much look forward to welcoming international guests, including those who would like to choose Alma and Cam Ranh as their idyllic destination for their wedding and honeymoon,” he said.

As of the end of February, Alma has five weddings on the books.

“We also plan to hold a wedding fair in May this year to attract local wedding planners and couples,” Son said.

He expects honeymoons to recover stronger and faster than weddings because they are less complicated to organize.

To charm couples in love, Alma will offer new wedding packages and honeymoon experiences this year and beyond, as well as health and safety insurance for all guests. The offer for 2022 is a wedding package priced at 32,410,000++ dong (US$1,418), which includes one night in the one-bedroom Ocean Front Pool Pavilion, a romantic setup with Tiffany chairs that can accommodate up to 50 attendees, flowers arrangement for the wedding arch, aisle and couple, wedding cake, champagne and more.

Accompanying family and friends receive a 25% discount on wedding accommodation.

Honeymooners can take advantage of the Romantic Affair package, which includes one night in the One Bedroom Suite Ocean View or Pool Pavilion Ocean View, in-room surprise decoration, body massage from 60 minutes, a romantic private dining experience, and more.

Son said weddings in the new normal could benefit from the Alma’s variety of event spaces by “mixing and matching venues simultaneously.”

“One of our favorite aspects of event planning is using various spaces to create a one-of-a-kind experience. For example, we have set up events where something in the ballroom is projected outward. ‘other locations at our resort, including our tranquil lawns and gardens that offer great views of Long Beach,’ he said.