LAGNIAPPE
oceanfront temple at the heart of the property . Meanwhile , bringing that contemporary touch through Sundara restaurant and the new spa , without losing our identity of being an authentic Balinese experience .
The Healing Village Spa is a destination on its own and the treatments and the Rossano Ferretti salon is the latest upgrade , opening a month after my arrival . At Sayan , we had a number of culinary upgrades in recent years , including the riverside cooking school , and our next focus would be upgrading the spa and wellness experience which is intrinsic to Ubud ’ s profile as Bali ’ s wellness hub .
H : What steps are you taking to revive the hotel ’ s revenues ? What is your performance forecast going into the next year ? RS : We are in a strong position as the resorts closed for just four months in early 2020 and have been open since August 2020 with over half of our staff having been with the resorts since opening 25 years ago . This is an incredible statistic which highlights the strong people culture at our resorts , and this is what drives our success .
H : Bali recently reopened its borders for international visitors after almost two years . How has the response for bookings been so far ? RS : The pace of recovery since the international borders opened has been promising and we are continuing to drive this . We ’ ve had strong business in July and August at both resorts with top markets from Americans , Australians , Brits , Singaporeans and Indonesians . We ’ ve also seen a lot of repeat guests . Bali was on their bucket list for revenge travel .
H : Your wife , Atsuko , is an equal and important partner to your management and success . How does your partnership work ?
RS : Atsuko is my secret weapon . She enriches my life and gives me joy , and she has loved our latest adventure in moving to Bali . Our relationship grows and flourishes as we go out exploring Bali on the weekends , discovering restaurants in the neighborhood . We ’ re foodies so we love Bali ’ s vibrant dining scene and also cooking at home with access to so many fantastic ingredients . Atsuko goes to the Japanese grocery store and she ’ ll cook old favorite recipes . Bali offers both of us a new sense of discovery and life balance .
H : How is your staff training evolving , especially considering the pandemic and changing consumer expectations ? RS : Our teams have undergone new training in recent years due to the pandemic , but we also have a very robust training program on Four Seasons standards to ensure we maintain or elevate the guest
Couples treatment a Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay Healing Village
82 hotelsmag . com October 2022