Garrya, Homm and Folio are completely new brands, while Banyan Tree Escape and Banyan Tree Veja are extensions, each with a specific focus.
Banyan Tree Veja will be focused on “wellbeing and conscious living within a luxury setting” and the first one will be Banyan Tree Veja Phuket, launching early next year.
Meanwhile, the first Banyan Tree Escape – a brand focused on “small-eco resorts in rustic virgin locations” – will be ready for guests in Bali from April 2022.
Garrya will be a brand offering “upscale hotels, with in-room wellbeing offerings and minimalist design” and the first to open is Garrya Huzhou Lucun in China, which launched in November.
Homm will be a midscale brand focused on “comfort for avid travellers” and early next year will see the launch of Homm Bliss Southbeach Patong in Thailand.
Four Garrya and two Homms have been signed in Asia with more in the pipeline.
Banyan Tree said Folio will launch a little further down the line as a “collection of smaller, functional hotels with a strong design and active social spaces”.
As a group, Banyan Tree is set to double its footprint of 54 properties across 23 countries by 2025.
This will give the company a portfolio of 10 brands, which it said will allow it “to increase its impact in the countries where it operates whilst taking advantage of post-Covid growth opportunities in purposeful travel”.
The moves are also “in response to macro and regional trends in travel accelerated by Covid’s impact, such as conversion opportunities in resort destinations, emerging second-tier tourism destinations”, the group said, “as well as a greater desire for wellbeing and sustainability-minded travel offerings”.
“This expanded multi-brand ecosystem fortifies our stronghold in the lifestyle spectrum in Asia, while diversifying our offerings to meet the evolving needs of diverse, affluent travellers around the world,” said Eddy See, president of Banyan Tree Group. “As an independent, mission driven company with our core DNA in wellbeing and sustainability, we define what ‘good growth’ looks like. We are committed to being an exemplar and leader in our field, inspiring better living for our guests and associates in all the communities where we operate.”
Through the Banyan Tree Global Foundation, all brands will abide by the proprietary “Stay for Good” programme, a structured framework that aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and focuses on environment, community and responsible governance.
“We have always believed that tourism can be a powerful force for driving positive change,” added Ho Ren Yung, senior vice president of brand for the group. “Covid-19 gave us the impetus, pause and opportunity to reinforce our ethos of ‘embracing the environment, empowering people’ in the context of today’s needs. It is our generation’s mission to build forward better together with our partners and guests, and redefine what essential, purposeful and responsible travel looks like in this next era.”
This year, Banyan Tree Group has signed 20 hotel management agreements including Benin, Mexico, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Korea, Thailand, China and Vietnam.
The group anticipates a total of 19 openings throughout 2022 – three Banyan Tree, one Banyan Tree Escape, three Banyan Tree Veya, six Angsana, three Dhawa, two Garrya and one Homm – across 7 countries: the Maldives, Thailand, China, Indonesia, and for the first time Cambodia, Mozambique and Saudi Arabia.
