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access at the ground level —
and one-, two-, and three-bed-
room villas with private swim-
ming pools. A few minutes’
walk from Phuket’s +longest
beach, the luxury compound is
ideally positioned for exploring
the sea caves, coral reefs,
mangroves, and islands of
Sirinath National Park.
Two more resorts offer dif-
ferent experiences of Thailand.
The one- and two-bedroom
villas and apartments of
Anantara Vacation Club Bophut
Koh Samui are tucked into lush grounds near a laidback fishing village
on tranquil Bophut Bay on the north coast of Koh Samui island. The
resort includes tennis courts and on-site restaurants and bars.
In the heart of Bangkok, Anantara Vacation Club Bangkok Sathorn
is a stylish urban retreat with jaw-dropping floor-to-ceiling views from
the windows on the 28th floor. Owners have full access to on-site
amenities, including a 105-foot (32 meters) infinity-edge swimming
pool, indoor/outdoor restaurants, a full-service spa, a fitness center,
and a tennis court with professional coaching available.
In Bali’s popular Seminyak district, Anantara Vacation Club Bali
Seminyak is close to the designer shops, restaurants, and nightlife, as
well as the stunning beaches. The resort includes one-, two-, and
three- bedroom standalone villas designed to be open to nature, each
with a private pool.
Anantara Vacation Club Sanya is situated between mountains and
the beaches of the South China Sea on the southern coast of Hainan
Island, 15 minutes from the heart of Sanya City, China. The Club’s two-
bedroom apartment suites are housed in a luxury condominium
development with its own swimming pool and
share access to the amenities of nearby
Anantara Sanya Resort & Spa, which include
restaurants, a swimming pool, and a gym.
The only resort outside of Asia, Anantara
Vacation Club at Oaks Shores treats guests to
breathtaking views from the shoreline of Lake
Wakatipu, a year-round destination near
Queenstown, New Zealand. The Club’s two-
and three-bedroom units offer easy access to
a wide variety of leisure activities, including
water sports, world-class skiing, golf, and
wine-tasting.
Anantara Vacation Club service coordina-
tors help owners maximize their purchased
points and Club Hosts provide concierge ser-
vices on-site at every resort. Five levels of
ownership let owners customize their vaca-
tion experience with special privileges,
amenities, and personalized services.
A New Strategy for
a Robust Market
Having Anantara Vacation Club villas and
apartments on-site at Anantara Hotels has
obvious marketing advantages. Aside from
hotel guests, the Club relies on
direct mail, both print and
electronic, to generate leads via
mini-vacations. But it was
Antantara Vacation Club’s entry
into China in 2013 that was the
real game-changer — resulting
in a 75-percent increase in own-
ership that year.
“We’re very much a Chinese-
based ownership now,” Smith
reports. “That has changed the
way that we market.”
Indeed the new independent
Chinese traveler — younger,
Internet-savvy, and hungry for quality and authentic experiences —
has replaced the cliché group tour. The Chinese became the
world’s highest-spending tourists in 2012, and they are forecast to
spend more than all the world’s luxury shoppers combined by
2015, according to Attract China, a research team that helps the
travel industry better understand independent Chinese tourists.
“The Chinese are all about reputation and how it looks to the
wider community, so in China, we do a lot of joint marketing with
high-end luxury brands — cars, luggage, clothing,” Smith says.
“We’re targeting that very high-end customer who’s also very
aware of image.”
Social media has also become a tool to build brand awareness.
“We’re not widely known as a branded hotel management company in
China, so we employ a company to manage our social media there,”
Smith says. “We’re very interactive and reactive to anyone who posts
something on social media. We try and engage people and we run com-
petitions and campaigns to get people to interact with us.”
A Future Without End
Growth and opportunity in the mainland Chinese
market has changed the trajectory of the
Club’s plans for future development. “When we
first opened, we thought we’d get Sydney,
Melbourne, New Zealand,” Smith says. “When
we started heavily marketing into China, our
strategy had to change significantly, because we
had to follow the demand of the Chinese owner,
which is different from the Western owner.” When
it comes to expansion, more locations in Asia and
the Middle East are top of mind.
“Mr. Heinecke is currently looking at different
markets, different opportunities,” Smith contin-
ues. “I think his entrepreneurial, visionary spirit
has lots of advantages for the vacation club.”
The word
Anantara
, Sanskrit for “without
end,” evokes that sense of freedom and move-
ment, that the future is full of possibility. “We
might end up with hotels soon in Europe or
Australia,” Smith says, “and because the vaca-
tion club is attached, that opens up a whole
new world for our owners.”
See page 2 for currency conversions.
40
Developer:
Minor Hotel Group, William (Bill)
Heinecke, CEO
Headquarters:
Bangkok, Thailand
Product:
Points
Price:
Five membership levels, from
US$19,000 to US$380,000
Resorts:
Thailand:
Anantara Vacation Club
Bophut Koh Samui, Anantara Vacation Club
Phuket Mai Khao, and Anantara Vacation Club
Bangkok Sathorn
Indonesia:
Anantara Vacation Club Bali
Seminyak
China:
Anantara Vacation Club Sanya
New Zealand:
Anantara Vacation Club Oaks
Shores
Website:
anantaravacationclub.com
Social Media Sites:
facebook.com/AnantaraVacationClub
twitter.com/AnantaraClub
pinterest.com/anantaraclub
instagram.com/anantaraclub
Anantara Vacation Club
fast
facts