One of Accor's most iconic luxury brands finally landed in
Indonesia's most famous tourist island when Raffles Bali soft-opened
over the weekend on 4 July.
This Bali luxury outpost is the 15th Raffles property launched
worldwide, and marks the brand's second in Indonesia after Raffles
Jakarta.
Initially slated to open in April 2020, Raffles Bali forms part of
Accor’s plan to add over 10 hotels across Indonesia in 2020, according
to Asia-Pacific CEO Michael Issenberg when he spoke to Travel Weekly
Asia earlier this year regarding opening plans in Southeast Asia.
The Covid-19 pandemic, however, has not stalled expansion plans for
the French hospitality chain, Gaynor Reid, Accor vice president
communications & CSR, Asia Pacific, told Travel Weekly Asia.
“A lot of people think development is stopping because of this
crisis, but in actual fact our development team has seen almost as many
signings in the first six months of this year [as previous years],” she
said.
Singling out China and Vietnam as countries with development pipeline
still going strong, Ms Reid added that “there’s still a lot of
confidence in the long term" expected of the region. "Things will
improve, and the fact that we’re seeing all these developments is a
positive sign.”
Located on Jimbaran Bay, Raffles Bali offers just 32 private pool
villas overlooking the Indian Ocean, and is the brand's first to launch
the brand’s new wellbeing programme, Emotional Wellbeing by Raffles.
Among the resort's most unique offerings will be The Secret Cave, a
natural cavern discovered during the hotel’s construction and now turned
into an intimate dining spot ideal for romantic dinners.
Raffles Wellbeing Butlers will be on hand to assist with guests'
requests, while amenities such as the signature Writers Bar, hilltop
dining at Rumari, and a 25-metre infinity pool make up the luxury
offerings at the resort.
After Bali, Accor is expected to roll out the Raffles brand in
India's Jaipur and Udaipur as well as a second Singapore address on
Sentosa island.
Across the region, other upcoming openings include the MGallery Hotel
Collection along the Orchard Road belt and Pullman Hill Street
Singapore (both in Q3 this year), Mondrian Seoul Itaewon (September) and
MGallery Hong Kong Silveri (September).