COMO Shambhala puts personalisation as a top priority
New GM Ram Hiralal shares her plans for the iconic Bali hotel.
Singapore-based luxury hotel group COMO Hotels and Resorts has just recently announced two important pieces of news. The first is that its stunning property COMO Shambhala Estate, the groups flagship wellness centre in Ubud, Bali, has just reinvigorated its position as one of the world’s leading wellness centres, and the second is that they have a new GM at the helm.
While new in her position as the Estate’s General Manager, Ram Hiralal is no stranger to the COMO brand. Back in 1998 she assisted with the pre-opening of COMO’s Caribbean property Parrot Cay, and has since then worked in various resorts before her most recent role as Resort Manager at the Four Seasons Koh Samui. She arrives just as COMO Shambhala is re-establishing its brand position with the introduction of four new wellness programmes. Exciting news for the property’s loyal group of high-end followers who swear by its rejuvenating stays and treatments.
On how she intends to approach the hotels revitalised position, Ram says firstly she plans to go back to COMO Shambhala’s roots.
“Overall what we stand for is the commitment to help our guests live better. Our retreats are designed to enable change and we are here to help individuals find a sense of peace through the continuous process of learning and rebalancing. Our wellness programmes are embedded in everything we do to live up to the COMO vision, so any changes we make must ultimately always reflect that. ”
While she plans to revisit what’s at the core of the Shambhala brand, at the top of her list of priorities is to promote their high level of personalisation.
“As a top wellness destination, our holistic approach to our guests needs to be very personalised. The treatments, the cuisine, consultations, wellness talks, yoga and other activities are carefully prescribed based on the needs of each individual. In fact, we don’t aim for our guests to just have a holiday here. We want them to experience their stay at the Estate as a journey on which they can find themselves.”
COMO Shambhala’s new wellness programmes include Ayurverdic, Cleanse, Be Active, and Bespoke treatments, with the key factor being personalised healing treatments.
“What we are not trying to do is just create more wellness options for guests to choose from. What we are trying to encourage is helping guests choose treatments based on their own needs. So even if a couple were to join the same wellness programme their treatments would of course be different. Our brand is therefore based on creating a culture where we can persuade people to choose to live healthier lifestyles of their own accord.” She concluded.
As leaders in the health and wellness industry it’s great to see that even the best of the best need to work hard to establish their coveted brand position. We wish Ram all the best with her new role and look forward to hearing more from the COMO team on The Hotel Stories blog.
