By Neil Young, written July 2020

This is a callout to those working in the hospitality sector. Whilst others are downsizing, we want you to help us grow a retreat business in Bali . . .

At Young, we have a lot of experience in the hospitality sector. From working at British Airways and Tui, to extensive travel and living overseas in Asia. We spot trends in hospitality experiences. This, aligned with our long history of investing in asset backed investments where people live, stay or spend time, meant we were looking out for an opportunity in the hospitality sector where we can see the importance of experiences.

The likes of Airbnb have moved into an ‘experiences’ offer. The hotel groups are focused on the overall experience and different type of travellers far more than they once were. As we said in a recent blog about experiences you need to add excitement and interest for the customer.

For a few years we have been looking at a business in Bali. It owns a dozen villas on the island, most being 10 bed villas. They are rented out to groups, some directly and some through the main portals (www.hotels.com etc). Guests visit from across the globe, although there is a leaning towards guests from Asia/Australasia. Demand has grown well, the business receives great customer feedback.

Last summer we decided we wanted to take our discussions further. We discussed the proposition of using these well-located luxury villas along with a great on-site team, to launch a retreat business. This is what we have been working on together.

We have spent time in the villas, engaged with a number of experts and alighted on a strong business positioning and proposition. We have a brand, the marketing creative, funds to invest, a great on-site team, a dozen luxury villas, have carried out a process audit and are about to appoint a consultant to implement changes to the in-villa experience. However, there is an area we were wondering if you could help with?

Essentially, we have all the infrastructure to run amazing boutique retreats in the villas we own. We want to offer some retreats focused on a single activity (fitness, surfing, etc.), some on multi activity and some for relaxing.

We want to work with an organisation or individuals who can help us offer this. Can you propose the mix of types of retreats, do you know influencers who want to run some of these retreats, do you know how we can sell the retreats? We have ideas, but we want to see if you can add value to our proposition.

We want to hear from people who have experience in the retreat sector. Whether you’ve put the offer together, know how to attract guests or know people who want to be in Bali to run retreats. Can you help? If so, please contact us.

We want to launch our first retreats in 2021. This is an amazing opportunity.

Get in touch, it’ll be fun!