Daniel Wood, GM, Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa on wooing more Indian travellers to Vietnam
INTERVIEW BY RUPALI DEAN
Daniel Wood, originally from the UK, has spent more than a decade in Vietnam. He is not only Managing Director, Hospitality Development, Tasco Land, but also General Manager, Ana Mandara Villas Dalat Resort & Spa and Deputy General Director of the Ninh Van Bay Company, which owns the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay. In a freewheeling interview, Daniel talks about himself and his strategy for the Indian market.
What is your strategy for the Indian market?
At Ana Mandara, we have two very clear strategies we are working on to encourage guests to stay with us coming from India. With the start of many direct budget flights from India and additional flights from the national carrier Vietnam Airlines, we are looking to attract adventurous travellers looking for something different in their travels and who are looking for a destination that’s not on the normal tourist trail. Also, we are hoping to attract young couples for intimate wedding ceremonies on property with their families and friends. Knowing that the Indian wedding market is big business, and couples are looking for the next best thing our resort offers almost fairy tale surroundings for the perfect wedding party or honeymoon.
What has the response been from India?
It’s clear to see the Indian tourism marketing is hungry to visit Vietnam. There are so many couples travelling and young families from India enjoying the cities and travelling across the country. Flights are reasonably priced and with a relatively shortly flight time and tourist visas being a mere formality, Vietnam is a great value and choice for discerning Indian travellers.
What makes Ana Mandara Dalat stand out from the rest in Vietnam? What would be the biggest draw for Indians to book a stay at the resort?
Our Indian guests would appreciate our unique location in Dalat along with the amazing historical story of the hotel and surroundings. The hotel offers a taste of early 1900s France just several hours from India while also in Vietnam, it’s almost like a two for one experience. The resort is the perfect springboard to explore Dalat and the surroundings in Lam Dong province.
The impeccable five-star hotel service at the resort is exceptional and heartfelt and our Indian guests will feel very much at home and well looked after. Ana Mandara Villas Resort and Spa is one of the most unique resorts in the region, obviously with its unique sub-tropical climate in the central highlands giving the nickname of the “City of Eternal Spring.”
The resort is steeped in history with its almost 100-year-old villas with traditional French architecture nestled in seven hectares of lush pine forest with sprawling panoramic views of the city. Every villa is different in design with four to five rooms per villa each with a shared living room.
For those into wellness we have the fabulous spa that’s open all day along with the only heated swimming pool in Dalat. Although only 10 minutes from the centre of Dalat City the hotel is tucked away in an almost rural district with an almost alpine feel and very different setting that travellers to Vietnam would have experienced along their journey giving a sense of peace, and retreat from the hustle and bustle of the vibrant heart of the city.
What is the USP of your restaurants that would make Indians want to dine there?
With the resorts being deeply rooted in historical French culture we offer a slice of cuisine that would not be out of place in the cafés of Paris. Mixed with the best of local Vietnamese cuisine and put together with produce either picked from our own organic gardens or from the hillside farms just a stone’s throw from the resort. With Dalat being the garden of Vietnam, all our dishes are using the freshest regional produce with flavours, textures, and colours not to be missed and very different from what our Indian travellers would have tried back home.
How do you focus on wellness?
At Ana Mandara we have a comprehensive spa locating in a fantastic villa that has sweeping view across Dalat with treatment a variety of specialty treatment rooms including a room dedicated to the Indian style Shirodhara massage. We also have a dance and yoga space, hair, and beauty along with sauna and steam rooms. Our therapists are specially trained in different treatment disciplines depending on the needs of our guests.
Our essential oils are harvested from local ingredients from Dalat, and we pair our treatments with specially curated menus for guest with special dietary requirements or perhaps who are looking for cleanse or a detox, again using ingredients from our gardens and neighbours.
What itinerary would you recommend for a first-time Indian traveller to your property?
For our first-time guest we suggest a resort tour so we can tell the story of the resort going back almost 100 years. Our Executive Chef would take the guests to the local market and farm to select some the finest local produce, then back to the resort kitchens to give one his special Vietnamese cooking classes using the ingredients picked up earlier. Following up with an intimate lunch with the chef to sample the dishes from the class along with a glass of wine from our special rooftop wine cellar would make for a perfect lunch.
For those travellers who are up for a bit more adventure and outdoors our hotel team will put together a tailor-made trek and picnic. With Dalat in the central highlands of Vietnam it’s perfect for a day trekking amongst the pine forests, exploring the strawberry, flower farms, coffee plantations and kayaking in the pristine lakes.
What about Indian weddings you are hosting?
With this new explosion of Indian travellers to Vietnam and to Dalat we are positioning the property to be an attractive option for weddings and honeymoons. We appreciate that Indian wedding traditionally are a quite a large affair to say the least. But we see there is also a new trend for smaller more intimate ceremonies for either family or friends overseas while still having the traditional large ceremony at home as usual.
At Ana Mandara Villas, Resort and Spa we are well known for our intimate weddings from around 30 people up to 200 which we arrange in the lush pine forest surrounding the resort. We are reaching out through wedding planners and social media to showcase our resort to potential couples looking for that intimate and extraordinary location for their special day.
From an owner's perspective, what are the plans for the further development at Six Senses Ninh Van Bay?
Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is a luxury resort located in Ninh Van Bay. It is known for its stunning natural beauty, its commitment to sustainability, and its wide range of activities and service.
Potentially we are looking at expanding the footprint of the resort by adding several exclusive luxury private residences and eventually some additional villas to complement the existing resort, along with infrastructure to support. This will be supported by our world-class architects and designers who ensure that new builds are not only sustainable in both design and operation but also in the construction phases.
With many repeat guests, we are investing in the resort, coordinated by the team to create new activities with a special focus on any which are sustainable or unique to the resort.
Also, with being in such a remote location with much of our staff living on property we need to ensure our hosts are well looked after so we will also invest in improving their living areas. Happy hosts lead to happy guests.
