Spas from China scooped the pool, nabbing five awards at the Asia Spa & Wellness Festival Gold Awards, held at the Landmark Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand on March 21.
A total of 28 Asian spas and wellness centres were honoured at the awards, with over 300 spa owners, managers and industry leaders present at the gala dinner and awards ceremony. Guests included Thai Spa Association president, Andrew Jacka, Federation of Thai Spa Associations president, Apichai Jeeradisak and representatives from spa associations across Asia.
The annual Gold Awards are organised collectively by and for the spa and wellness community in Asia. The Organising Committee comprises spa owners and directors, and travel, lifestyle and business media. It is held in conjunction with the Asia Spa & Wellness Festival, which is the largest gathering of spa and wellness professionals in Asia.
The winners were selected from a pool of 212 nominations, and were judged by a panel of independent judges comprising spa personalities, travel writers and tour planners. The nomination and adjudication process took over two months, and included mystery spa visits and audits. In deciding the winner, judges took into consideration both the ‘hardware’ component – spa ambience, design and equipment, and ‘software’ component – therapist skills and qualifications, treatment menus and service quality.
Among the big winners of the night was the Hyatt group, which took home four awards including the Best Spa Group. China; which is, according to festival organisers, home to the largest number of spas in Asia, received five awards. Thailand and Singapore tied in second place with four winners each. Other winners are from Malaysia, India, Philippines, Macau, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam, Cambodia and Bhutan.
Awards Chairman, William Ng said that the awards proved that Asian spas have come of age, and are now operating at an international level.
“The judges were impressed with the overall quality of nominations and submissions this year, and had a difficult time choosing the winners. The general consensus is that the winners have all displayed standards consistent with the best in the world,” Mr Ng said. “Since the introduction of the awards last year, the industry has rallied behind this annual event, and the awards have raised the bar for the spa and wellness industry. At the same time, we are seeing greater recognition locally and internationally for our spas, which bodes well for our quest to make Asia synonymous with the best spas.”
For more details and a full list of winners, visit http://www.asiaspafestival.com/winner.php