Celebrity Life

The constant lockdowns over the past two years have left us craving the ease of jumping on a three-hour flight to Thailand and eating our fill of local delicacies for the weekend. While we (not so patiently) wait for countries to open their borders, we'll take solace in thought of booking one of these new hotel openings in 2022 across Asia.

All around we see people yearning relentlessly for their next trip, and as a consequence, several global hotel chains have gambled forward during the pandemic and cut the ribbon for their newest hotels. Whether it’s the sea, the sand, the sun, or the mountains, we're certain at least one of these hotels will be able to satisfy your next trip longing.

Fusion Original Saigon Center, Vietnam

As the first branded property under Fusion Original, the Fusion Original Saigon Center will take over 146 rooms in one of the most iconic buildings in the city. The hotel’s architectural design is the reflection of a youthful, whimsical design ethos, expressed through bold colours and artistic elements. These can be seen from the exemplary polyart walls in the common spaces, the traditional lotus flowers on the ceiling, and the textured windows. For facilities inside the hotel, guests can enjoy a large outdoor swimming pool on the 6th floor encircled by a tropical vertical garden, and find peace in The Nest lounge sanctuary that is hidden away from the bustling street just outside. It is highly recommended for guests whose top priority is to witness and experience Ho Chi Minh City’s cultural highlights, shopping malls, restaurants and bars.

Opening date: Second Quarter 2022

Meliá Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai is about to welcome the first five-star hotel to open after the pandemic with Meliá, a hotel chain originating from Spain. Apart from the luxurious but simplistic design it boasts, the hotel is dotted with several interesting facilities that guests can enjoy. The must-visit is Chiang Mai’s highest rooftop bar on the 22nd floor – Mai The Sky Bar – that sits high over the River Ping and Doi Suthep Temple. Other dining options include the Mediterranean Mai Restaurant & Bar and the Northern Thai Laan Na Kitchen. The hotel is also equipped with a swimming pool, fitness centre, ballroom, meeting spaces and the rejuvenating YHI Spa.

Opening date: February 2022

Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, Indonesia

Anantara is opening its third property in Indonesia in the heart of Bali. The estate on this heavenly island will be known as the Anantara Ubud Bali resort, and consists of 85 guest rooms and villas in addition to 15 Anantara-branded residences. This sanctuary is set amid the tropical jungle, green rice fields, Hindu temples and shrines, so rest assured you will be greeted with heart-stopping sceneries on every acre of the resort.

Opening date: Mid 2022

Patina Ubud Bali, Indonesia

Unlike its outpost in the Maldives, Patina Ubud Bali adopts a minimalistic, neutral-toned design to showcase the greenery outside the windows. The hotel buildings are arranged cascading down to the sacred Wos River with 102 guest rooms and common spaces facing the river and the rainforest. As close to nature as it is, however, this river resort is situated just a short walk away to Ubud city centre, where ancient Hindu temples and a number of restaurants can also be explored.

Opening date: Late 2022

Raffles Resort & Spa Sentosa, Singapore

Singapore's renowned Raffles is about to open its second outpost in the country on Sentosa Island. Serving as Singapore’s first all-villa hotel, it encompasses 62 villas with a private pool and terrace area in each of the villas. The beautiful property is rumoured to include a bar, fitness centre, restaurants and ballrooms for celebrations and meetings. The world-renowned Raffles Spa and Raffles Butlers, an around-the-clock butler service, will also be available as well.

Opening date: Late 2022

Regent Phu Quoc, Vietnam

The Regent Phu Quoc offers a romantic escapade on the west coast of the popular island with minimalistic villas and suites. Situated alongside the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, guests can expect to see luxurious interior designs that compliment the silk sand and sky-blue sea just outside of their floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The huge property consisting of 176 suites and 126 villas has a lot to offer from various gastronomic experiences, whether local or fine dining, over to spa and meditation retreats.

Opening date: Second Quarter 2022

The Standard, Bangkok Mahanakhon, Thailand

Following the opening of The Standard’s first hotel in Thailand in Hua Hin, Miami-based hotel chain The Standard is preparing its first out-post in the capital at Bangkok Mahanakhon. This highly anticipated hotel will serve as The Standard’s Asia flagship that plans to bring youthfulness and vibrancy to our restless city. Sitting in the tallest building of the city, The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon will be home to 155 guest rooms in addition to the beloved The Standard Grill from New York, Mott 32 (a Cantonese restaurant from Hong Kong), Rooftop Restaurant and Bar, and The Tea Room.

Opening date: 2022

Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen

Enjoy a comfortable stay in one of the key cities in the Greater Bay at the Mandarin Oriental Shenzhen. The very-soon-to-open hotel is settled on the 67th to 79th floors of the UpperHills skyscraper, a short walking distance to the Lotus Hill Park and Shenzhen Bay. Inside the building, 178 rooms and suites will accommodate guests to optimal comfort with in-room facilities like Diptyque toiletries, Dyson hairdryers, Bose Bluetooth speakers, walk-in closets and a glorious view by the windows. On top of that, 8 multi-national restaurants and bars specialised in Cantonese, Spanish and Japanese food will certainly make it to the list for foodies around town.

Opening date: January 20 2022

Park Hyatt Jakarta, Indonesia

The newest hotel at the capital of the archipelagic state is Park Hyatt Jakarta. The estate holds 220 rooms with all the facilities to accommodate guests such as an outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness centre, and an authentic spa; all set on the top 17 floors of MNC Land Tower in the heart of Jakarta. One of the biggest highlights is definitely the Kita Restaurant and Kita Bar. Authentic but inventive, the restaurant serves various kinds of modern Japanese delicacies, from sashimi to shabu-shabu. On the other hand, Kita Bar will undoubtedly become a crowd favourite place to unwind, given that it’s looking to be the perfect spot to watch the sun set into Central Jakarta.

Opening date: March 2022

Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape, Indonesia

If you’re looking for an immersive trip into nature, Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape, will give you an unforgettable experience. Here, bricks and glass are expelled completely, for the whole resort was built from bamboo and recycled ironwood. The concept of “no walls, no doors” means guests are only a curtain away from nature which allows them to disconnect from the cyber world and connect with the outdoors. As for the culinary highlights, Open Kitchen is a zero-waste restaurant that offers 70% plant-based food, while the Botanist Bar features locally-grown produce from the resort’s garden.

Opening date: April 2022

Mondrian Singapore Duxton, Singapore

Set in the downtown core of Singapore, the Mondrian Singapore Duxton will feature a three-story building in the style of Singapore shophouses as loft suites to welcome guests. The adjacent tower will then house 300 guest rooms, a rooftop pool, a speakeasy bar and a restaurant. All of this is situated in the ‘day-to-night’ neighbourhood of the garden city that is within walking distance to the business district and many public transportation choices.

Opening date: Late 2022

Alila Dalit Bay, Malaysia

An eco resort to be opened on the northern coast of Malaysia, the Alila Dalit Bay is located not far away from Kota Kinabalu with 17 acres of white sand beach right ahead. The beachfront resort is composed of 152 suites and 74 villas with private pool and gardens surrounded with panoramic views of the Mengkabong River. Guests pursuing eco-tourism will be happily rested in these ecologically-designed villas made from woven rattan, local timber and tribal artefacts to encourage natural airflows. Outdoor activities are always within reach here whether it’s kayaking on the Mengkabong River or a little excursion along the estuary.

Opening date: 2022

InterContinental Khao Yai Resort, Thailand

The concept of a train-turned hotel may sound peculiar, but in the hands of the energetic Bill Bensley and team, we can’t wait to witness the outcome. The InterContinental at Khao Yai is an escapade for city dwellers who are craving for a dose of green, for it is located among the 50,000 trees and 7 lakes near the National Park in Khao Yai. With the railway trails leading up to the northeastern part of Thailand, the gifted architect was inspired to build a time warp back to the era of King Rama V. The results are 45 luxury rooms and 16 repurposed heritage train car suites that will grant guests an experience like nowhere else.

Opening date: August 2022

The Admiral Hotel Manila - MGallery, Phillipines

The first MGallery hotel to open in the Philippines is The Admiral Hotel in Manila. This artsy hotel will be occupied with 6 themed floors exhibiting local culture, festivals, folk dances, traditional games and more. With its prime location along the Roxas Boulevard, the hotel serves as the gateway to Manila’s Golden Age that combines classic and contemporary Filipino-Spanish architecture. Perfect for travellers on a business trip, this hotel is a real cultural hub that makes commuting to the buzzing bars, restaurants, shopping malls, and historical landmarks very easy.

Opening date: April 2022

(Hero image credit: Regent Phu Quoc; Featured image credit: Buahan, A Banyan Tree Escape)

The post 14 Highly Anticipated New Hotel Openings in Asia for 2022 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

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Shanyan Fok Koder and Richard Bassett explain how a Hong Kong art entrepreneur joined forces with a former special-forces soldier to launch a health and mental wellbeing app, Mentor360.

"Mental health and mental fitness are universal concerns," says Shanyan Fok Koder. "And regardless of your demographic, social status, your job or your age, it’s something everyone has to deal with."

Shanyan Fok Koder & Richard Bassett on Mental Health App Mentor360

The Mentor360 app dropped on World Mental Health Day in October, the cumulation of the last 20 months of work and conversations (usually across continents over Zoom) between former military man Richard Bassett and worldly art advisor Koder. A month later, I’m sitting with both in a North London café talking over slices of pizza.

Their app, they hope, offers everyone a holistic 360 guide and framework to “finding your formula” for mental and physical wellbeing. It uses a hybrid approach, with a core layer of clinicians and professional Mentors and then celebrity Ambassadors (who’ve publicly shared meaningful life stories) critical for building noise and momentum.

"I’d been in the military for a long time. And there were a couple of incidents in my life that made me want to create something," Bassett, the CEO, explains. "Firstly, it was my father committing suicide. Then my son had a bit of misdirection. And several of my friends in the military had PTSD issues or adjustment disorders."

"The biggest issue is why people wouldn’t come forward and say they’ve got a problem?” he asks.

“Unlike some apps, we’re not trying to get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it”

— Richard Bassett

The answer often lay in culture, lack of education or concerns about privacy that prevent many from seeking help. With that came Bassett’s idea of creating an app that functions as a “non-judgmental toolkit” with content validated by experts – who include coaches, performance psychologists, mental health-specialising nurses and a clinical psychologist.

Basset’s link with Koder came when his best friend, ex-special forces colleague and TV star Jason Fox, sat next to a pregnant Koder at a charity fundraiser for Born (which researches to prevent premature birth) in late 2019. As the pair talked about their passions for mental health and children’s wellbeing, the connection to Bassett’s idea became quickly apparent.

"Foxy told me that I have to meet his friend, Richard, who’s building this app," Koder recalls. "I was always wanting to support things that are very meaningful and close to my heart … and now Jason is actually our key mentor. The partnership between Richard and I was almost like two parts of a jigsaw puzzle come together."

Although some might go to the app for help with stress, trauma or even resources to help with suicidal feelings, Mentor360 is designed specifically as a three-dimensional offering that will also encourage fitness, workouts, performance and meditation or more clinical matters.

"We wanted to maintain the human factor as a constant throughout. So it feels like somebody has given you some advice rather than some process-driven machine learning," Bassett adds.

The co-founders might come from two different worlds, but the unlikely partnership speaks to the ubiquity of the issues at hand. Bassett’s 25-year military career saw him being appointed the first ever Command Sergeant Major within the UK Special Forces military group. "It was at that stage where I was asked if I wanted to run defence,” he says. “At that point, I thought, I’ve kind of had my fill of the military now, it’s time to move on."

Koder meanwhile grew up in Hong Kong and the UK as the daughter of Li Ka-shing’s "right-hand man" Canning Fok, carving out a career in the arts and taking over her family’s impressive collection. As a female art entrepreneur and mother, her challenges would be different.

"When I had the misfortune of losing three babies to miscarriage and dealing with that emotional fallout, it led me to want to support this as a cause," Koder divulges. "If there’d been something like this app available to me, I don’t think I’d have suffered as much as I did emotionally. It’s a topic that’s still very taboo, even in this day and age … and while you eventually find your own community, at the very beginning, you do feel very alone."

Both were clearly driven towards the app through deeply personal experiences. Bassett saw first-hand how soldiers who’d done several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan suffered – his best friend, Fox, had left the forces with PTSD. Perhaps machismo or fear of institutional repercussions meant that the issue was often ignored or hidden in the military – but he hopes that Mentor360’s holistic approach can gently lead people to explore mental fitness alongside physical performance too.

The male-female perspectives of the pair offer a well-rounded, powerful tool. And while the wellness space is already crowded, Mentor360 stands out by being so broad, human-focused and non-prescriptive.

There’s been exciting traction too. Since its launch, the app has been downloaded in more than 176 countries, with the UK, the US and Australia leading. British schools have reached out and it’s one governance board away from being trialled within the National Health Service (NHS), which means added clinical risk management in the app. That has been an important validation, says Bassett, "especially when an institution like that has picked it out from a huge spectrum of apps on the market today."

Covid-19 and lockdowns have helped throw light on mental health, taking the conversation more mainstream. The timeliness has hit home; as Bassett says, “there’s a lot of people now struggling with the transition between Covid and normality”.

Koder tells us that the plan is to serve individuals but also institutions such as the NHS and the military. There’s also the option of “white labelling” it, so the app can be packaged and tailored to certain industries or corporate employees. In the future, might they look more global, with different languages and translations? Absolutely, the pair say, but they’re taking it “slow and steady”. There’s been interest from American corporations and Koder says that she’s keen to push into Asia very soon. Although going truly global might mean translating for languages, cultures and tone, as well as working with diverse psychologists, it remains a future ambition.

Mentor360 may be extra helpful in cultures where mental health is still relatively taboo. As Koder says, "I think, coming from our Asian culture, it speaks volumes to me – so much of our culture is about still performance or hiding a lot of what you’re feeling."

"Unlike some apps,” Bassett adds, "what we’re not trying to do is create a hook or get people hooked. Come on to it when you need it, and if you don’t need it for a while because you’re good, you can just put it away … We’re starting to see those patterns in the trend analysis."

To get a little personal, I ask what works for them individually to keep a healthy mind and body. Bassett’s formula revolves around daily exercise, time with the family, dogs and good sleep – even the occasional glass of wine on the sofa in front of a crackling fireplace. Koder’s happiness hacks centre around motherhood, being content and at peace in her skin, and looking at life with a certain romanticism: "I always love to see the poetry in my day,” she says, "and I think it’s important to just pause throughout the day, check-in and acknowledge that I’ve achieved these things and I should be proud of myself, rather than just rushing on to the next thing."

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