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Formerly director of spa operations for Hyatt, O’Connell has directed Rosewood’s new spa concept, Asaya
At the end of last year, Rosewood Hotels announced two significant spa and wellness developments: a new integrative wellness concept called Asaya, and a new group vice president of guest experience and wellness, Niamh O’Connell.
Formerly director of spa operations and development for Hyatt, O’Connell is a veteran of the spa industry who has also worked in operations for ESPA. It’s under her direction that Rosewood has developed Asaya – a new spa concept for the brand that will make its debut at the upcoming Rosewood Phuket when it opens later this year, and at the Rosewood Hong Kong in 2018.
Asaya is rooted in a belief of self-acceptance and self-discovery, fusing complementary therapies, lifestyle and nutrition coaching with educational wellness programming, fitness activities and specialised healing. Spa treatments will be delivered using authentic ingredients, while “thoughtful” design will include social spaces, as well as areas dedicated to relaxation, reflection and fitness.
“Consciously and unconsciously, wellness is becoming more significant in our day-to-day lives – in the ways we work, eat, sleep and socialise,” says O’Connell. “Asaya is designed to assist guests in recognising areas of their lives they’d like to change and then providing the tools and support they need to make these changes – whether through complementary therapies, fitness activities, or authentic healing treatments. Ultimately this process enables people to adopt an enhanced lifestyle and have a more complete sense of self-acceptance.”
In keeping with Rosewood’s ‘A Sense of Place’ guiding concept, treatments will be strongly rooted in the local culture, featuring recipes from native experts as well as indigenous and natural ingredients. “We want to offer treatments that speak to the location in a very authentic and impactful way,” says O’Connell.
Guests may extend their experience with a stay in an overnight Asaya Suite, with separate sleeping, living and therapy areas.
The Asaya concept will include a wide variety of both indoor and outdoor fitness endeavours, complemented by a partnership with Technogym. It also marks the first time Rosewood has introduced global skincare partnerships, with Maison Caulières and EviDenS de Beautè both on offer.
Rosewood’s existing spa concept, Sense Spa, which focuses on offering reviving indigenous remedies in a luxury setting, will continue to operate. O’Connell says the introduction of Asaya is not the end for Sense and that Rosewood will offer both options going forward. “Sense Spa is a very well-established and valued concept that will remain in operation at many of Rosewood’s properties,” says O’Connell.
Each location will be considered individually to determine whether a Sense Spa or Asaya wellness concept is more suitable, she explains, but any new renovations will incorporate Asaya’s design attributes, as well as the all-important social spaces.
“We’re finding that people are looking to connect and socialise through wellness, a trend that’s becoming known as ‘intelligent socialising,’” says O’Connell. As a result, she says a number of social spaces have been incorporated into Asaya’s design. The reception area will include retail and “lifestyle ateliers” designed for small group wellness seminars, and private Signature Suites and Villas will offer a chance for groups to lounge and explore the concept in a more relaxed way, with dedicated treatment areas and hydrotherapy zones.
“We expect that the residential spaces offered within Asaya will be very popular among brides-to-be and their wedding parties, mother-daughter groups, and friends and families travelling together, but should they not be occupied by a group, the suites and villas will offer individuals an opportunity to experience Asaya in complete privacy,” explains O’Connell.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental’s group director
of spa and wellness discusses mental
wellness, spas and technology
Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
Set to take place May 14-16, 2017 in Dubai, Beautyworld Middle East is billed as “three days to rediscover wellness and shake up the industry.”
Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
Promotional feature: Riceforce
Rice Force is set to make further inroads into the spa market in 2017 with the
launch of its new aromatic oils and treatment protocol
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Oakworks’ new Masters’ Collection range, which will consist of over 15 models by the end of 2017, has been designed to offer spa operators the ultimate in modern styling, with solutions and functionality that address each spa’s practical needs
Formerly director of spa operations for Hyatt, O’Connell has directed Rosewood’s new spa concept, Asaya
At the end of last year, Rosewood Hotels announced two significant spa and wellness developments: a new integrative wellness concept called Asaya, and a new group vice president of guest experience and wellness, Niamh O’Connell.
Formerly director of spa operations and development for Hyatt, O’Connell is a veteran of the spa industry who has also worked in operations for ESPA. It’s under her direction that Rosewood has developed Asaya – a new spa concept for the brand that will make its debut at the upcoming Rosewood Phuket when it opens later this year, and at the Rosewood Hong Kong in 2018.
Asaya is rooted in a belief of self-acceptance and self-discovery, fusing complementary therapies, lifestyle and nutrition coaching with educational wellness programming, fitness activities and specialised healing. Spa treatments will be delivered using authentic ingredients, while “thoughtful” design will include social spaces, as well as areas dedicated to relaxation, reflection and fitness.
“Consciously and unconsciously, wellness is becoming more significant in our day-to-day lives – in the ways we work, eat, sleep and socialise,” says O’Connell. “Asaya is designed to assist guests in recognising areas of their lives they’d like to change and then providing the tools and support they need to make these changes – whether through complementary therapies, fitness activities, or authentic healing treatments. Ultimately this process enables people to adopt an enhanced lifestyle and have a more complete sense of self-acceptance.”
In keeping with Rosewood’s ‘A Sense of Place’ guiding concept, treatments will be strongly rooted in the local culture, featuring recipes from native experts as well as indigenous and natural ingredients. “We want to offer treatments that speak to the location in a very authentic and impactful way,” says O’Connell.
Guests may extend their experience with a stay in an overnight Asaya Suite, with separate sleeping, living and therapy areas.
The Asaya concept will include a wide variety of both indoor and outdoor fitness endeavours, complemented by a partnership with Technogym. It also marks the first time Rosewood has introduced global skincare partnerships, with Maison Caulières and EviDenS de Beautè both on offer.
Rosewood’s existing spa concept, Sense Spa, which focuses on offering reviving indigenous remedies in a luxury setting, will continue to operate. O’Connell says the introduction of Asaya is not the end for Sense and that Rosewood will offer both options going forward. “Sense Spa is a very well-established and valued concept that will remain in operation at many of Rosewood’s properties,” says O’Connell.
Each location will be considered individually to determine whether a Sense Spa or Asaya wellness concept is more suitable, she explains, but any new renovations will incorporate Asaya’s design attributes, as well as the all-important social spaces.
“We’re finding that people are looking to connect and socialise through wellness, a trend that’s becoming known as ‘intelligent socialising,’” says O’Connell. As a result, she says a number of social spaces have been incorporated into Asaya’s design. The reception area will include retail and “lifestyle ateliers” designed for small group wellness seminars, and private Signature Suites and Villas will offer a chance for groups to lounge and explore the concept in a more relaxed way, with dedicated treatment areas and hydrotherapy zones.
“We expect that the residential spaces offered within Asaya will be very popular among brides-to-be and their wedding parties, mother-daughter groups, and friends and families travelling together, but should they not be occupied by a group, the suites and villas will offer individuals an opportunity to experience Asaya in complete privacy,” explains O’Connell.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Interview: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental’s group director
of spa and wellness discusses mental
wellness, spas and technology
Promotional feature: Beautyworld Middle East
Set to take place May 14-16, 2017 in Dubai, Beautyworld Middle East is billed as “three days to rediscover wellness and shake up the industry.”
Promotional feature: ESPA
ESPA has been a leader in the field of therapeutic skincare and luxury spa design and management for 25 years. Founder Susan Harmsworth explains how the company’s recent brand evolution will make ESPA even more relevant to the future of wellness
Promotional feature: Riceforce
Rice Force is set to make further inroads into the spa market in 2017 with the
launch of its new aromatic oils and treatment protocol
Promotional feature: Oakworks
Oakworks’ new Masters’ Collection range, which will consist of over 15 models by the end of 2017, has been designed to offer spa operators the ultimate in modern styling, with solutions and functionality that address each spa’s practical needs
People taking GLP-1 weight loss medications such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound
may be losing weight, but they’re also becoming less physically active, according to new
research presented at the ENDO 2026 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Global retreat trade show, Synergy The Retreat Show, has launched a resource called The
Source, which hosts an open-access online Transformation Series programme.
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
