Sustainable Chinese hospitality brand Naked Retreats is embarking on expansion beyond its flagship resort, Naked Home Village, to capture more of the Chinese market.
In an
article for Spa Business, Naked Retreats founders South African entrepreneur Grant Horsfield and Hong-Kong-born architect Delphine Yip, revealed plans to expand and transform the original Naked Home Village outside Shanghai into Naked Castle – which is due to open later this year with 80 rooms and its own spa.
Having discovered the ruins of a castle on-site, Naked will tap into the glamour of 1920s Shanghai to revive the structure, in addition to self-contained villas.
“We think the Chinese will be attracted to this newer product,” said Horsfield. “It should appeal to those who like to share their experiences with different groups of family and friends each time.”
“Naked aims to be a leading brand for sustainable luxury hotels in china,” said Yip-Horsefield. “We want to bring pioneering techniques to the design, construction and operational aspects of the country’s hospitality industry.”
Within the same valley, there is a larger connected resort called Naked Stables, which houses the brand’s flagship Naked Leaf Spa – complete with 14 treatment rooms – six of which are in the main spa building and eight in individual huts. Surrounded by the relaxing sounds of the forest, this spa caters to guests’ sense of sound – in addition to the the other four senses usually concentrated upon in city spas that are usually either found in basements or on streets with heavy traffic. Aromatherapy Associates and Thailand-based I plus Q are the two spa product lines used.
While Naked’s projects have attracted the attention of government bodies and developers across eastern China, Horsfield is proceeding cautiously – in pursuit of partnership that offer natural locations away from existing industry or tourist attractions.
“Site selection plus orientation is important,” added Horsfield. “Our properties need to be less than 2.5 hours from a major city for weekend accessibility but remain remote and private. We’re working with local governments to secure land in areas protected from vast development.”
Another property to launch – with a Naked Leaf Spa – in 2016 is Naked Water, located in the historic Jiangsu Province. It is being developed in collaboration with the Suzhou Haojing Investment and Development Company.
Two more Naked properties – set to open in 2017 with Naked Leaf Spas – are to be designed, built and run by Naked’s 60-strong operational team in Shanghai, which includes 16 architects and designers. The deal for Naked Spring, a lakeside property set on 230 acres (93 hectares) of land in Shaoxing, has been signed by Naked and local partners in Zhejiang Province. The second property, Naked Hill, is a country retreat that will be situated on 300 acres (121 hectares) of land in Yiwu.
