The History and Invention of Chiva-Som International Resort and Spa

Discuss about the Chiva-Som International Resort and Spa.

The report gives a description about the history and invention of the Chiva-Som international resort and spa. The Chiva-Som international health resort, located in Hua Hin, Thailand, is a luxurious spa and health care center that offers a variety of health and wellness programs. The following paragraphs emphasize the facilities and services provided by the Chiva-Som international resort and spa.  The resort provides quality services to its customers and it is known to be the world’s best destination resort and spa. The report intends to describe the target and aims of the Chiva-Som resort and spa and identifies the measures adopted by the resort to reach its targets. The resort aims at upgrading the quality of its service on the international standards and it attempts to provide services to its guest according to their expectations with the motive to be one of the leading resorts. The report illustrates about the new services and techniques that are adopted by the resort to improve its service quality. The significant priority of the Chiva-Som international resort and spa is to visualize and fulfil the evolving needs of the guests. The customers require or demand customized and unique services by the spa, therefore Chiva-Som resort intends to provide world class service and experiences to its customers (Suttikun, Chang & Bicksler, 2018). The report highlights the position of the Chiva-Som resort in the market and the challenges faced by it. The major challenge for the resort is to maintain its standard in the competitive market as a huge number of resorts and spas are emerging in the market. The following paragraphs describe the methods that are followed by the Chiva-Som international resort and spa in order to sustain its standard in the market and to provide quality services and satisfactory facilities to its customers.

Chiva-Som international resort is a luxurious spa and resort, located on the seashore of Hua Hin in Thailand, it covers a land of seven acres. It provides a variety of health and wellness programs to its customers. The Chiva -Som international health resort consists of 58 stylish rooms and all the rooms have the best services and facilities that include a private butler service. The resort also consists of ocean view rooms, Thai pavilion rooms and various suites including additional outdoor and indoor living space. The customers can enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean and the Gulf of Thailand through the balconies of the ocean view rooms. The Thai pavilion rooms that are located in the landscaped gardens of the resort give the pleasing view of the lake and garden of the resort. The Chiva-Som international health resort has two restaurants that offer healthy food to its guests. The resort aims at offering the best facilities and services to the customers while they stay there. The primary focus of the resort and spa is to provide individual services and healthcare treatments to the spa seeking guests.

Facilities and Services Offered by Chiva-Som International Resort and Spa

In 1993, a Thai banker, Boonchu Rojanastien, destroyed his house that was on the seaside of Hua Hin, Thailand, with the motive to build a resort where people can enjoy the beauty of nature (“Chiva-Som International Health Resort | Top luxury wellness destination in Hua Hin, Thailand”, 2018). The family of the Rojanastien survived the East Asian financial crisis and then he started the Chiva-Som international resort and spa in Hua Hin. It later became one of the best resort and spa of the world. It provided the best facilities and services to its customers and people were able to enjoy the pleasing view of the ocean and Gulf of Thailand. The Chiva-Som resort was awarded for the top resort and spa of the world. Initially, the resort was used by the family and close ones of Rojanastien as a place to relax after the hectic days. People use to go there to jog on the beach, play outdoor games, breath fresh air and to enjoy the beauty of the place. Rojanastien intended to make a place for the people where they can enjoy their life and encouraged them to adopt healthy habits. His effort of providing a healthy and delightful life to the people become successful as it soon extended to a wider circle and attracted a vast number of people. Boonchu Rojanastien transformed his house into the resort and named it Chiva-Som that means ‘Haven of life’ and he actually wanted to create a shelter for the people where they can find peace. His motive was to support as many people as possible to take the path of wellness and live a healthier life. Now, his invention, the Chiva-Som international resort and spa is known throughout the whole world for providing people a healthier life and pleasing experience through their services and facilities.        

The Chiva-Som international resort and spa, situated in the royal city of Hua Hin, provides luxurious rooms and the best facilities to the guests. The resort has 58 stylish rooms and suites that provide the best services to its customers. The ocean view rooms have its own balconies that overlook the view of the swimming pool, beach and Gulf of Thailand. The resort provides the experience of the tradition of Thailand to its guests in Thai pavilion rooms overlooking the view of the garden of the resort and lakes. Three pavilion rooms are grouped together that share the terrace and a sitting area. Each room provides a private butler service and offers luxury and comfort with the features that provide the perfect balance between the traditional beauty and western culture (“Chiva-Som International Health Resort | Top luxury wellness destination in Hua Hin, Thailand”, 2018). In the central building of the resort, there are various suites that offer additional indoor and outdoor living space. Each suite includes a spacious dining room and living room with additional dressing room, pantry and other comforts for the guests. The leelawadee suite is the top suite of the Chiva-Som international resort that offers a private entrance with spacious living and dining room. It opens out into a vast private garden and outdoor terrace that provides the view of Gulf of Thailand where people can enjoy yoga sessions and private meditation.

Challenges Faced by Chiva-Som International Resort and Spa in the Market

The Chiva–Som international resort and spa, apart from providing luxurious accommodation, focuses on offering healthcare facilities and wellness programs to its customers (Leskinen, 2016). The various healthcare facilities such as spa, physiotherapy, fitness programs and many more facilities are offered to the people in order to help them in relaxing and refreshing. The ancient therapies and health care treatments of the east that are combined with the western diagnosis techniques are available for the guests. An extensive range of about 150 treatments and wellness programs are available including personal training classes, technologies for yoga, therapies and medical services to improve the health and fitness of the people. The fitness programs begin with a health and wellness consultation in which long and short terms needs and health status of the individuals are addressed. The health and wellness advisers guide and recommend suitable services and therapies to the customers based on their requirements and health problems. The appropriate recommendations and services are provided to the people considering various health-related problems such as for stress relief, reduction of weight, general detoxification or physiotherapy. The Chiva-Som international resort and spa has two restaurants that are specialized in providing healthy and delicious food. The restaurants provides healthy and nutritious foods including the organically grown fruits and vegetables that are grown in the Chiva-Som garden. The ultra-modern spa of the Chiva-Som international health resort provides a variety of facilities that includes 21 treatment rooms, body and face massage, reflexology, scrubs, aromatherapy, toning treatments and body reshaping. The services and facilities also include a hydrotherapy suite that consists of a computerized spa massage baths, a flotation chamber for de-stressing and colon hydrotherapy. There is traditional Thai Sala in the gardens of the Chiva-Som international resort that are used for the meditation and yoga by the people.

The Chiva-Som international resort and spa aims at providing the best services and experience to its customers. The customers are welcomed and greeted with a garland of flowers by the staffs of the resort after they arrive at the resort. They are offered iced lemon grass tea in the open-air lounge area where they can enjoy the view of the lake. The healthcare and wellness advisors consult with the customers about their health and recommend proper treatments. The advisors review the medical history of the customers and help them in identifying and prioritizing their goals for the visit. It helps the customers in understanding the area where they need treatment and in adopting the habits that can help them in reaching their fitness goals. The treatments of the guests are booked after the consultation with the advisors and their dietary program is established that is required to be followed throughout their stay in the resort (Yoopetch, 2014). There are many complimentary treatments that are offered to the customers in addition to their daily scheduled treatments. The additional treatments include Thai massage, relaxing foot massage, Chiva-som massage, scalp massage and many more.  

Healthcare Facilities and Wellness Programs Offered by Chiva-Som International Resort and Spa

The rooms provided to the customers are highly spacious and offers the best facilities and services. The customers can enjoy the view of the lake and Gulf of Thailand from the balconies of the rooms provided to them. They can refresh and relax by doing yoga and meditation in the garden of the resort under the pleasing view of nature. The services and facilities offered by the resort are a combination of tradition of the Thailand and western culture. There are huge ranges of fitness facilities that are provided by the resort such as gymnasium, cardio machines, dance studio, Pilates studio, kinesis studio, fitness testing room, yoga pavilion and pool. Watsu treatment is offered to the customers in a warm water private pool. The watsu treatment was invented by a shiatsu therapist that is used to relax the mind and body at the same time. The customers can visit the dance studio that offers various programs such as step aerobics, dancing, power drum and many more. The Chiva-Som international resort and spa provides the best services and facilities to its guests, however the cost of booking the rooms and other facilities are a bit high than many other resorts with similar services. The terrace of the resort offers the beautiful view of the lake and the Gulf of Thailand. The garden and outdoor area provide the pleasant experience of the nature and tradition of Thailand. It is one of the best places for people to visit with their partners or friends, however people cannot enjoy the place with their families as the children below age sixteen are not allowed to visit the resort.

The Chiva-som international resort and spa follows the general standards and policies of the resort and spa sector. The resort follows the general policies of human and labor rights, it does not promote hiring children as employees and is not engaged in any type forced labor practice. The resort remains committed to conservation of natural resources (Rees, 2017). It aims to decrease the emission of greenhouse gas and to decrease the use of non-renewable energy by implementing several energy-saving technologies and practices. The resort intends to minimize and eliminate the use of materials or equipment that results in environmental damage and to dispose all the waste materials through safe methods. The resort does not encourage the use of any noise-producing equipment or devices. The information and personal data of the customers are kept private by the resort, it does not encourage leaking the personal information of the guests to any websites or any other service providers. The resort and its staffs or workers are not indulged in any corrupt activities, the resort is committed to adopting anti-corruption practices. It follows fare business practices by providing relevant and true information about the facilities and services of the resort and spa in their official website and in advertisements.

Customer Experience and Services Offered by Chiva-Som International Resort and Spa

The Chiva-Som international resort and spa is one of the award winning resort of the world for its facilities and services. The Thai pavilion rooms, suites, spa and fitness sector of the resort is going through a renovation plan and will open in November 2018 (“Chiva-Som closes for six-month renovation”, 2018). The resort aims at providing the best facilities to its guests and in order to improve the quality of its services, it is adopting some new techniques and trends. The emerging trends and techniques at the Chiva-Som international resort and spa are discussed below.

Use of advanced technologies:

The customers seek for the convenient facilities and services from the resorts that allow them to their job easily from booking the resort to checking-out. The Chiva-Som resort is adopting new and advanced technologies to improve the experience of their customers (Chantrapornchai & Choksuchat, 2016). It is planning to issue high-tech cards for the customers that will allow them to check-in and unlock the doors of their rooms without using keys. The resort offers online booking system to the people through their official websites and mobile apps.

Facilities for international visitors:

The Chiva-Som resort is known for its services and facilities over the whole world and a large number of international guests visit the resort throughout the year. The resort provides facilities according to the unique requirements of the customers from different countries and places. It gives training to its staffs to communicate with the international guests in the language that is easier for the customers to understand. The resort provides services based on the western culture along with the tradition of Thailand.

Eco-friendly practices:

The Chiva-Som international resort and spa intends to provide services and facilities to the customers that are eco-friendly (Deraman et al., 2017). The resort has installed solar panels and updated its services that automatically switches off the air conditioners and other appliances when the guests leave the rooms. The resort is intending to adopt the new cost effective, creative and innovative ways that can allow them to make their services and facilities more eco-friendly.

Advanced fitness services and equipment:

The main motive of the Chiva-Som resort and spa is to help its customers in reaching their fitness goals. It has installed new services and equipment in the spa and fitness sector to make the health care services more efficient (Tissot, 2018). It has adopted new programs and services that includes cell vitality, cranial relief, services to release tension, yoga programs and many more programs.

Feedback from the customers:

The Chiva-Som international resort and spa has adopted the feedback system in order to understand the areas where improvement is required. The guests can give the feedbacks and reviews for the services provided to them by the resort in the official website of the Chiva-Som resort.

Challenges faced by the resort:

The Chiva-som international resort and spa is one of the known resorts of the world for the facilities and services it provides to the customers. However, the resort faces several challenges while retaining its reputation in the market and maintaining the quality of its services. The competition level of the resorts are increasing in the market and therefore, it is the biggest challenge for the resorts to maintain its standards in the market. The Chiva-som international resort and spa is an award winning resort, however it is a challenge for the resort to maintain its standard in the market as there are huge number of resorts that offer similar services and facilities. Another major challenge that is faced by the Chiva-Som resort is satisfying the customers by its services and facilities. The Chiva-som resort and spa is an international resort, a large number of people from various countries visit Chiva-Som. Therefore, it is a challenge for the staffs of the resort to provide services according to the unique demands and requirements of the different customers from different cultures (Putit, Diyana & Aziz, 2018). The staff retention is another major issue for most of the resort and spa sector. The Chiva-Som international resort and spa provide efficient perks and salaries to the staffs and workers in order the maintain the staff retention.

Conclusion:

It can be concluded from the above discussion that the Chiva-Som international resort and spa is one of the best service providers in the world. It offers the finest experience to its customers through its incomparable services and facilities. The location of the resort is at the best place where people can enjoy the beauty of nature along the pleasant view of the lake of Hua-Hin. It serves best health care and fitness services and programs to the guests in order to help them in reaching their fitness goals. The services and facilities provided by the Chiva-Som resort and spa are a combination of traditional culture of Thailand and western culture. In each room of the resort, a private butler service is provided to the guests throughout their stay in the resort. The spa and fitness sector uses the best and modern technologies and techniques to give their customers best experience and service. The ancient therapies, yoga and meditation programs are also offered to the people in order to help them in relaxing and refreshing their mind and body. The people find it one of the best place to visit with their partners and friends, however they cannot visit the place with their families as the children below age sixteen are not allowed in the resort. The Chiva-Som international resort and spa maintains a proper alignment with the general paradigms of the resort and spa sector as it follows proper policies and standards. It remains committed to the conservation of natural resources by using renewable resources. The resort is implementing new technologies to serve the best facilities to its customers. However, there are several challenges that are faced by the resort while maintaining its standard in the market and providing facilities according to the needs of the customers.

References:

A First Look at Chiva-Som’s New Suites | Luxury Travel Magazine. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.luxurytravelmag.com.au/2018/06/chiva-soms-new-suites

Chantrapornchai, C., & Choksuchat, C. (2016). Ontology construction and application in practice case study of health tourism in Thailand. SpringerPlus, 5(1), 2106.

Chiva-Som closes for six-month renovation. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.spabusiness.com/detail.cfm?pagetype=detail&subject=news&codeID=337692

Chiva-Som International Health Resort | Top luxury wellness destination in Hua Hin, Thailand. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.chivasom.com

Deraman, F., Ismail, N., Arifin, M., Izzat, A., & Mostafa, M. I. A. (2017). Green practices in hotel industry: Factors influencing the implementation. Journal of Tourism, Hospitality & Culinary Arts, 9(2), 1-12.

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Putit, L., Diyana, N. M. S., & Aziz, A. F. (2018). Exploring dimensions of resort experience. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, 10(5S).

Rees, J. (2017). Natural resources: allocation, economics and policy. Routledge.

Suttikun, C., Chang, H. J., & Bicksler, H. (2018). A qualitative exploration of day spa therapists’ work motivations and job satisfaction. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 34, 1-10.

Tissot, L. (2018). “Exclusively for the Happy Few”: Luxury Hotels and Globalisation: The Emergence of a New Sector (1980–2010)?. In Global Luxury (pp. 239-256). Palgrave, Singapore.

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