Luxury at Its Core: COMO Hotels and Resorts Redefines Quiet Luxury
Luxury at its core is defined by solace, by quietude. It may sound bizarre but take a moment, think about it. The most secluded resorts in the world are often considered the most luxurious. The only sounds found there are those of the waves crashing against the shore or the gentle thud of snow meeting the ground.
Beyond resorts, let your mind wander to the allure of spa retreats and private islands. These experiences are anchored around exclusivity. With privacy and limited guest lists comes the ability to curate an optimal environment. Whether that is the art of silence, blissful rejuvenation, or anything else your heart may desire, the idea of luxury is meant to fulfil all of those fantasies.
True luxury is a concept that COMO Hotels and Resorts understands well. Each of their 19 properties across the world caters to several niches of travellers while still adhering to COMO's integral principles.
Doris Goh, Executive Vice President—Commercial at COMO Hotels and Resorts, expands on the group's philosophy in tandem with today's rife luxury hospitality market
COMO's recently redesigned Bangkok property, where we are today, shares several design notes with its sister property in Phuket, COMO Point Yamu. What was the deeper intention behind the transformation?
Paola Navone has done the redesign for both COMO Point Yamu and the COMO Metropolitan Bangkok, and she really understands the heart of COMO.
No two designs that she brings forward are alike. She puts so much heart into her creations for us. She knows that we strive to be different.
For instance, here in Bangkok, when you enter the property, it feels as though you have walked, not into a hotel but into a bespoke residence. This is a thread you'll find in all of our Metropolitan-branded properties. They are set in the heart of the city, yet apart from it.
You become a bystander, looking into the chaotic scenes and the vibrancy of the city. Since we are tucked out of sight, there is this sense of quietude that washes over the guest when they step into the property.
Because of this sense of serene calm, our all-white, minimalist approach in the design of the property becomes intentional, especially in the pandemonium that is Bangkok. We find it is a good way to create distance from the noise of the city.
It brings you back into a space where you can have some respite from it all, where you can decompress from it all. So, why white? We find that it aligns with COMO's philosophy of quietude and wellbeing, of having a place of calm to return to.
COMO properties have a very distinct atmosphere and identity. How do you approach creating spaces that feel both luxurious and deeply personal?
We really want our guests to understand that when they step into one of COMO's properties, they are stepping into a "home from home."
This concept comes from our founder, Christina Ong, who said, "I always wanted to go to a place that I feel safe."
She took this concept to her first COMO property, the COMO Halkin in Belgravia, London. When you walk into the Halkin, there's a small reception where someone greets you and asks, "How was your day, ma'am?" It feels like coming home and today, approximately 55% of our guests are repeats.
If you were to look at every COMO property, each one is different. Being COMO, and family-owned, we're so grateful to be able to venture into destinations that big brands might think twice about.
The larger brands have a certain DNA or a corporate identity (CID) that they must adhere to. COMO, on the other hand, may take on a destination we believe could appeal to our guests' curiosity and quest for adventure.
We're interested in properties that are out of the ordinary. A 28-key property, for example, might not make sense from a commercial perspective, but it aligns with COMO's belief in a vision of quiet luxury.
At COMO, we believe in making a difference just by doing things distinctively with passion, creativity, and style.
How does COMO approach designing wellness spaces as opposed to the way they are traditionally designed in hotels?
Wellness has been at the heart of COMO for a long time.
The wellness space, the COMO Shambhala Estate, is approached through how it can transform and enhance the well-being of a person, beyond a simple spa.
We want to help people understand the state of their health through analytics, so we've enhanced our treatments with health-enabled technology that supports our philosophy.
However, true luxury lies where technology disappears. While we have science-led, data-driven technologies behind many of our new treatments, we aim to deliver them in a tranquil and personalised way to ensure our guests do not see the technology.
All of this happens at our COMO Shambhala Estate, giving people a chance to discover wellness for themselves without adhering to a strict programme.
The philosophy at COMO Shambhala Estate is carried through all our hotel and resort properties. So when you come to COMO Alpina Dolomites or go to COMO Castello Del Nero, you get to experience our European spas.
In Bhutan, at COMO Uma Paro, we brought in the culture of traditional hot stone baths, inspired by centuries of Bhutanese healing therapies.
That's what COMO is about—espousing the space and embracing its traditions.
COMO is more about the destination and how it can enrich the traveller. How does COMO create these experiences?
Have you heard of the Palio Di Siena?
The Palio is a centuries-old horse race that takes place amongst the villages in Siena. People line the balconies of the houses surrounding the area to watch the race.
COMO Castello Del Nero introduced this festival to our guests as an immersive local experience because, otherwise, they might not have ever known of it.
At COMO Alpina Dolomites, we organised for Olympic skiers to run retreats for our guests, and recently, we also did a one-day tennis workshop (and cocktails!) with Carlos Alcaraz at the COMO Parrot Cay in Turks and Caicos.
Many of these experiences are curated for the COMO audience, but it's all under the radar and not quite commercialised.
This is how COMO defines luxury. To us, luxury is really about having an experience that transforms your life; something that has the ability to change you.
Luxury, especially at COMO, seems to centre around experiences. The Indian luxury traveller is a growing segment of the market. What is it about COMO that appeals to this demographic?
It is a good fit because the luxury Indian traveller is well-read and well-travelled.
They have the capacity, the time, the money, and the curiosity to travel.
Of course, we don't hard-sell. We believe that COMO reaches the right audience eventually, but there's always a tipping point, right?
We are still trying to find the best outreach and so far, our best advertisement has been through word of mouth.
How we do that is by investing in authentic experiences for our guests. It keeps them inspired and often, they end up saying, "Thank you, I wouldn't have known of this otherwise!"
Do you have any plans for properties in India perhaps or maybe even more in Thailand as well?
Thailand, especially, is an amazing destination. It's rich in heritage, in culture, and actually, there are a lot of unexplored gems in Thailand.
We are constantly on the lookout for the next COMO Shambhala Estate, but it has to feel right. That's all I can say.
In today's noisy and trend-driven world, what does real luxury mean to you now?
I feel as though it's become even more difficult to attain real luxury today.
At the end of the day, I think the concept of luxury is within us. It's in how we view the world.
For us at COMO, we cater for those who align with and appreciate our idea of luxury.
To put it simply, luxury is about living well, eating well, and dressing well. To be able to enjoy your time on this planet and to be grateful.
To me, that's the ultimate luxury.