To reach the main gate of the Banyan Tree hotel in Huangshan, guests must drive along an immaculate, newly tarmacked road, which cuts through fields of tea bushes, and pass an elegant building. From the outside, you initially assume this elegant and immaculately designed villa is for hotel guests. But this in fact, this imposing building, is a sales centre; an elegant bespoke showhome filled with staff ready to encourage Chinese holidaymakers to buy a residential property within the resort. Buoyed by the success of residential property sales in Thailand’s Banyan Tree Phuket in 2004 and 2005, Banyan Tree Residences was launched globally in 2006 to cater to a growing segment of international investors and buyers. And the residential investment side of the Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is central to its expansion in China. Banyan Tree has been in China for 11 years since the first resort, Banyan Tree Ringha was opened in 2005. This year, the group will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Banyan Tree Lijiang. According to Alan Chin, vice president of China’s property development for Banyan Tree, his team has seen a significant rise in demand for luxury resorts in recent years with the growth of the number of middle-class families. Huizhou architecture of Banyan Tree blends into local environment: Photo Credit: Sarah O'Meara “There’s a growing consumer awareness for world-class iconic destinations in China. Practically, it’s also easier get around. Government support has dramatically improved China’s infrastructure to increase accessibility, which has helped ‘create’ and unlock undiscovered destinations. “It’s an exciting time for Banyan in China. The current supply of high-end, resort-residential developments are primarily provided by a few brand names and so we have a lot of development potential.” At Banyan Huangshan, the resort is in its soft-launch phase and only partially opened. There are paint splatters on plants and tiles, piles of construction materials are clearly visible beyond hastily erected metal fences, and the pool isn’t open. To early visitors, the result feels a little confused and rushed, as though the owners want to move faster than their builders. Chin explains: “Banyan Tree Huangshan is a special case for us. We’re opening the whole resort phase by phase as the owner has a big development plan in that region. So it will not be fully constructed for several years.” Banyan Tree Resorts perform a different role according to the property, with ownership interests in 19 hotels and resorts, and managing the rest. “We are one of the few, completely vertically integrated hospitality companies that has the ability to take a development from greenfield to completion,” says Chin. Artist's drawing of Banyan Tree Jiuzhaigou due to open late 2016. Photo Credit: Banyan Tree Hotel &... [+] Resorts The Banyan Tree Holdings group owns three subsidiary companies, Architrave, GPS and Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts, which offer hotel design, project management and hotel management services respectively. The trend for offering residential properties, in addition to resort rooms, has been growing across the world in the past decade. Other five-star luxury chains that sell apartments across the globe include Aman Resorts, the Shangri-La and Four Seasons hotel. Chin says, “Yes, this is a global trend because developers need funding from residential sales to balance their cash flow coupled with the demand from buyers looking for a combination of investment and lifestyle.” Despite being at an early stage of development, there’s no denying that staying at the Huangshan resort is a stunning experience. Guests, or homeowners, wake up to a view of lush green tea bushes and white-painted homes with elegant, black upturned eaves built in the romantic local Huizhou architecture style, in front of a mountain range that rises up to meet a washed blue sky. You can see the attraction for Chinese buyers. To be placed inside a carefully constructed bubble of Chinese perfection, which reflects all the country’s natural attributes, while hiding any unpleasant realities, is surely the dream of any modern city dweller. Next up for buyers is the opening of Banyan Tree Jiuzhaigou, which is slated to open in the third quarter of 2016. The resort takes its name from nine Tibetan villages along its border, and is located near Jiuzhaigou National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alongside the original Banyan Tree brand, which has 10 resorts, the group has developed their Angsana resorts, which are designed to have a slightly younger feel, while also being upscale. There are now four of these in China. Last year, the company decided to introduce a new brand, Dhawa — a casual and contemporary full-service hotel brand — to the China market, and the first hotel is planned to be opened in Bo’ao town in Hainan province in the next few years.
There has been a significant rise in demand for luxury resorts in China due to its burgeoning middle class, says Alan Chin, the vice president of property development for China's first resort, Banyan Tree: “There’s a growing consumer awareness for world-class iconic destinations in China. Practically, it’s also easier to get around. Government support has dramatically improved China’s infrastructure to increase accessibility, which has helped ‘create’ and unlock undiscovered destinations... “However, there is still much more that can be done by local governments and private developers to improve access to these destinations, including improving public transportation systems, increasing accessibility through better road networks, and providing greater incentives There is a growing trend globally of offering residential properties, in addition to resort rooms.