Over the last few years, hotels and resorts have been increasingly adding what they call "experiential" elements, from adventure outings to cooking classes. Now, a new brand called Travaasa Destinations is turning that concept upside down, developing resorts around the experiences.
The principals behind the concept have purchased two existing resorts: the Crossings near Lake Travis outside Austin, Texas, and the iconic Hotel Hana-Maui in Hawaii, which they are repurposing as a new type of all-inclusive.
Each resort will have 20 to 30 activities a day that guests can choose from, such as horseback riding, hiking, fishing, paddleboarding and fitness classes. Included in the room rate are as many "experiences" as one can fit in a day, plus a daily spa treatment and organic gourmet meals. The only thing not covered is alcohol.
Rates at the Austin resort start at $595 a night per person, based on double occupancy.
Travaasa is a member of Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
"What we are trying to offer is experiential travel," said Chris Manning, a vice president of Amstar, the Denver real estate development firm that is developing the brand through a subsidiary called Green Tea. "So we are trying to target people who in their 20s strapped on a backpack and went and traveled around Europe with no agenda. They ate the food, lived it, experienced it. And it’s been 20-some years since then, and they still look back on that as the best travel they’ve had in their lives.
"Since then they’ve grown into staying in Four Seasons or Ritz or whatever, but we believe there is a trend of people who don’t want the same room in New York or Cancun or Hong Kong. They want to go and really experience the local cultures."
The brand, Manning said, is based on five pillars: adventure, culinary, culture, fitness and spa.
"After decades in the hotel industry, traveling constantly for work and pleasure, I felt there was a disconnect between how consumers today want to experience travel and what destination hotels were offering," said Joy Berry, president of Travaasa Destinations and the originator of the idea.
"When I’m on vacation, I look for places that are personal and authentic, where I can have enriching experiences that are also fun. Green Tea allowed me to flush out that concept in collaboration with a great team, and the result was Travaasa Destinations."
Berry came to Amstar after a career with big brands like Marriott and Ritz-Carlton. She and Manning founded the Green Tea subsidiary and have developed Travaasa as a team.
The first Travaasa Destination, the Travaasa Austin, will open April 14. Formerly called the Crossings, the property was a meetings destination situated on 210 acres of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve, which enabled Travaasa to develop a variety of activities, including horseback riding, cowboy poetry and storytelling at the fire pit, an outdoor challenge course, fitness classes and cooking demonstrations.
Travaasa Hana is located along the shoreline on 69 acres of Maui’s eastern coast. It has 70 rooms, including cottages and bungalow-style suites. Activities there will include health and wellness classes, lei making, surfing, net fishing and hiking.
"With both Travaasa Austin and Travaasa Hana, we saw an opportunity to take two solid properties and transform them into a new breed of destination hotels. We wanted to create an escape," Manning said.
Manning said the hotels are upscale but don’t fit the traditional idea of luxury. The emphasis is on a luxury experience, not necessarily making sure the rooms carry all the amenities necessary to meet the AAA Five Diamond checklist.
Manning said the company was actively looking for more resorts to add to the portfolio. Location is key for the brand. And while he declined to speculate on future locations, he said places like the Southwestern U.S. and Costa Rica offer opportunities.