Lush Life -- Lifestyle Nightclub, Lush Saigon

from Vietnam Golf Magazine

January 2015

www.vietnamgolfmagazine.net

For more than ten years, LUSH has been at the cutting edge of Saigon nightlife, frequently hosting the region’s elite party crowd.  With modern architecture, fresh music and international management, LUSH is the ultimate clubbing choice in southern Vietnam.

Vietnam Golf Magazine
January 2015

The club’s interior design is unlike anything else in the city, with 3 distinct areas catering to different desires. Its elegant and modern front garden is a quiet area to dine and relax with friends. The back garden hosts a bustling bar where trendy Vietnamese and foreigners mingle late into the night.  The main attraction at LUSH is its buzzing interior, where stylish graphics, comfortable lounge seating and an exciting bar area make for a vibrant atmosphere 7 nights a week.   The club is often described as an entertainment masterpiece.

One of the main focuses of the LUSH experience is the music. Long considered a trend-setter in HCMC, the highly respected DJs spin a contemporary mix that put LUSH on par with other big-city clubs around the world. The music team plays the very latest sounds from hip hop and house over one of the city’s best sound systems, ensuring that every night is a party night.

The club’s design is also ground-breaking. With an exciting motif inspired by graphic novels and manga, LUSH is full of jaw-dropping graphics that contribute to its electrifying atmosphere. The New York Times calls Lush, "A New York ready, anime-themed club", while the Wall Street Journal writes, "And if you aren't ready to call it a night yet, head for the hottest club in town, Lush... An eclectic mix of locals, foreigners, aided by electro and hip hop sounds from the DJ Crew."

LUSH SAIGON

2 Ly Tu Trong, Dist. 1

Ho Chi Minh City

Website:  www.lush.vn

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/LushSaigon

Forum Hotel Spa, Paris 2014-2015

from Gaming & Leisure Magazine

Winter 2015

www.gamingandleisuremagazine.com

It was a pleasure to attend the 7th edition of the Forum HOTel & SPA, this past June (2014).  Created by Madam Vladi Kovanic, and held at the Paris Four Seasons George V Hotel, this year’s forum was such a great success that they have already scheduled the 2015 event.

Gaming & Leisure Magazine
Winter 2015

I was fortunate to have an opportunity to chat with both Madam Vladi Kovanic (the forum’s creator), and their featured guest of honor, Mr. Ingo Schweder (CEO and founder of both, GOCO Hospitality and Horwath HTL Health & Wellness).

[G&L]  It was a pleasure to attend the 2014 Forum Hotel & Spa in Paris this past summer.  You're now preparing for the 8th Annual Forum.  Could you give us an idea what to expect at the 2015 Forum?

[Vladi K] With the number of delegates strictly limited to 120 people, The Forum offers each delegate the opportunity to gain valuable market insights, as well as a wealth of high-end networking and information sharing.

The theme for 2015 will be “Perfection”.   We expect it to be the year’s  “must attend event” for European Spa Directors and Managers .  We are inviting the top industry specialists from all over the world.

[G&L]  How did you get your start in the Spa & Wellness Industry?

Madam Vladi Kovanic

[Vladi K]   In Paris during the year 2000, I created “Aqua Expo”, the first water exhibition and water bar in France.  As water is the “blue gold” of our planet, we also note that everywhere where water brings  the energy.

Aqua Expo was for me a logical way to develop events where professionals could exchange their knowledge in the field of wellness and spa.  Along with the current Forum HOTel & SPA, I am also working as SPA consultant.

[Ingo S]  While I was working in several senior positions with Westin International, Ritz-Carlton, Shangri-La International, the Oberoi Group and the Rafael Hotel Group, I worked extremely hard and did not take care of my health. I was diagnosed with cancer at 34 and while I was fighting the disease, I visited spas all over the world, trying out holistic treatments, which might aid my recovery. I credit my full recovery to a combination of holistic treatments and my newfound love for yoga and meditation and consequently decided to combine my career in hospitality with spa and wellness. 

Mr. Ingo Schweder

In 2000 I became the Group Director of Spas for the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group and established their Lifestyle Division from the ground up. I was responsible for the worldwide operation, design and development of 15 resort spas on four continents. Five years ago I decided to open my own company and have developed successful spas since.

[G&L]  What innovations have you seen in the Spa industry in recent years?

[Vladi K]  The global spa economy has nearly doubled in the past 10 years.  We are no longer speaking about pampering but more and more we speak about innovative spa- where you can make retreat, where you can recharge your batteries and  change a view to your future life.

[Ingo S] ‘Wired wellness’ includes a huge array of wearable fitness and medical monitors and is one of the most dramatic, popular and widely adapted innovations. People already track their health and fitness data through these devises and spas can tab into this data to analyse the guest’s lifestyle and create personalized programs based on it. They can also create their own apps to support their guests in implementing the newly learned wellness lifestyle into their daily lives once they have left the destination spa.

Networking at Forum HOTel SPA 2014
Four Seasons George V, Paris

Given the new, always-on work model, more people aren’t just stressed out they’re burned out. As people are looking for ways to relax, yoga and meditation has become increasingly popular. This trend has brought an interest in more traditional medicine such as TCM and Ayurveda that focus on preventative medicine as opposed to disease treatment, which is more common in western medicine. Destination spas have recognized this demand and created new programs that help guests to reconnect with themselves and nature but also learn new ways to relax.

Thirdly, MediSpas have innovated their services significantly over the past five years and are now offering a vast selection of non-invasive, results driven treatments. 

[G&L]  What trends do you see in wellness for 2015-2016?

[Vladi K]  Each country has own specificity.  In Europe there is a growing focus on holistic spas and anti aging (the European population is rather old).  We see also development of cryotherapie, music therapy parallel to classical spa treatment.  For me the most important phenomena in the industry is still water and water treatments.

[Ingo S]

Networking at Forum HOTel SPA 2014
Four Seasons George V, Paris

Results-oriented treatments

Evidence-based wellness is becoming more important, i.e. consumers need to know that the treatments and wellness programs that they are receiving have been adequately researched and are safe and beneficial. Wired wellness supports this trend as people continue to track their food intake, exercise and sleep pattern via apps; for destination spas this means that they have access to months of valuable data, which they can use to develop personalized treatments and wellness programs.

Hot Springs

Natural healing assets (e.g. healing waters) will (re)gain popularity as evidenced by the growing interest in CAM, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and other non invasive approaches to healing and wellness. This fuels the demand for more thermal/mineral spring resorts that offer not only bathing but a luxurious holistic wellness experience.

Semi urban retreats

The increased development of semi-urban retreats is a good example of the industry responding to changing consumer trends. These tend to be 20-40-60 miles out from major cities like Beijing and New York and present a great model for people who are sometimes too busy to travel to remote locations or don’t want to spend valuable time on stressful air travel. GOCO Retreat Niutuo which we are opening at the end of 2015 is one of these examples as it is located 50km outside of Beijing and provides a holistic wellness experience together with natural hot spring bathing.

Networking at Forum HOTel SPA 2014
Four Seasons George V, Paris

[G&L]   Is it an industry that can be profitable in Europe and worldwide?

[Vladi K]  Yes, and I think it can be highly profitable -  if you hire good  spa experts  and invest properly. It is also important to mentor members of the spa teams to succeed and optimize Spa performance.

[Ingo S]  Yes, the industry can be profitable across the world. I have seen a tremendous growth in wellness tourism over the past years globally; it already represents a US$439 billion market (14% of world tourism expenditures) and is predicted to grow by 9 percent annually through 2017, 50 percent faster than “regular” tourism (SRI International, 2014).

Recent research published by SRI International (2014) has shown that Europe leads the way based on spa revenues with $ 29.8 billion but Asia still dominates with the highest number of spas. Europe still enjoys a healthy growth by 62% but emerging markets such as MENA (134%) and Africa (186%) are predicted to show the highest growth.

[G&L]  At the 2014 Forum, there were presentations on the role the industry can play in the “exchange in humanity”.   Can you discuss how Spas can play a role in humanity, including corporate social responsibility?

[Vladi K]  We are going back to about 500BC with the Greeks and Romans, where the spa is not only a place where guests entrust their body to therapist and relax, but also where they can go for healing nutrition and a cocoon for their soul.

I am member of CEWF, where in past 5 years we have provided over 90,000 hospital patients with about 185.000 beauty treatments. With these treatments we give patients hope in beating various diseases. 

Spa can give guests a positive mind set, we simply need to get them there.

[Ingo S]  Destination spas and wellness retreats are usually located in remote areas and therefore have the opportunity to add value to and enhance the community that they exist in. Companies can do this through a selection of activities such as creating jobs within the spa, developing employees through training programs, supporting local producers and businesses through sourcing local building materials and produce. But also through providing cultural programs for guests who can learn from and interact with the local community. Other activities include the protection and enhancement of the surrounding and the support of local charities. Fundamentally, destination spas can impact the health and life of their communities through educating their employees but also through extending services to their families such as a weekly free visit to a health clinic in the retreat.

Gaming & Leisure Magazine would like to thank both Madam Vladi Kovanic and Mr. Ingo Schweder for their participation in this discussion.  We would also like to invite spa specialists to join the Forum HOTel & SPA on May 28, 2015 in Paris.

Data Security in the Golf Industry

from Vietnam Golf Magazine

January 2015

www.vietnamgolfmagazine.net

Data security company Trustwave has reported that 45% of all data attacks in 2013 were against the retail industry, making the it the #1 target for data breaches.  In prior years, the hotel & resort industry was the most targeted.   Operating in both the hospitality & retailing industry, Golf Clubs are likely candidates for cyber-terrorism.

For years, cybercriminals have targeted the retailing & hospitality industries due to:  a) their

Vietnam Golf Magazine
January 2015

large pool of credit card data, and b) their failure to implement basic data security precautions such as changing passwords or ensuring software is up-to-date.

The assault on information systems has reached into leading retailers and resorts around the world:

April - September 2014 - USA & Canada.  Home Depot Stores.  A few weeks back (8 Sept 2014), Home Depot  confirmed that its payment security systems have been breached, a data theft analysts say could rival Target Corp's massive breach last year.  The data theft likely impacts customers in stores across the USA and Canada, with investigations ongoing on how deeply online customers were affected.

November - December 2013 - USA.  Target Stores.  Target Stores were hit by a major credit-card attack involving up to 40 million accounts in late 2013.  It has been reported that Target has spent $146 million to resolve data breach-related issues since the fourth quarter of 2013.

March 2010 – USA.  HEI Hotels & Resorts.   Investigations at HEI indicate that guest credit cards had been compromised after the electronic Point-of-Sale systems were breached at multiple hotels owned by HEI Hospitality.  The stolen information included credit card type, number, expiration date, security code and the data contained on the magnetic stripe.

June 2010 – USA.  Destination Hotels & Resorts.  More than 700 guests at 21 Destination Hotel’s US properties were victims of credit card theft when the firm’s IT system was hacked.

November 2009 – USA.  Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites.  The Los Angeles-based properties disclose a data breach of its POS Systems dating back to several months in 2009.

November 2008 – USA & Canada.  Radisson Hotels.  A breach in the hotel's credit-card security system allowed outside parties to gain access to customer credit-card information.  Reports indicate the security system was breached for half-a-year, between November 2008 and May 2009.

The largest known breach at a U.S. retailer was at TJX Cos in 2007, which had more than 90 million credit cards stolen over about 18 months.

It’s of little surprise that resorts and retailers are particularly vulnerable to today’s savvy cyber-criminal when you consider the number of payment channels used: internet, smart phone, telephone, in-person and mail order.

Further consider the number of reasons why golf courses, retailers and resorts need to store cardholder data for guests’ convenience (reservation hold, incidental expenses, loyalty programs and charge-backs). If the cardholder information is not protected within all applications and databases, data breaches will continue to occur at an alarming rate.

The industry has been addressing the issue of data security through PCI compliance (PCI = Payment Card Industry). Being PCI compliant essentially means the property has taken appropriate steps to make sure that any credit card data received is safe and secure within the system. If the system is up to standards, then you’ve met what’s called the Payment Card Industry’s Payment Application Data Security Standard (PA-DSS). 

As a guideline, the PCI has issued a comprehensive set of requirements for enhancing payment account data security:

• Install and maintain a firewall configuration to protect cardholder data.
• Do not use vendor-supplied defaults for system passwords and other security parameters.
• Protect stored cardholder data.
• Encrypt transmission of cardholder data across open, public networks.
• Use and regularly update anti-virus software.
• Develop and maintain secure systems and applications.
• Restrict access to cardholder data by business need-to-know.
• Assign a unique ID to each person with computer access.
• Restrict physical access to cardholder data.
• Track and monitor all access to network resources and cardholder data.
• Regularly test security systems and processes.
• Maintain a policy that addresses information security.

Experienced market executives say that education is the first point of interaction and interdiction against payment card fraud. The more educated your employees are about proper handling of payment card data, the more secure your organization becomes.

Whether it is your quality security assessor, your internal IT staff or your everyday employee, each should be trained on the importance of practicing security through PCI standards to ensure ongoing security and help the hotel protect guest’s vital data.

Hot Solution :: Quasar Spa, Golf & Club Software

from Hotelier Indonesia Magazine

December 2014

www.hotelier-indonesia.com

full issue:  www.youblisher.com/p/1050681-081219781196

Spa, Club & Golf Management Software

Leisure Solutions for Indonesian Hoteliers

The Indonesian hospitality industry is fortunate to have a highly experienced, global software

Hotelier Indonesia Magazine
December 2014

developer placing a significant focus on Spa, Club & Golf systems within the country.  With offices and partners around Asia, Europe and the Americas, Quasar Group International is using it’s office in Bali as a distribution and support base for all of Indonesia.

With its corporate founders deeply committed to the leisure industry throughout the past 35+ years, Quasar has been able to leverage their experience to deliver a leading management solution.  The solutions have been scaled in a manner that allows properties of all sizes to benefit.

Special Introductory Pricing through June 2015

With the Q4 2014 release of their new browser-based solution, Quasar is offering Indonesian properties a very special pricing offer, well below the price they list in other countries.  This pricing is offered to spas, golf, membership clubs and golf clubs of all sizes and is valid for early adopters in the first six months of 2015.

Along with pricing considerations, a significant benefit to Indonesian users is the role they can play in the growth of the system.  Users will have an impact on the growing functionality of the system.  As your systems use grows, the software matures based on your direct input.

Special pricing will be provided to sites based on request.  Requests can be made to:  info@quasar-gi.com or info@quasargroupinternational.com

Multilingual

Recognizing the need to address system usability by both local staff and international managers, Quasar has provided the capability to use the system in more than 40 languages.   This includes both Bahasa Indonesia & English, along with other languages inclusive of Simplified Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Khmer, French, German, Russian, etc.

The use of the system becomes much easier for local staff when they can utilize the system in their native language.

Sizing for Any Screen

Quasar’s solutions are browser based, which provides access from any device ranging from smartphones to iPads and desktop computers.  The system’s design ensures the highest possible accessibility, allowing managers and directors access to data from anywhere in the world. 

Client Profiles

Quasar places your customer at the heart of the system.  Whether addressing the needs of your spa, golf course or membership club, the solution is customer-centric, where the needs of your guest come first.  It has been central to the system from its inception.

Quasar’s System allows extensive client profiles, with multiple addresses, membership types, phone & email contacts as well as social media details.  Additional details include education, professional details, spouse and children details.

The social media contacts can be customized by the user, where management can specify a client’s account with Facebook, Twitter, WeChat, WhatsApp, Weibo or other programs.  The system is flexible to allow you to change as the industry changes.

For properties with parking security, Quasar’s client profiles also maintain automobile information including brand, model and registration numbers.  The system will allow you to track which cars have valid permission to use the parking facilities.

System Feature - Lifestyle Preferences

Maintaining extensive data on client preferences and history will allow you to connect in a more manner with customers, and as a result, drive revenue.

What are your client’s lifestyle preferences and past history with the property?   Quasar’s Lifestyle Preferences module will allow you to customize data based on it’s value to operations and the bottom-line.

Interested in the client’s F&B preferences?  Travel preferences?    Therapist preferences?  Any details of interest can be tracked and used for future sales & marketing programs.   The system can also be used to track health and allergy information which is of value across all departments.

Spa Booking

Quasar’s spa booking system provides an at-a-glance overview of bookings by therapist and location.  These views display the status of each appointment, including which are checked-in, which are completed, and those that are due next.

Quasar’s Spa Booking module allows you to expand booking services throughout the property, providing an easy way to add guests, book treatments, and print itineraries from any workstation in the network.

Golf Bookings

Quasar’s Golf Booking system has been designed to meet the needs of resort, private and semi-private golf clubs around the world.   Recognizing that no two clubs operate the same way, Quasar’s system design allows a scalable tee sheet for use at clubs with any number of courses.

The system allows you to quickly create a player’s reservation along with the proper cart, caddy and greens fees.  The golfer’s check-in process is seamless, allowing golf reception to create individual or combined transactions and proceed directly through Point of Sale for payment.

Prepaid Services

Quasar’s Prepaid Services solution allows you to managing the advanced purchase of merchandise and services throughout the property.  Items and services can include anything from golf shop or spa merchandise to lessons, classes, rental items and spa treatments. Seamlessly integrated within Quasar’s full suite of products, the Prepaid Services solution ensures an accurate flow of information from purchase through redemption.

Client Prospecting (CRM)

Quasar’s CRM will help you attract and retain clients for your spa or sports club through the tracking of email campaigns, newsletters, membership fees and promotional events.

Designed as an integral part of the full Quasar management system, the CRM will allow you to easily run marketing campaigns to your members in order to increase sales through understanding your membership’s historical transactions and preferences.   This will also help increase cross selling by suggesting other club products and services.

Point of Sale

Allowing an unlimited number of items and services, Quasar’s Point Of Sale system is fully integrated to the full management solution.   The POS provides easy access to scheduled guest bookings from all departments including golf, spa and other activities.  Furthermore, the POS module connects to client preferences and Prepaid Services so that your staff can better service your valued guests.

  

Serving Indonesia and the World

Quasar Group International is a global leisure software company with a development base in Asia.  With a presence in Bali, the firm’s corporate directors have placed a significant focus on the Indonesian Spa & Golf market.

Hotelier Indonesia is very pleased to have had a lengthy relationship with the firm and it’s founders.   Contact them at info@quasar-gi.com or info@quasargroupinternational.com for further information on their management solutions for spa, golf and club.