White and Hamilton bought the springs as part of a consortium for a reported NZ$2.26m in February
Hot springs research and development consultant James White is the new managing director of New Zealand’s Maruia Hot Springs and has promised a world-class bathing and wellbeing attraction, as well as a “total renewal of the Southern Alps bathing experience which fits harmoniously into the surrounding mountains.”
South Islanders White and his partner, Kim Hamilton, are planning extensive revitalising and expansion of the open-air hot pools that will help Maruia Hot Springs “become the blissful New Zealand nature escape that it should be” he says.
While this is the first property White has co-owned and managed, he’s no stranger to the industry. He headed up research for the Hot Springs Alliance Group between 2013 and 2015, which identified best practice in bathing industry.
His research analysed how global natural hot springs create, deliver and capture value. And it involved him visiting 20 countries and 122 hot springs sites, as well as conducting more than 180 interviews.
White’s findings concluded that Australia and New Zealand are well-placed to be premier destinations for wellness activities.
The people behind Australia’s Peninsula Hot Springs (PHS), which is also undergoing a major expansion, are co-investors in the development which was acquired by a consortium for a reported NZ$2.26m (US$1.6m, €1.4m, £1.1m). PHS founder and CEO Charles Davidson sits on the board of the Australasian Spa and Wellness Association with White.
White and Hamilton have been rejuvenating what was a Japanese-style bath house at Maruia Hot Springs into two communal indoor bathing experiences. Other soon to be developed facilities include thermal massaging showers, heated stone beds, new changing facilities, relaxation lounges, a sauna, steamroom and more indoor relaxation experiences.
The outdoor and indoor bathing pools are fed from a natural 56?C mineral spring and the eco-resort generates its electricity from its own hydro-power station.
“Over time, I’m looking to apply the knowledge gained from the global hot springs research to transform Maruia Hot Springs into an innovative, world-class hot springs experience and destination,” says White. “Maruia Springs will be a multi-million dollar redevelopment to create an experience that’s in keeping with this magical location.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 2
Editor’s letter: Who will own the well-life consumer?
It’s the wild west out there and there’s a land grab going on as interested parties make their play to own the well-life consumer. It’s not clear yet how this will pan out as the industry matures, or where spa stands in the pecking order, but the threats are clear
Spa people: Tyler Gage
Runa’s Tyler Gage working with Channing Tatum on an Amazon healing centre
Spa people: Todd Hewitt
For the first time in four years, Shangri-La appoints a global head of spas. Spa Business talks to Todd Hewitt, the man to fill the role
Spa people: James White
Thermal spa researcher and consultant to head up major overhaul of Maruia Hot Springs in New Zealand
Interview: Irene Forte
Daughter of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and niece of designer Olga Polizzi tells Jane Kitchen why the Rocco Forte Hotel’s new spa concept is a family affair
Design: Natural wonderland
Neena Dhillon visits the striking new Keemala resort and spa in Phuket and finds out about its unique design
Science: Skin deep
Modern research is redefining the way we think about skin. Neuroscientist Dr Claudia Aguirre explains what the findings mean for spas
Promotional feature: Clarins
Clarins’ head of Spas, My Blend and Retail, Prisca Courtin-Clarins, talks about the strides the company is making in highly prescriptive skincare, and the development of hotel spa concepts with the My Blend brand
Promotional feature: Massage Heights
There’s a clear gap in the UK spa market for an affordable local offering that places an emphasis on top-quality treatments and services. Is Massage Heights, the successful US franchise chain, the solution?
Promotional feature: Neaumorinc
From a director of spa at Four Seasons to an entrepreneur who introduces exciting new beauty brands to five-star facilities, Shawna Morneau’s experience on both sides of the industry is enabling her consultancy to have an impact worldwide
Promotional feature: Dr Burgener Switzerland
Dr Burgener Switzerland to launch Haute Couture, a revolutionary skin treatment that personalises product and treatments to each person’s skin, using cutting-edge technology
Sensory zone: Set adrift
Niamh Madigan talks to researcher Justin Feinstein who thinks floatation could be a shortcut to meditation
Fitness: Defying gravity
The founder of AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga tells Niamh Madigan about the technique and a new suspension massage he’s developing for spas
Promotional feature: Gharieni
As Gharieni prepares to celebrate 25 years in the industry, founder and CEO Sammy Gharieni talks about the company’s culture of innovation, and how there will so many more exciting products to come
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
White and Hamilton bought the springs as part of a consortium for a reported NZ$2.26m in February
Hot springs research and development consultant James White is the new managing director of New Zealand’s Maruia Hot Springs and has promised a world-class bathing and wellbeing attraction, as well as a “total renewal of the Southern Alps bathing experience which fits harmoniously into the surrounding mountains.”
South Islanders White and his partner, Kim Hamilton, are planning extensive revitalising and expansion of the open-air hot pools that will help Maruia Hot Springs “become the blissful New Zealand nature escape that it should be” he says.
While this is the first property White has co-owned and managed, he’s no stranger to the industry. He headed up research for the Hot Springs Alliance Group between 2013 and 2015, which identified best practice in bathing industry.
His research analysed how global natural hot springs create, deliver and capture value. And it involved him visiting 20 countries and 122 hot springs sites, as well as conducting more than 180 interviews.
White’s findings concluded that Australia and New Zealand are well-placed to be premier destinations for wellness activities.
The people behind Australia’s Peninsula Hot Springs (PHS), which is also undergoing a major expansion, are co-investors in the development which was acquired by a consortium for a reported NZ$2.26m (US$1.6m, €1.4m, £1.1m). PHS founder and CEO Charles Davidson sits on the board of the Australasian Spa and Wellness Association with White.
White and Hamilton have been rejuvenating what was a Japanese-style bath house at Maruia Hot Springs into two communal indoor bathing experiences. Other soon to be developed facilities include thermal massaging showers, heated stone beds, new changing facilities, relaxation lounges, a sauna, steamroom and more indoor relaxation experiences.
The outdoor and indoor bathing pools are fed from a natural 56?C mineral spring and the eco-resort generates its electricity from its own hydro-power station.
“Over time, I’m looking to apply the knowledge gained from the global hot springs research to transform Maruia Hot Springs into an innovative, world-class hot springs experience and destination,” says White. “Maruia Springs will be a multi-million dollar redevelopment to create an experience that’s in keeping with this magical location.”
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2016 issue 2
Editor’s letter: Who will own the well-life consumer?
It’s the wild west out there and there’s a land grab going on as interested parties make their play to own the well-life consumer. It’s not clear yet how this will pan out as the industry matures, or where spa stands in the pecking order, but the threats are clear
Spa people: Tyler Gage
Runa’s Tyler Gage working with Channing Tatum on an Amazon healing centre
Spa people: Todd Hewitt
For the first time in four years, Shangri-La appoints a global head of spas. Spa Business talks to Todd Hewitt, the man to fill the role
Spa people: James White
Thermal spa researcher and consultant to head up major overhaul of Maruia Hot Springs in New Zealand
Interview: Irene Forte
Daughter of hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and niece of designer Olga Polizzi tells Jane Kitchen why the Rocco Forte Hotel’s new spa concept is a family affair
Design: Natural wonderland
Neena Dhillon visits the striking new Keemala resort and spa in Phuket and finds out about its unique design
Science: Skin deep
Modern research is redefining the way we think about skin. Neuroscientist Dr Claudia Aguirre explains what the findings mean for spas
Promotional feature: Clarins
Clarins’ head of Spas, My Blend and Retail, Prisca Courtin-Clarins, talks about the strides the company is making in highly prescriptive skincare, and the development of hotel spa concepts with the My Blend brand
Promotional feature: Massage Heights
There’s a clear gap in the UK spa market for an affordable local offering that places an emphasis on top-quality treatments and services. Is Massage Heights, the successful US franchise chain, the solution?
Promotional feature: Neaumorinc
From a director of spa at Four Seasons to an entrepreneur who introduces exciting new beauty brands to five-star facilities, Shawna Morneau’s experience on both sides of the industry is enabling her consultancy to have an impact worldwide
Promotional feature: Dr Burgener Switzerland
Dr Burgener Switzerland to launch Haute Couture, a revolutionary skin treatment that personalises product and treatments to each person’s skin, using cutting-edge technology
Sensory zone: Set adrift
Niamh Madigan talks to researcher Justin Feinstein who thinks floatation could be a shortcut to meditation
Fitness: Defying gravity
The founder of AntiGravity® Aerial Yoga tells Niamh Madigan about the technique and a new suspension massage he’s developing for spas
Promotional feature: Gharieni
As Gharieni prepares to celebrate 25 years in the industry, founder and CEO Sammy Gharieni talks about the company’s culture of innovation, and how there will so many more exciting products to come
A new immersive attraction designed to transport visitors into the final hours of ancient Pompeii
is preparing to open near the world-famous archaeological site in southern Italy.
Experience design company, BRC Imagination Arts, has completed a transition that sees founder
Bob Rogers pass ownership of the business to four long-serving senior executives, while
remaining actively involved with the company.
Movie Park Germany has opened a new Paramount Pictures-themed attraction as part of its 30th
anniversary celebrations, using immersive storytelling and adaptive reuse to reinforce the park’s
longstanding “Hollywood in Germany” positioning.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Efteling has opened Hooghmoed, a new family drop tower designed to broaden the appeal of its
recently launched Sirene Island themed area and introduce younger visitors to thrill attractions.
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’
planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–
Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism inv
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-
Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional
revenue opportunities.
The UK government has announced a temporary reduction in VAT on visitor attractions and
children’s meals as part of a summer cost-of-living support package designed to stimulate the
visitor economy and encourage family days out.
As designer Yinka Ilori prepares for his first solo gallery show in London, he speaks exclusively
to CLADmag about his mission to spread joy, the power of play, and his bold approach to using
colour (including the colours you won’t see in his work).
The government of Thailand is exploring plans for a THB300bn (£6.3bn, US$8.3bn)
entertainment complex in the country’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), with officials
proposing a large-scale theme park and sports destination as part of a broader tourism and
economic development strategy.
An opportunity to reimagine one of the UK’s most recognisable towers has been formally
opened by Rivington Hark, as St Johns Beacon invites operators and partners to shape its
next phase. [more...]
