At a time when companies in the hospitality sector are facing unprecedented challenges, private equity firm Alta Capital Real Estate has grasped the opportunity to invest in undervalued wellness hospitality assets across Asia-Pacific.
It recently launched the Alta Hospitality Fund Asia with the aim of “repositioning, rebranding and redeveloping assets for the post-COVID world in order to deliver solid returns”. It aims to create a portfolio value of US$50m (€42m, £36m) and deliver a return of 15-25 per cent over six years.
The fund is being helmed by former HSBC head of equities for Asia-Pacific, Rakesh Patel, who decided to launch it because it’s timely to do so, but also because he has a personal passion for wellness stemming from an ‘incurable’ illness as a teenager which he overcame by following the Gerson Therapy regime.
“Hospitality asset prices are dislocated due to the pandemic, which provides an interesting point in the cycle to invest,” he explains, “plus, we’re predicting accelerated growth in wellness in the future, because people have become increasingly conscious of their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Alta quotes GWI figures, reporting that the wellness tourism market is projected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of nearly 7 per cent between 2020 and 2025, reaching US$1.1bn (€923.8m, £792.6m) in revenues by 2025.
Consequently, Patel argues it makes good sense to reposition assets for this structural trend, saying: “acquiring assets at this point helps us manage our downside risk while giving us an attractive upside reward.”
The company won’t invest in standalone spas, but will focus on hospitality assets that either already have an existing wellness component or could be repositioned that way. It has a particular interest in acquiring boutique hotels, wellness retreats and villa communities with 50-150 keys and already has its sights set on a property in Bali, as well as a development in Galle, Sri Lanka with a “premier wellness retreat”.
Patel – himself a trained LEED professional – believes consumers are not only looking for more meaningful travel that incorporates traditional and modern wellness practices and authentic local experiences, but that they’re also increasingly mindful of brands’ approach to the environment, their employees and their attitude towards the communities in which they operate.
To this end, both wellness and sustainability will be at the heart of Alta’s investment strategy. Each project will operate sustainably, incorporating smart-building design elements, such as water recycling, energy efficiency and proper site orientation to boost operating efficiency and minimise CO2 emissions.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 1
Editor's letter: Healing the world
With the impact of COVID-19 affecting millions of people globally, spas have a special role to play in the recovery movement
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Healing heartache retreats at Chablé Mexico and Czech spas using mineral water to treat long COVID feature in our latest programming highlights
Programming: Kevin Kelly
Four Seasons’ Sensei retreat in Hawaii taps into wearable tech and biometric data
Programming: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental rolls out it Inner Strength Outer Strength mental wellness course to guests
Interview: Emlyn Brown
Accor’s global vice-president of wellbeing talks to Katie Barnes about business strategies following COVID
Everyone’s talking about: Local markets
How are spas adapting their business model to attract locals? And what happens when international tourists return? Spa Business magazine reports
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 20/21
Touch hunger, lung health, resilience and COVID cool spots all feature in future predictions from the Spa Business team
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN: New partnerships
Skincare brand GM Collin is
re-energising its sales network and looking
for new distributors from across the globe
to drive its business network
Insight: Hindsight 2020
Mia Kyricos looks at the harsh lessons that spas can learn from the last year
Analysis: On your marks
Analyst Jan Freitag suggests a timescale for global hotel recovery and hotel spas
Research: Eyes on Ireland
An Irish Spa Association snapshot survey shows the impact of COVID on spas across country
Promotion: Artofcryo.com: Chill factor
Artofcryo.com provides evidence-based whole body cryotherapy solutions,
offering effective solutions for guests and an attractive ROI for investors
Fitness: Harley Pasternak
The celebrity trainer and nutritionist shares his vision of fitness and health in the age of coronavirus
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme: Optimal solution
Iyashi Dôme Japanese saunas offer a versatile treatment solution for spas searching for quality touchless treatments backed by science and Japanese technology
Finishing touch: Watch out
UK researchers launch a new study to explore how digital nature experiences can be good for us
At a time when companies in the hospitality sector are facing unprecedented challenges, private equity firm Alta Capital Real Estate has grasped the opportunity to invest in undervalued wellness hospitality assets across Asia-Pacific.
It recently launched the Alta Hospitality Fund Asia with the aim of “repositioning, rebranding and redeveloping assets for the post-COVID world in order to deliver solid returns”. It aims to create a portfolio value of US$50m (€42m, £36m) and deliver a return of 15-25 per cent over six years.
The fund is being helmed by former HSBC head of equities for Asia-Pacific, Rakesh Patel, who decided to launch it because it’s timely to do so, but also because he has a personal passion for wellness stemming from an ‘incurable’ illness as a teenager which he overcame by following the Gerson Therapy regime.
“Hospitality asset prices are dislocated due to the pandemic, which provides an interesting point in the cycle to invest,” he explains, “plus, we’re predicting accelerated growth in wellness in the future, because people have become increasingly conscious of their physical and mental wellbeing.”
Alta quotes GWI figures, reporting that the wellness tourism market is projected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of nearly 7 per cent between 2020 and 2025, reaching US$1.1bn (€923.8m, £792.6m) in revenues by 2025.
Consequently, Patel argues it makes good sense to reposition assets for this structural trend, saying: “acquiring assets at this point helps us manage our downside risk while giving us an attractive upside reward.”
The company won’t invest in standalone spas, but will focus on hospitality assets that either already have an existing wellness component or could be repositioned that way. It has a particular interest in acquiring boutique hotels, wellness retreats and villa communities with 50-150 keys and already has its sights set on a property in Bali, as well as a development in Galle, Sri Lanka with a “premier wellness retreat”.
Patel – himself a trained LEED professional – believes consumers are not only looking for more meaningful travel that incorporates traditional and modern wellness practices and authentic local experiences, but that they’re also increasingly mindful of brands’ approach to the environment, their employees and their attitude towards the communities in which they operate.
To this end, both wellness and sustainability will be at the heart of Alta’s investment strategy. Each project will operate sustainably, incorporating smart-building design elements, such as water recycling, energy efficiency and proper site orientation to boost operating efficiency and minimise CO2 emissions.
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2021 issue 1
Editor's letter: Healing the world
With the impact of COVID-19 affecting millions of people globally, spas have a special role to play in the recovery movement
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Healing heartache retreats at Chablé Mexico and Czech spas using mineral water to treat long COVID feature in our latest programming highlights
Programming: Kevin Kelly
Four Seasons’ Sensei retreat in Hawaii taps into wearable tech and biometric data
Programming: Jeremy McCarthy
Mandarin Oriental rolls out it Inner Strength Outer Strength mental wellness course to guests
Interview: Emlyn Brown
Accor’s global vice-president of wellbeing talks to Katie Barnes about business strategies following COVID
Everyone’s talking about: Local markets
How are spas adapting their business model to attract locals? And what happens when international tourists return? Spa Business magazine reports
Trends: Spa Foresight™ 20/21
Touch hunger, lung health, resilience and COVID cool spots all feature in future predictions from the Spa Business team
Sponsored: G.M. COLLIN: New partnerships
Skincare brand GM Collin is
re-energising its sales network and looking
for new distributors from across the globe
to drive its business network
Insight: Hindsight 2020
Mia Kyricos looks at the harsh lessons that spas can learn from the last year
Analysis: On your marks
Analyst Jan Freitag suggests a timescale for global hotel recovery and hotel spas
Research: Eyes on Ireland
An Irish Spa Association snapshot survey shows the impact of COVID on spas across country
Promotion: Artofcryo.com: Chill factor
Artofcryo.com provides evidence-based whole body cryotherapy solutions,
offering effective solutions for guests and an attractive ROI for investors
Fitness: Harley Pasternak
The celebrity trainer and nutritionist shares his vision of fitness and health in the age of coronavirus
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme: Optimal solution
Iyashi Dôme Japanese saunas offer a versatile treatment solution for spas searching for quality touchless treatments backed by science and Japanese technology
Finishing touch: Watch out
UK researchers launch a new study to explore how digital nature experiences can be good for us
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
The Toverland theme park in the Netherlands has announced a €98m expansion programme
that will add a resort, new attractions and staff facilities as it pursues plans to become a multi-
day destination.
+ More news
COMPANY PROFILES
Clip 'n Climb Clip ‘n Climb currently offers facility owners and
investors more than 40 colourful and unique
Cha [more...]
IAAPA EMEA IAAPA Expo Europe was established in 2006 and has grown to the largest international conference and [more...]
TechnoAlpin Indoor TechnoAlpin is the world leader for snowmaking systems. With the Indoor snow division, TechnoAlpin c [more...]
instantprint We’re a Yorkshire-based online printer, founded
in 2009 by Adam Carnell and James Kinsella. [more...]
