Bintan Lagoon Resort has stepped up hardware improvements to keep itself
fresh and attractive to leisure and corporate guests; Nelayan restaurant
(above)is its newest dining destination
Major developments in two new districts in Bintan are spurring existing properties to spruce up, benefitting the destination as a whole. By Karen Yue
The masterplans of both the Lagoi Bay and Treasure Bay integrated resort areas in Bintan bore promises of a massive uplift for the Indonesian resort destination when they were announced years ago.
Although details of what’s to come have changed over time – for instance, Treasure Bay’s developer Landmarks and world renowned wellness brand Canyon Ranch have called off their partnership to build a luxury resort on the island barely two years after the plan was announced on June 13, 2014 – and opening dates for many of the new hardware have been delayed, the developments are enough to spur existing tourism suppliers into revamping their own offerings for a better fight.
At press time in March, new tourism infrastructure that are already in operation include The Canopi and Crystal Lagoon in Treasure Bay. Meanwhile in Lagoi Bay are the Swiss-Belhotel Lagoi Bay, The Sanchaya, the Air Adventure Flying Club, Flyboyz Beach Bar, Plaza Lagoi shopping mall, Bintan Marketplace and Lake Lagoi.
Both The Canopi – which features 41 safari tent-suites – and the Crystal Lagoon, both of which sit side by side, have hosted several teambuilding groups (see Spotlight – Crystal clear adventures).
Swiss-Belhotel Lagoi Bay, which presently offers 130 keys including 60 twin-share rooms, is equipped with function spaces. The Diamond Ballroom can seat 400 pax in theatre-style and be divided into three smaller venues. Four other smaller function rooms are available, along with a rooftop pool deck which has been a hit with planners for networking parties with up to 200 guests.
By the end of 2Q2016, a second hotel tower will open with 27 one- and two-bedroom apartment-style guestrooms and more restaurants.
“Being new is an advantage but we could do with more traffic,” commented Imelda Chen, the hotel’s sales and marketing manager.
Function rooms now see a 50 per cent occupancy monthly, with most meetings being held over weekends.
Chen said most events are by companies based in Singapore, although domestic meetings conducted by Indonesian telecommunications firms and banks are substantial too.
To enhance the stay experience for hotel guests and to encourage longer stays, Swiss-Belhotel Lagoi Bay has built an entertainment centre with a 30-seat movie theatre which can be hired for seminars and presentations, and a games area offering console games, foosball table and pool table.
A fishing facility on the edge of the serene Lake Lagoi, within walking distance from the hotel, is new too. A friendly fishing competition for groups can be organised there.
The hotel is also expanding its fleet of watersports equipment to include jetskis and banana boats.
Chen said the hotel can arrange simple teambuilding activities such as cooking classes and towel-folding classes in its function rooms, as well as Segway and hoverboard trails around Lake Lagoi.
For planners who require a more opulent option for C-level guests, they now have The Sanchaya (see Checking in, page 32).
Fay Gauna Lugue, director of sales and marketing with The Sanchaya, said the 30-key property has welcomed teambuilding groups, corporate meetings and incentives since opening in December 2014. The average size of these groups was 40 pax, with the largest being a 55-pax gathering in April last year.
“We don’t get massive groups because we don’t have that many rooms and our twin-share villas are in Hollywood twin setup,” Lugue explained. To help secure larger corporate groups, she has been pitching to planners the possibility of splitting delegates across a few hotels.
“There is a cooperative culture among hotels in Bintan and we refer business we aren’t able to take on to one another,” she remarked, adding that hotels collaborate on recreational activities too.
She said: “We work closely with Nirwana Gardens in organising ATV and elephant rides for our guests. A segment of the Crystal Lagoon is reserved for our guests during the monsoon season when our beach is closed. And since we do not have a kids club, we point our guests to The Canopi where plenty of suitable activities are available.”
While chiefs of existing resorts recognise the intense competition the new developments bring, they agree that fresh products will help to raise awareness of Bintan.
“(They) create a buzz for Bintan and boost tourist arrivals,” remarked Gerald A Hendrick, vice president, business development and hotel operations, Bintan Lagoon Resort.
Agreeing, Alpha Eldiansyah, general manager of Banyan Tree Bintan, expects stronger arrivals to the island, as well as more repeat visitors and longer stays at his property and Angsana Bintan as a result of guests wanting to experience all the new attractions.
“Bali went through a similar transition and became a world renowned resort destination with its own character. Bintan now has the potential to grow into a more comprehensive MICE destination while retaining the rustic charm and rainforest setting that makes it such an attractive getaway,” said Eldiansyah.
But Bintan’s established players are not content to let the newbies get all the attention.
Asad Shiraz, director of marketing with Bintan Resorts International (BRI), which markets Bintan’s tourism developments, told TTGmice that “existing resorts are responding by upgrading their facilities and enhancing their appeal by adding new recreational choices to their resorts”.
Indeed, Bintan Lagoon Resort has been undergoing an intensive renovation since 2015, starting with a rebranding in July, upgrading and enhancements to Silk nightclub and Terrace Sports Bar, and boosting its Wi-Fi system. It opened Powerhouse Gym and Jungle Gym for kids. Soon to come is a refreshed Kopi-O restaurant and monthly activities for guests.
Hendrick said: “These works have positioned the resort as a trendsetter in Bintan.”
The 20-year-old Nirwana Gardens complex has also refreshed the rooms in Nirwana Resort Hotel’s west wing in 2015 and opened the new PADI-certified Max’s Dive Centre in November.
Further renovations will be made to the east wing, Banyu Biru Villas, Indra Maya Pool Villas and Mayang Sari Beach Resort, while the complex’s Internet will be powered up with fibre-optic cables and guests will get 1MB of complimentary usage.
Recreational offerings will be enhanced too, with new and upgraded sports equipment coming online. One of the latest fun offerings at Nirwana Resort Hotel is the guided sunset and sunrise tours on ATVs and Ninebots, allowing participants to enjoy the surrounding nature in style.
Walid F Birak, general manager of Nirwana Resort Hotel, said: “MICE groups need activities, and our resort has many to offer. But to truly grow our corporate event business, we need the help of an international airport. The current domestic airport operates only three domestic flights a day.”
The airport in question is the Bintan Resorts International Airport, whose opening date has shifted to early-2018 from 2015. Gallant Venture, which leads the project, is in “various discussions with airlines, airport operators and other related businesses at present”, said Shiraz, who added that construction is now progressing “at a fast clip”.
Tourism players in Bintan are also urging a much stronger destination marketing effort to highlight the new and improved Bintan.
Lugue said: “My biggest obstacle is the impression business event planners have of Bintan. But Bintan today is different. Before, the mangrove was its only attraction. Today there is so much more to do and see.”
When asked what BRI is doing to change and improve consumers’ perception of Bintan, Shiraz said: “We will have to relentlessly promote all the new) aspects through all channels at our disposal and within our reach.”
He added: “Bintan is not a ‘side-destination’ of Singapore. It is an equally attractive partner – if not different. Bintan adds to the appeal of a Singapore programme by giving it a beach holiday dimension, a nature escapade dimension and an Indonesian cultural dimension, just to name a few.”
Conduct a presentation at Swiss-Belhotel Lagoi
Bay’s new theatre
{Taking Numbers}
{Insider}
Anshuman Narayan, estate manager of The Sanchaya
Anshuman Narayan, estate manager of The Sanchaya, recommends three things to do in Bintan
Go flying
Capture a bird’s-eye view of scenic Lagoi Bay by taking to the sky in an open cockpit ultralight seaplane with Air Adventures Flying Club. You can feel the adrenaline coursing through your veins as the aircraft takes off and you will be in awe of the spectacular views.
Go play on the lawn
Make a roquet shot during the quintessentially British sport of croquet on our manicured lawn overlooking powder-white sands, palm trees, aquamarine waters and picturesque islands. Make the most of Bintan’s glorious year-round tropical climate by escaping to a bygone era playing croquet or pétanque, with tea, Pimm’s or pastis as refreshments.
Go see the fireflies
Cruise down Sebung River by night and experience the mangrove forests’ serenity. Known as lightning bugs, the fireflies are literally the stars of the show, collectively twinkling like Christmas tree lights. Brimming with stars, the night sky over Bintan is also brilliant.
{Spotlight}
Crystal clear adventures
The new Crystal Lagoon in Bintan’s Treasure Bay integrated resort complex is both an eye candy and a gem of a playground for corporate groups seeks active fun for teambuilding programmes or pre/post-meeting get-togethers.
Equivalent in size to 90 Olympic swimming pools, the lagoon is South-east Asia’s first and largest recreational sea-water body that uses a unique and patented water purification system. The eco-friendly technology uses 100 times less chemical products than conventional swimming pools and consumes only two per cent of the energy needed by conventional filtration pools.
Besides its sustainable draw, Crystal Lagoon is set to excite event planners with its myriad of fun water sports. Thrill seekers can swim, wakeboard on a cable ski circuit, kayak, ride a paddleboat, go water-ZOVBing (water-walking in an inflated ball) and fly nine metres up in the air on a hydro-powered Jetovator, among many other activities.
The clear blue waters is also adorned with a floating inflatable bouncing waterpark that provides hours of fun.
The white sandy beach around the lagoon is great for volleyball, and numerous sun loungers allow participants to take a rest and get a tan.
And since the Crystal Lagoon is man-made, it remains safe for users during the monsoon season.
Singapore-based teambuilding specialist, The WOW Experience, is able to support corporate groups looking for fun at the Crystal Lagoon.
Should corporate groups desire to meet before the games, The Canopi, a collection of safari tent-suites located along the Crystal Lagoon, offers a rustic function room that is good for 70 pax in a classroom setup.
According to Jasvinder Kaur, spokesperson of Landmarks, the developer of Treasure Bay, The Canopi has hosted several corporate groups for three-day/two-night teambuilding programmes which included water games at the Crystal Lagoon as well as other activities such as trekking and mangrove tours.
“These groups are mostly 50-pax in size because The Canopi has only 41 tent-suites,” she said, adding The Canopi has been seeing “very strong interest” from leisure travellers across the weekends, corporate groups and even public event organisers.
“There have been requests for us to add more tent-suites, and this is something we will consider,” she said.
Convention centres have for years now recognised the need to be more than a provider of event space. The more competitive ones of the lot have invested in technology to enhance event organisers’ delivery of events and delegates’ experience, in sustainable capabilities to reduce their impact on the environment they operate in and at the same time, satisfy a growing number of clients who prefer to work with green partners, and in building an in-house team of event specialists who can add another dimension of operational support for their clients, among other areas.
“Event attendees have come to expect good food and organisers are looking past traditional catering (to focus on) innovative experiential dining concepts to complement their event themes,” Madhok remarked.
“We see an increasing demand for menus with a local flavour, for delegates who may not be able to experience the local culture due to their tight schedule (during the event period),” he said, adding that the centre is able to include traditional teh tarik (pulled milk tea), for instance, in the menu at clients’ request.
