Following a landmark yr for Small Luxurious Accommodations of the World (SLH), which noticed 80 new additions to its international portfolio of ‘independently minded’ boutique properties, SLH is trying to broaden its footprint in Australia and New Zealand.
Beginning with the reopening of its Australian workplace on Pitt Avenue in Sydney, SLH is constructing out its group on the bottom to assist development available in the market subsequent yr.
“We’re gaining momentum in Australia,” SLH SVP Asia Pacific, Mark Wong, instructed HM.
“We’ve signed a brand new property down within the Barossa Valley, Le Mas Barossa, and we even have one arising within the Yarra Valley, at Levantine Hill Property.”
Levantine Hill Resort, a brand new boutique resort complicated designed by Fender Katsalidis to suit naturally inside the panorama, is slated to open in June 2025.
“We’re beginning to construct outdoors of town centres,” Wong stated, pointing to its current partnership with Ovolo resorts in key cities, and regional lodging in Australia, together with Islington Resort Hobart and Chalets at Blackheath within the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.
“We’re fairly lucky that we’ve been capable of signal about 22 new member properties in Asia Pacific this yr.
“Subsequent yr, we’ll get extra signings into Australia and New Zealand.”
On the patron facet, Wong is raring to drive model consciousness in these markets and improve direct bookings by way of SLH.
“The journey commerce is sort of 80% of our enterprise proper now, in order that’s why we determined to reinvest within the reservation and our gross sales for Australia,” he stated.
Strategic partnerships
In 2024, SLH launched into a strategic partnership with Hilton, tapping right into a database of greater than 180 million Hilton Honors members, who can now earn and redeem loyalty factors for stays at taking part SLH properties.
“Now we have uploaded over 400 resorts onto the Hilton channel within the final three months, and it’s working fairly nicely by way of the reservations coming by way of,” Wong stated.
SLH additionally launched a revamped buyer loyalty programme, SLH Membership, and app with revolutionary options to facilitate a sooner reservation course of.
Such developments have fuelled development for SLH, leading to a 9% improve in income throughout all channels in comparison with 2023, marking its most profitable yr in historical past.
Amid an evolving resort administration panorama, SLH can also be embracing the chance to companion with unbiased resort operators, akin to La Vie Accommodations and Resorts.
“Prior to now, we’ve got tended to deal straight with house owners,” Wong stated.
“Over the previous couple of years, these boutique administration firms have popped up and they’re buying and managing properties on behalf of homeowners.
“For us, it’s a great partnership, as a result of they don’t have the distribution community, and we offer them with this so-called plug-and-play resolution that makes their proposal to house owners a lot sweeter.”
Following the profitable launch of its Thoughtful Assortment – a group of GSTC-certified resorts focused to interrupt 100 resorts subsequent yr – SLH is about to unveil a brand new providing centred round wellbeing in early 2025.
“We at the moment are trying into merchandise and properties extra targeted on thoughts, physique and soul, somewhat than simply the spa expertise – religious wellness and reawakening,” Wong stated.
Past Australia and New Zealand, SLH is about to develop its portfolio of over 600 member resorts globally with an eye fixed on adventure-filled locations across the globe akin to Anguilla, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Lithuania, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.