The time then would seem right for an established resort to diversify itself from leisure resort to focus on wellness.
Taking up the challenge, the Amatara Wellness Resort, which has just announced an ambitious goal to become one of the top-five wellness destinations in Asia . The hotel began moving into this new direction last year, after completing renovation works, rebranding its identity, and adding initiative products.
Prattana Punnakitikashem is managing director of Amatara a Destination Spa and operator of the resort. She explained that one of their new highlights was Thai Hammam, the world’s first traditional Turkish and Moroccan bathing blended with the gentleness of an authentic Thai spa.
The initiative is part of a new strategy the hotel planned to cope with the growing niche markets – particularly among wellness and health conscious patrons – not only from Thailand but from all corners of the world.
“We aim to become one of five destinations in Asia for wellness. We are the first mover in the island to serve fully integrated wellness services,” she said.
With a background of over eight years in healthcare and wellness management, operations management, and real estate management, Prattana works closely with a wellness team to create a unique experience of Thai Hamam treatment for Amatara guests.
Prattana is a real learner and spa lover, keen on healthy living. Her academic background has armed her with a broad knowledge of operational management and wellness development, expressed through the creation and development of treatment menus.
In order to be distinct from other players on the island, the hotel created the Thai Hammam – incorporating thermal therapeutic treatments. This signature service offers an amazing journey that combines the sensations of pampering, soaking, exfoliating, cleansing, deep massage and calming rejuvenation.
To ensure customer satisfaction, a number of health and wellness experts have been invited to work with the hotel.
“Guests should be treated as “true guests”, as we treat them as our friends at home and we would like to serve to ensure the satisfaction of each visitor. All our guests will be rejuvenated and refreshed when they return home.”
Besides this signature product, Prattana said the hotel would set a new benchmark for an unsurpassed wellness experience in the tranquil surroundings of Cape Panwa Phuket, offering integrative health retreats with beautiful seaview pool-villas and suites.
Also offered are secluded all-inclusive health retreat programmes as well as leisure holidays for all guests. The retreats focus on detox, sunrise yoga, weight loss, fitness and relaxing spas. All retreats include accommodation, round trip airport transfer, 3 healthy wellness cuisine meals per night stay, wellness consultation, physical analysis and daily signature massages.
Moreover, the resort has reached an agreement with Bangkok Hospital Group to develop an integrative wellness program that focuses on brain health, wellbeing and anti-ageing services. The hospital alliance is expected to help maintain international guests.
“With all these services, we can offer room rates to Bt8,500 for low season and Bt15,000 for high season,” she added.
Currently, 90 per cent of customers come from overseas – half from Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore, China, and Korea. Another half is from European countries – the United Kingdom, Germany, United States – as well as Australia. The remaining 10 per cent are local residents. With such a huge proportion from global markets, the hotel has appointed an international sales and marketing team to care for foreign guests.
The hotel will also provide a home for patients needing accommodation services for recovery or relaxation after medical check-up.

“We were extremely worried and, looking back, it seemed as though they were missing for 15 days,” Chatchai said. “As parents, we therefore decided it would be great if we could do or have something that allowed us to know where our kids were at all times.”
This was the seed of an idea that has since led to the development of a SIM card-based child-tracking watch, which gives parents an all-the-time monitoring capability and peace of mind in knowing where their offspring are at any given time.
“The idea of inventing a product to support a family’s love and preventing children from going missing has been combined and conveyed through the development of what has become a child loss-prevention smart watch – to connect family members anywhere and allow children to explore the world in safety,” he explained.
“Using SIM card technology |similar to that used in mobile phones, we can use the wristwatch to identify a phone number and access our kids,” he said.
The first version of Pomo’s kid-tracking watch was launched onto the market in May last year, with 5,000 units in the initial shipment.
“We earned Bt60 million in sales within the first seven months of the launch, during which about 20,000 units were sold,” he added.
The company then started looking to expand its Pomo House business abroad at the end of last year, he said.
“We opened a branch office, Pomo House International, in Singapore to be our hub for contacting overseas markets,” he said.
The company now exports its smart watches to many markets around the world, including Argentina, the US, Mexico, Russia, the Netherlands and Malaysia, through the appointment of local sole distributors.
It plans to expand into Indonesia as well as more widely in Latin America in the near future.
The company will next year launch a new model for the elderly.
Chatchai, 42, graduated from |the Faculty of Architecture at Chulalongkorn University in 1998.
He then studied English language at Kaplan International in Chicago for about a year, before continuing with a master’s degree in interactive communication at New York University (NYU), graduating in 2002.
“During my study at NYU, I loved and was really happy writing |computer programs, especially in three dimensions on Autocad. I [had already] gained creative vision and learned structural engineering from my architectural study,” he said.
During his master’s studies, Chatchai also took a business course at NYU’s Stern School of Business, where he built up an interest in marketing.
“Whatever you do in the business world, you cannot do it well if you lack marketing and business knowledge,” he stressed.
Prior to completing his studies, Chatchai worked as an intern as a flash programmer at Ruder Finn Interactive, a unit of US-based Ruder Finn, a public-relations agency.
He worked there for 18 months, before being asked by his mother to return to Thailand following the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
Back in Thailand, Chatchai started working for Drum Beat, a US-based interactive agency, again as a flash programmer, this time for about six months, before moving to the mobile Internet arm of DTAC (Total Access Communication) as project manager in charge of new business development.
He worked at DTAC for 18 months, then moved to a South Korea-based telecom solution provider, Uangel, where he focused on business development and looking after the firm’s business in Thailand and Malaysia for two years, before leaving in 2006.
“By working at diversified business firms, I gained much enriched experience, especially in dealing with |people. When I talk with them, I can as a result better read their minds in terms what they’re thinking and |committed to.
“This benefits me in adapting my working style to fit in with people I work with,” he explained.
Owning a business is a kind of destiny for him, he said, referring back to nearly 10 years ago when his wife, Supreeya, who graduated in advertising from North Western University in the US, set up her own digital agency. “In 2007, I exited all forms of professional career to help my wife run her company, so that she would be able to spend more time with kids,” he said. Chatchai spun off a business to set |up Pomo House in 2014 together |with friends, who are strongly |talented in software development, distribution experts – as well as young parent celebrities.

Thailand is the second market after Japan for the launch of Kanebo skincare brand and in a reshuffle, the company will merge all its other premium brands, including Impress, under the Kanebo brand. Lunasol, however, will still remain the company’s flagship for make-up products.
This move is in line with a policy set by Kanebo Cosmetics to develop a single global brand and raise strong awareness of Kanebo products. Kanebo Cosmetics was established nearly 80 years ago.
Yasuhiro Taguro, president of Kanebo Cosmetics (Thailand), said that according to a study conducted by its headquarters, most consumers are more familiar with Kanebo and its products than other similar brands.
“Launching Kanebo as our global brand will bring us closer to consumers. We want the name Kanebo to be easily understood and loved by all,” Taguro said.
He added that Kanebo was relaunched in Japan in May and skincare products under the brand have been placed on shelves in Japan since September 15.
After the launch of the brand in Thailand yesterday, Kanebo skincare products will be available locally by the end of October, with up to 100 different Kanebo products being introduced in the local market by 2018.
Kanebo was founded well over a century ago, back in 1887, as a trader of cotton, while Kanebo Cosmetics entered the Thai market in 2001.
Taguro said that for Thailand, the company has set new Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) following the brand reshuffle and hopes to double its market share in the Kingdom’s Bt31-million market for premium cosmetics. Kanebo’s local market share at present stands at just 1.1 per cent, but by 2020, it aims to rise from number 14 to a top-10 player.
According to Euro Monitor, Thailand’s overall cosmetics market is worth about Bt173 billion, of which Bt31 billion belongs to the premium segment. However, with an expected slowdown in the premium cosmetics segment this year, the competition is becoming more intense as major players launch big promotional campaigns to maintain their market share.
“We also want to increase our overall annual sales in Thailand from Bt600 million targeted for this year to about Bt1 billion by 2020 of which 60 to 70 per cent will be contributed by the Kanebo brand,” he said.
“We want to achieve our aspiration to be a company that encourages women to enjoy their beauty. The creation of Kanebo as our new brand is in line with the company’s commitment to global branding and the deepening of company’s life-long assets. In Thailand, we want Kanebo to be in the heart of Thai customers. We will spend the next three years strengthening the Kanebo brand in Thailand and boost our brand awareness by at least 50 per cent,” Taguro explained.
He said that over the next three years, the 70 or so Kanebo sales counters in major department stores in Thailand will be gradually given a facelift and renovated in line with the new brand concept.