Wellness Eco-Luxury Resorts with Revivo
The ‘Green & Healthy Places’ podcast series takes a deep-dive into the role of sustainability, wellbeing and community in real estate, offices, hotels and educational facilities.
This episode is with Laurie Mias, CEO of Revivo Wellness Resorts
Revivo Eco-Luxury Wellness Resorts
In this episode we are in Hong Kong to talk to French-born Laurie Mias, CEO of Revivo Eco-Luxury Wellness Resorts. They have a successful property already up and running in Bali, a second resort opening this year in a historic chateau near Toulouse in the south of France with others in the pipeline in Malaysia, Barcelona and Sri Lanka.
Health & Wellness in the Revivo brand DNA
Our conversation covers Revivo’s sustainable resort development strategy, how Laurie juggles her role as Revivo CEO while leading the development of sister brand Pavillion Hotel’s residential project in Niseko, Japan; ultra local procurement policies, the benefits of on-site farms for the restaurant menu, mindful movement for neuro-plasticity and slow-aging, their deliberately soulful version of a hotel workout sessions, integrating local healing traditions, the benefits of artistic therapy sessions, plant-bars for guests to blend their own tinctures, teas and bath salts; nighttime sleep rituals and even a 16th century salt cave for underground halotherapy.
GUEST / LAURIE MIAS
FULL TRANSCRIPT TO FOLLOW COURTESY OF OTTER.AI - excuse the typos
Matt Morley 0:13
Welcome to Episode 13 of the Green and Healthy Places podcast, in which we take a deep dive into the world of sustainability and wellness in real estate and hospitality today. I'm your host, Matt Morley, founder of BioBlu eco yachting, Biofit nature gyms and Biofilico wellness interiors.
In this episode, we're in Hong Kong to talk to French born Laurie Mias, CEO of Revivo eco luxury wellness resorts. They have a successful property already up and running in Bali, a second resort opening this year in a historic Chateau near Toulouse in the south of France, with others in the pipeline in Malaysia, Barcelona and Sri Lanka. My conversation with Laurie covers the Revivo sustainable resort development strategy, how she juggles her role as CEO or for Revivo on one side, while also leading the development of sister brand Pavilion Hotels residential project in Osaka, Japan; ultra local, or hyperlocal procurement policies; the benefits of onsite farms for a restaurant menu; mindful movement for neuroplasticity and slow aging; their deliberately soulful version of a typical hotel workout; how to integrate local healing traditions into the guest experience; the benefits of artistic therapy sessions; their 'plant bar' concept for guests to blend their own tinctures, teas and bath salts; nighttime rituals, and even a 16th century salt cave for underground halotherapy!
Laurie, thanks so much for joining us today. Perhaps you could give us a quick introduction to your role because I know you're working both on the Revivo wellness resorts and with Pavilion on the other side?
Laurie 2:18
Yeah, that's correct. Revivo Bali we started from scratch. So it's my, my DNA if you like, and it's all about wellness, and it's more luxury positioning. So my job is pretty much CEO supervising everything. However, for Pavilion Hotels and resorts, my role is just supervising the constructions of houses in Japan in in Niseko so I've been busy doing that for the past three years, we built four houses. And originally it was a huge land. So it was really interesting because we had to bring electricity and drill the onsen. And yeah, just just you know, make it make the road. So yeah, and lots of constraints that I never I never had to figure out before such as the snow everything is ruled by by the snow with a snowing in Niseko in this area because you can snow up to 10 meters in one night. So it's kind of crazy. And and then you have to do everything around the snow clearing issues.
Matt Morley 3:38
So that's a development role getting new dots on the map, new hotels open for the Pavilion, but then on the Revivo side what was the process in terms of creating and defining the DNA, presumably identifying a gap in the market and creating a concept or effectively a new resort brand to fill that gap?
Laurie 4:11
So yeah, I was pitching the main investor of Revivo wellness resorts to invest into my own business back then, which was a green juicery I had launched in Hong Kong and I needed money to expand the capacity of production. And he told me - no not interested but what are you doing next weekend? Do you want to go to Bali? I have houses in south of Bali. It's called Aman hotels. I'm sure everybody's familiar and yeah, I have those houses and now they're going to lose the lease, so we need to find a new operator. So why don't you go there next weekend? And just tell me what you think? Sure. So that's what I did. And then it came back. And I said, Yeah, it's an amazing properties. Okay, can you make for me a spa resort out of the four villas that I have? And I was like, yeah, sure, I'm sure I can do that. But you know, spa is a bit competitive, everybody has a spa nowadays. So eventually, I convinced him to make something much more comprehensive than just a luxury Spa Resort. And that's how Revivo was born basically, around that idea. And that was a very lucky encounter, obviously, because I mean, Hong Kong is a type of city that is really rewarding. And people don't really look at your resume, or how old are you?
Matt Morley 5:59
So you had that amazing opportunity, then you get dropped into this project in in Bali? what were the next steps from there? were you running feasibility studies? How did you recruit? What was the the team that you built around you in those early days?
Laurie 6:17
Yes. So eventually, I recruited the team of Aman that was already there, that was the easiest, because they've been building houses for the past 10 years. So I was in contact with the architect. And yeah, looking a lot, they wanted to continue because they had started this project. And so they wanted to continue. And then I, I asked them, you know, what, the properties so pretty, and I'm not an architect myself, I don't want to change anything, I just want to expand and create the spa, turns on rooms into treatment rooms, turn the main library into the bar area, you know, some small ish modifications like that. So it was quite easy. But then in terms of customers flow, you needed to think also, because the property is huge. So you didn't want people to have the change room 50 meters from the sauna, or the you know, so it was just this type of, of problematics that we're thinking about, and the rain as well, because you can rain a lot in Valley. So again, you don't want people to to be under the rain for too long. And the property is three hectares and only 16 villas. So yeah, we were thinking like that in terms of customers flow, and service.
Matt Morley 7:44
And a big piece of what you do then is clearly around sustainability. We can get on to the wellness section in a minute. What I've found interesting is you have this combination of the green and healthy, not just one or the other. And it's a big part of how you communicate online. So this idea of sustainable resort or sustainable development strategy, where you're reducing plastics, could you talk to us a bit about what that equates to?
Laurie 8:23
For me you don't see it, because you are in a luxury five star hotel. And it has to be normal at some point that for the price you pay you expect that you don't find a plastic bottle on your bedside table. For instance, I mean, to me, at least that's the definition of luxury nowadays. Because if we don't do it, if a five star hotel don't change a plastic bottle for a glass or refillable one, then who is going to do it, you know what I mean? Because, see, I mean goes without saying glass cost five, five times more than plastic. But everybody knows that. And it's convenient. Of course, when you look at the p&l, or the pre opening costs just to make the switch again, what drove this and we will think about about it later, but that's what I wanted to avoid to me. every single detail matters and and yeah, we have to show the example I feel like when you in the luxury, hospitality and especially I got so lucky to learn from the Armani hospitality that is really really, really ultra luxury. And they they've they don't get any any corners, you know, so I was like, Okay, I'm just gonna continue what they started to do and every single stone has been sourced in in Bali to build this project. And it was 25 years ago. You know that the first. The first house is the first hotel they built. Part of this project. Everything was sourced locally, the wood, the hats, the way they you know, the way they build. And yeah, every single sarong, every single hat was made in in Bali. It's also quite easy in Bali, because there is a really high tax on every single product that is imported. So to be honest, you don't really want to import anything, but But yeah, I think it's beautiful. Also, when people travel all around, I mean so far, and they arrive in Bali. And they I think they really appreciate that. Whatever they could find in our bedroom, let's say, we furnish yoga where because people come most of the time for yoga retreat, and our yoga were all made in eboard, in north of Bali with an organic cotton. And so you can go and visit a factory, same for our ceramics. Same for our soap. All our soaps are natural, and made in eboard. So again, people can go visit the factory, and I don't know, you really adds up, you know, we all those small details they add up. And that's what creates a luxurious, memorable experience. I think.
Matt Morley 11:19
Hotel brands have been talking about this concept of 'a sense of place' for so long. But it feels like only now, are they really delivering on that promise and doing exactly what you described, which is, every detail, not just in terms of the aesthetics, but in terms of where things are sourced and procured and actually made at a local level. So there's, there's so many layers to that sense of place. Now. Presumably, it's it's sort of embedded right into the DNA of each particular person. Yeah. And how do you how do you then move that forward, then into the idea of even producing your own food or ingredients for the kitchen? I know that you have hydroponic gardens on site in Bali? Is that a again, is that a? Is that a financial decision? Is it is it a huge capex investment? Has it proved to be a good decision?
Laurie 12:07
100%, I will do it again. Because, again, it adds a lot to the customer experience and those type of ideas, you also get them when you surround yourself with like minded people, and especially the nutritionist chef, who had put together our our menu. Her name is Ali walu. And she is Spanish also and for her. Yeah, it goes without saying that all the products that we use in our kitchen, they are 100% natural, they're 100% made in this kitchen, we don't buy any seasoning or any anything that is a premade kind of except the wine I would say or the alcohol, you know, but otherwise, everything is made in our own kitchen. So she was beautiful like that. And she really pushed me to, to really do everything with with our own product and locally sourced. And she was amazing in the in the procurement phase. And she only wanted to work with and cook with seasonal as well products. And she found for instance, I don't know, a fruit supplier, who is only picking up the fruit that he that he found on the floor, you know what I mean? So they arrived by themselves. So yeah, this type of of stories that I was so grateful for her to bring this, this content if you'd like to join us and yeah, thanks to people that you surround yourself with, when you have a good intention. And you know, all the dots kind of align, because you find people with similar intentions.
Matt Morley 13:55
Yeah, it's beautiful, it makes complete sense. So that in a way it gives you that neutral concept. And then I know you also have the movie or concept around movement and particularly I'm interested in the idea of combining the movement and mindfulness You know, a lot of every every hotel resort has some kind of a gym that usually not that exciting but very few of them do anything a bit more interesting with the gym and even fewer resorts. Think also about how movement and mindfulness can both be practiced. So how did you how did you go about creating that movie of fitness or wellness?
Laurie 14:28
So it was important for me, I'm not a gym person. I've never was but I knew we needed to have a resort gym design, so men, they like the high intensity workout. And so I tried to infuse mindfulness into even the gym that to me sounded without soul. And so for instance, if you come to to our Resort, which I hope you will one day, You will find that the teacher is starting the personal training class with breath work. And sometimes, maybe it's ending also the the class with the sound, the Tibetan bowl sound. just to connect because you are activating all your your body and it's already an amazing thing that you can do for for your body and for it for your mental health. But if on top of that, you you managed to integrate mindfulness I would say the benefits are 10 times better because you would be 100% aware and when you when you are aware and when you do things with mindfulness, basically your brain and your your connections, your your we call it neuroplasticity, the plasticity of your brain is much, much better. And like that you you can reduce the risk of having a neurodegenerative disease. So it's it's a bit complicated, but not really. But if you want to Google it, there is a lot of research that has proven that mindfulness, increases your neuroplasticity and reduce the risk of contracting a neurodegenerative disease. So you live longer and healthier and happier.
Matt Morley 16:24
reminds me a little bit of, I guess of two things - yoga And then also from my perspective on martial arts, you know, there's a moment before you, you step onto the mats when you practice, most martial arts where you take a breath, kind of you bow to the, to the studio to the to the gym, where you're training, and you have a mindful moment before you start practicing. And obviously Yoga is that sort of Mind Body connection. So there's integrating that into the fitness side is is fascinating. It also raises the question of how the Asian influence is part of the brand, as a whole, or whether it was more to do with your first location in Bali. So when you go to open your next resort coming soon, this year, I believe in France, how are you translating that brand concept? Is it is it still a essentially an Asian brand that's coming to Europe? Or are you adapting and finding that local inspiration for each new property?
Laurie 17:23
Yes, exactly. It was really important for me that in each place you feel the the sense of place, as we call it before, and that the treatments and the workouts are inspired by local healing traditions. So the food is an easy easier is the easier one, I would say because of course you work with local food. So that's kind of the adorn I would say. But more what we bring, for instance, to the Chateau. The shack that you won't find in Bali is the art therapies. I mean, it's not exactly it's not called out therapies, but it's therapies around the the art activities, such as painting, or pottery or writing, we have dense, dense classes as well. Because again, it's working around the idea of mindfulness. And when you do something with your both hands, you are obliged to be mindful more than when you you type on one hand, and on the other hand, you're cooking something that's when you make your toast. Burnt basically, because you're really concentrated doing anything, right. So yeah, we hope that when you're painting this, you're 100% to your your painting. So we have that we have art pavilions and we will animate every day workshops around around art. And there is also a Phyto bar which is a plant bar if you like where you will go and you will do your own tea blend or your basalts assortment, and you can also do your tincture. You will do some inhalation for a better respiratory system. And yeah, that's also a mindful place where people will do on their own but in a in a mindful way because you need to think when I'm going to put in my tea, a little bit of common mileage will have lavenders you know, you just have yourself and so that's also inspired by local French culture because everything around perfumes, a lot of lot of aromatherapy workshops, I would say that are specific to the Chateau de sciacca property. And another thing as well that is quite unique in the in the Chateau is the Have a salt cave. So we found a cave that that has been dig six meters above the floor underneath right underneath the floor. And that has been built way before the castle was built. The castle was built in the 18th century. And this cave was built probably in the 16th century. So yeah, people can go there and there will be some salt on the floor. So it will be Hallo. Hallo therapy, you just lie down in this cave for half an hour, one hour in. Yeah, that will be feel very unique, I think. So even without the salt is already very, very unique. Yeah, and then something quite specific also about shadow the shark is that I really wanted to push the the mindfulness side, of course, it will be in all our reviewable properties, but especially the slow aging and slow aging through the plasticity of your brain that I was just talking about. So there will be every night brain games. So brain games can be puzzles, or can be Mikado, I don't know. Like, it can be very simple things but just dedicated sometimes, everyday to that. And also, if you come by yourself, that can be an opportunity to mingle with other guests around because I realize in Valley, people often come on their own. And it's nice to I mean, it's also necessary to, to find your own space, especially when you when you have done such a long trip and you arrive in a new place. But after two or three days, it's nice also to start to talk to your neighbors and realize they have been a bit in the same tree than you. They may be lonely, you're overwhelmed or overachieved and they needed a break. And yeah, you know, it's, it's quite nice and reassuring to talk to people that are like minded.
Matt Morley 22:04
It sounds to me almost I mean, there's certainly elements released from looking from outside almost of a kind of, you know, like a Buddhist retreat or mindfulness retreat, you're imagining people, or is the typical length of stay for three to seven nights. I mean, it's more than it's more resort than hotel, right? It's more somewhere, you come for a few days to sort of absorb all of these different experiences rather than somewhere you drop by for an overnight stay. It's more a resort holiday experience. Is that right?
Laurie 22:34
Yes, definitely. I mean, it's something that is very transformative in a way that I don't think people have never experienced anything like that before. Because very comprehensive. And we give you a lot of tools, if you like a lot of like, healthy takeaways that then you can apply on the daily basis. So you feel it's transformational. But you feel it even more after, once you have left the retreat, or other people are crying when they leave the resort in Bali. It's very strong, the kind of reviews we can have some people, lots of people, they say you don't know how much you change my life. You know, some people yeah, we were on the verge of a divorce with my husband. And since we discovered re vivo, you, you change so many things. re vivo from the Latin means I will live again, it's a bit. It's also the last Asana, the last pose when you do a yoga flow. And at the end after the Shavasana you turn on your right side and you're on the features pose and this pose this concept is called the reverse pose. So it's the feeling how you feel after a very good yoga class where you've been 100% into the into the flow, you know, for 60 minutes you were anywhere else you felt like you were at the right place at the right moment. And that's this feeling that I hope and I really wonder the river experience to procure to feel like now you are completely reset, and you are with with yourself and you have everything you need inside you to to be happy and you know, you feel like you're at the right place at the right moment.
Matt Morley 24:17
Because you can obviously reach that that state at the end of a 90 minute yoga class in a in a crazy urban environment like Hong Kong, or indeed somewhere like Barcelona, but then how do you translate the vivo concept into an urban environment? If you're looking at somewhere like Barcelona to set up a future resort is there do you have to adapt your your offer around that the idea of being in a city rather than being in a natural environment because obviously a lot of what you offer is that connection, the peace and quiet of being in a in a non urban environment surrounded by nature.
Laurie 24:53
Yeah, I would say it's easier if you're surrounded by nature because it's really relaxing as a I mean, as the opposite of office city, you know, sometimes you just finished a very peaceful and yoga class, and then you go out in the street, and it's noisy and smelly. And it's, yeah, very busy. And so all of a sudden, the relaxation is gone. If it's even more difficult, I mean, of course, it's achievable. But what is good? We've been approached, let's say, by some hotel, they're like, Oh, can you maybe do this bath for us? Can you do, and I'm a bit against, because if he works, he works in a comprehensive way. Any, any, if any change happens in people in the people people's mind is because they understand it and they have felt it you know, you need something to click in your new mind to for the change to begin. Otherwise, if it's just if it's can can be like a train passing in front of you, you know, when you stay on the, on the platform, you don't really feel like the train was passing, you felt like Oh, it was nice to watch this yoga class or I felt a bit like that. Sometimes I go to a resort or Thalassotherapy. And nobody explained to me really what is happening in my brain, in my soul in my body, and I do all the treatments, but then I'm like, Yeah, that's great. But okay, maybe I lost two kg, because we mentioned he only ate greens. But then when I'm back home, I rushed into the first step burger place, because I, they created the sense of probation, probation. And so for the change to last people need to understand So for us, it's very important that we guide them through and that we guide them through the four pillars that are the movement, the movement of the breath, the movement of your of your body, and also the movement of your neurons, the neuro bikes, we call it and the spa Of course, which is a Roma therapy, your environment, you know, like how you take care of yourself, how you pamper yourself to take some time for yourself, the supplies of food, there is no order of importance here, but it should be the first otherwise, but the food and the beverage of choice, of course, is very, very important part of the, the healthy lifestyle if you want. And the fourth is then the new trio that the three the do nocturno, which is all around the sleep, because you can be full of very good intention and wanting to change something in your in your life and wanting to have a better version of yourself. If you cannot sleep, you will find it very, very difficult to achieve that inner peace. So, yeah, all our retreats are based around those four pillars, I would say, whether you come for detox or weight loss or slow aging, it will always be built around those four pillars. And so to answer your question, it can be achieved in a in an urban environment, but it will be more difficult because you need a consistency. You know, it's not just like, you do it once and then you forget all about it. And as I said, Yeah, lost 2kg, but then eventually again, 5kg back because nothing changed really inside my brain. Nothing clicked. So for it to click, you need to practice a little bit every day. And for you to practice every day, you have to think learn. So yeah, it's easier if people they are in our in house, I would say and so we can better teach. I don't want to say teach but just show them and then they can do whatever they want with the knowledge. And
Matt Morley 29:05
how do you the sleep piece is really interesting. I think that's something that's now becoming more and more recognized as a key component in health and overall well being. How do you assist a guest in if not improving their sleep at least thinking about sleep as a form of nutrition and wellbeing how does that manifest itself in the guest experience?
Laurie 29:32
so what we call lock to noise, all the rituals, it's very important. So I was just saying that to create a pattern, you know, you have to work a little bit every day. Becoming mindful is a bit like when you learn a new instrument of music. If you want to play guitar, you try to play guitar for six hours in one day and then you don't touch the guitar for one month. You will never be able to play The guitar. However, if you practice a bit, 20 minutes every day, eventually in one month, maybe less, you will, you will know how to play the guitar. So, the same for mindfulness. So it is same for the for the sleeping ritual, you need to maybe do some aromatherapy ritual in your room, you know, have as sleep, they call it pillow pillow spray, that you spray on your pillow, you know, create some ritual like that, before you go to bed, maybe half an hour before you put your, your phone in airplane mode dim down the light, you leave, maybe it's I like to have a notebook on my bedside table where I write my thoughts. Because that's also what is keeping you awake, sometimes when you have thoughts in your mind, and you're like, I'm gonna get it, you know, tomorrow, I will wake up and I will have forgotten this idea. Or I forgot to answer this email. And you know, and so you can actually you keep thinking about stuff that that are keeping you awake. So I like to have a notebook and just to write your thoughts on it. So at least your mind is free of that. And then other tips is also to take a bath again, just to relax your your mind, relax your body, you know, create this type of ritual, this type of little routine, maybe give yourself a face massage, you know, And in repeat that every day.
Matt Morley 31:40
So looking ahead to the next 12 months, what happens next?
Laurie 31:42
Yes, so we have been quite lucky because even though we are quite young, we have already assigned at some franchising contract. So we will open in France this year. And we have also a beautiful project in Malaysia that is going to open in 2023. But it's a big one you would be at rooms. So yeah, we'll be very busy. And then we have also a property in Barcelona and land in Sri Lanka, that will be also built at some point. Yeah, depending on the situation, but maybe I hope within the next four years, some exciting pipeline.
Thank you, Matt.