Responsibilities within the company:

I have two main areas of responsibility. I develop and manage the operations, standards, policy's, guest and member services and programs, procurement, staff training, and refurbishment projects for the hotel groups signature fitness centre chain Equinox. And I am finally developing our first spa which will open early 2005 in one of our Malaysian properties. My responsibilities are the same as for the fitness centres as well as design. Its incredibly exciting.

Number of outlets in group: We currently operate eight Hotels in Malaysia, China and Viietnam. Seven of the eight properties have a fitness / leisure centre which is open for public membership.

Number of members:

We have around 1500 members between our properties. Not big numbers but that is not our focus. Our fitness centres were originally developed for our hotel guests. Membership came later.

What opportunities are there for suppliers to do business with your group in Asia? There are always opportunities for suppliers to do business with our company. As far as the fitness centres go we purchase as and when necessary. We don't however buy fads or gimmicks and just because a bike has rear vision mirror doesn't mean we will go out and buy it! We are I must say, conservative with our purchasing, but I see that as a good thing as we - my staff have to become more creative and innovative to maintain customer satisfaction and retention.

What are your company’s Development / Expansion plans? (In terms of country, region, facility etc)

We don't have any intentions of developing fitness centres outside of our hotels in the future. We will however expand the fitness centres in a couple of the hotels. We do have plans to expand spa services into our other hotels.

How does your company integrate Spa and Fitness within your operation? Our spa is not running yet so good question. I'll tell you more in 6 months! We will manage the spa internally just as we do our fitness centres. Whilst the spa and fitness centre will be separate from one another we will enourage wellness programmes that integrate the use of both facilities. We currently have a health awareness programme with a private hospital. This too will be incorporated into the spa.

What will be the key developments in your industry in Asia over the next few years?

There will be many changes in the spa industry in Malaysia. The biggest changes will be influenced by the formation of a national spa association.We expect to have it up and running within the next 6 months. This association will set the standards for the Malaysian spa industry. The Ministry of Tourism has already expressed interest in developing the spa industry here as it has seen the benefits to the tourism economy of our neighbouring countries. We see this as a very positive step forward for legitimate spa operators and future spa investors. With legislation and govt support we will be able to detach ourselves from the typical 'health spa' cum massage parlours many consumers still associate us with!

Developments in the fitness industry, well I know what needs to be addressed, but I'm not sure when it will happen!

The international clubs have already made an impact in Malaysia and I feel that there is more to come. I believe that many of the medium fitness clubs along with hotel clubs will close down over the next few years. Small aerobic studios and strictly weight training facilities will survive as they are user specific. The large clubs will continue to draw people in but will have to change their customer service policies if they are going to retain the over 35's.

Hotel clubs and medium sized facilities will have to offer or incorporate some form of wow experience or become more training specific if they are to remain operating. It will be a time of great opportunity for those willing to try something different!

Which Australasian country do you see as being the next big boom for the Health and Spa industry? Malaysia has every opportunity to be the next boomer as far as spa and fitness is concerned. It is an emerging market in both areas and has the infrastructure to support these industry's. And its only going to get better!!