MARBELLA CLUB

Image: BornRich

Known for their interest in luxury brands and investments, ultra-rich Chinese consumers are also spending in what the Chinese media is called “meditel”, a combination of medical services and a hotel offering treatment, accommodation and rest.

According to reports, approximately 180 high-income Chinese individuals will head to South Korea on a charter flight destined for the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Seoul for a $88,000 Korean Anti-Aging treatment.

A Chinese travel agency has arranged specific tour packages, which include shopping, sightseeing and plastic surgery. This particular anti-aging tour will take place at the end of April and has been marketed to high-income consumers who are looking to travel for a week during the May Day holiday. The tour is almost sold out and Possom Prestige, the anti-aging clinic and spa at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Seoul will offer numerous anti-aging programs priced from $440 al the way to $87,680.

Three travelers have already booked the “full package program” and they will receive an 8-night stay at the Ritz-Carlton along with a stem cell treatment ranging from $8,768 to $43,800 that includes a six-month supply of nutritional supplements. Thirty other travelers chose a different program that covers a physical check-up, plastic surgery, hair transplant and skin care for more than $43,800.

In addition to those specific packages available, Possom Prestige is also offering a complete wellness package that includes medical examination services, filler procedures and high-end spa treatments. These “meditels”, or medical clinics located inside luxury hotels, appear to be growing fast within the medial tourism industry in South Korea. They provide consumers with the services without the typically complicated administrative process.

Christopher R. Clark, general manager of the Ritz-Carlton Seoul, said of the spa,”When we decided to renovate the area, we looked very carefully ― are we going to continue to have a retail arcade like many hotels do, or are we going to try to make ourselves different in some way? We decided to go for the spa and the anti-aging clinic because we do see this trend rising and definitely we were in the right place in the city to have this type of business.” He also noted that adding a hotel and a clinic can be good partners for the business where guests’ privacy is important.