MARBELLA CLUB

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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.

Today, Hilton Worldwide Luxury Brands announced Stuart Foster as Vice President of Marketing. Former Vice President of the Southeast Region for Moet-Hennessy USA, a division of LVMH, Foster will lead all luxury marketing initiatives and oversee the strategic development of global positioning for Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts. Foster will report directly to John Vanderslice, Global Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands, of Hilton Worldwide and work from the Hilton Worldwide Headquarters in McLean, Va.

Qatar signed a deal Monday to buy the operator of four luxury resorts and other properties on the island of Sardinia as the wealthy Gulf emirate looks to bolster ties with Italy. The purchase coincided with a visit to Rome by the country’s emir. It is the latest deal in a European shopping spree that has given the natural-gas rich state a stake in European banks, energy companies and some of the continent’s best known brands. 0 Comments Weigh InCorrections? Personal Post State-owned Qatar Holding, an arm of the country’s sovereign wealth fund, said it will acquire resort operator Smeralda Holding from Los Angeles-based real estate investment firm Colony Capital. The deal includes the Cala di Volpe, Pitrizza, Romazzino and Cervo hotels, a marina and shipyard, a golf club and a 51 percent interest in 2,290 hectares (5,660 acres) of undeveloped land nearby. Qatar Holding plans to keep Smeralda’s existing management, and said Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide Inc. will continue to run the hotels. Financial terms were not disclosed. The deal must still be approved by Italian regulators. The deal was announced as Italian Premier Mario Monti held talks with Qatar’s emir Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani at a government villa in Rome. Monti hailed the visit as way for the countries to strengthen their friendship. “I am very happy for this meeting because it was (an) occasion to consolidate a strategic relationship between the two countries,” Monti told a news conference after the talks. The emir told reporters that Qatar’s sovereign fund is looking for ways to invest in Italy. When asked what factors discouraged investment in Italy, the emir said “corruption, first of all,” according to Monti. Among the accords signed Monday was one aimed at boosting efforts to fight graft and crime. Another raises the number of passenger flights between the countries from 14 to 35 weekly, and cargo flights from two to seven, Monti said. Monti promised Italian help to Qatar as it prepares to host soccer’s 2022 World Cup. “Italy has unique know-how and can contribute to the success” of the sporting event, the Italian leader said. Over the past several years, Qatar has used its vast energy wealth to amass a diverse portfolio of European properties. Its holdings on the continent include stakes in Barclays PLC, Credit Suisse Group, Volkswagen AG, and the London Stock Exchange. It acquired stakes in Spanish power utility Iberdrola SA and electric company Energias de Portugal last year. Qatari investors control French soccer team Paris Saint-Germain and Spanish club Malaga, while the logo of state-sponsored nonprofit Qatar Foundation graces the jerseys of another Spanish team, Barcelona.