BANWA Private Island, dubbed the “most expensive resort in the world,” finally secured the much-coveted accreditation from the Department of Tourism (DOT).
DOT Assistant Secretary for Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation Ma. Rica C. Bueno told the BusinessMirror, “DOT Region 4B [Mimaropa] issued a regular accreditation to Banwa.” An inspection team from the DOT, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) visited the island resort last July 8 and 9, to check on its facilities, documentation, and permits, for accreditation purposes.
Bueno added the resort is also being assessed for star rating. “The third-party auditor for the star rating has already finished its assessment of the resort, but the report is still being reviewed by our team from the standards monitoring and enforcement [section].” DOT’s star-rating system is an objective system that reflects the star-rating standards of the international hospitality industry, rating accommodations from one to five stars.
Other sources confirmed the resort has been accredited by DOT “as of July 30,” but it has yet to accomplish DENR requirements regarding its sewerage treatment plant. The resort opened in March with splashy publicity placements in many international travel publications, only to stop booking guests after being scolded by the DOT to secure its accreditation first. (See, “No DOT accreditation for costliest resort,” in the BusinessMirror, May 21, 2019.)
As this developed, the management of Banwa expressed confidence it would be able to break the mold of many high-end luxury resorts in Palawan, which have found themselves dropping rates and opening up more rooms to the public to attain profit targets. Some of these luxury five-star resorts even sell getaways on coupon deal online retailers.
In an email, Banwa general manager Rochelle Kilgariff averred, “We are not a traditional ‘resort’ which is geared solely towards selling rooms, and which is required to deliver profits to its investors. As a truly ‘private’ island, we are focused on attracting guests who will understand and share our vision and values.”
She added, “We aim to engage our guests with our environmental initiatives, such that they feel motivated to get involved and assist our efforts with philanthropic donations to allow us to continue and further expand the work we do both in and around the island itself, but also in the wider community. As such, our price point has been set to realistically cover our annual operational costs, based upon our anticipated number of guest charters—a figure we believe to be both achievable, and realistic.”
Guests at Banwa are expected to pay $100,000 a night for a minimum of two nights, with a promise of posh villas, a myriad of activities including spa treatments, fine-dining cuisine, and other luxury amenities. The nightly rate is good for 48 persons, although it doesn’t cover transportation to the island.
A separate source noted that the resort is designed to attract guests based on a loyalty program designed by Banwa owner, Richard Graham Beattie, founder and executive chairman of TCC, said to be the world’s leader in retail loyalty building programs. (See, “Super yacht builder behind world’s ‘most expensive resort’,” in the BusinessMirror, July 9, 2019.)
“They have a different business model,” explained the source. “It’s like a corporate rewards system, where the rewards are given to their employees,” which presumably includes a stay at Banwa. “Their [Banwa’s] clients are corporations who are members of the [loyalty] rewards system,” the source added.
Beattie’s web site says his global clients for his retail loyalty building programs under TCC include Tesco, Carrefour, Argos, Sainsbury’s, Wellcome, 7-Eleven, Spar, Auchan, McDonalds, Burger King, Shell, Agip, StatOil, Jaguar Land Rover, Peugeot, Homebase, Habitat, and Selfridges.
Kilgariff confirmed that it took about 10 years for the property to be developed, “and that in itself signals that the motivation for this project was never driven by a requirement for a quick return on investment. ERDC [EcoResorts Development Corp.], the developer and owner of the resort, was not willing to compromise quality for expediency. Everything had to be built according to an extremely high level of fit and finish.”
Meanwhile, she asserted the resort isn’t just in the business of tourism, but has lent a hand to local residents as well. “Our work also extends to the local communities, where we provide books and supplies for local schools in our local barangays, along with much-needed health education and medical support, coupled with invaluable provision of water purification systems and more in close cooperation and collaboration with similar community-focused charitable organizations.”