Philippe Le Bourhis, general manager of Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc.

Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc was named the Best Luxury Family Resort in Asia at the 2020 World Luxury Hotel Awards only eight months after opening amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philippe Le Bourhis, General Manager of the resort, spoke to Viet Nam News about this year’s business plan for the hotel and the newly launched Mövenpick Residences Phu Quoc.

What is special about the Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc?

The resort is located on popular Phu Quoc Island, famous for its wonderful tropical climate and lush natural landscape where our valued guests can trek through a dense rainforest leading to a waterfall or bask in the serenity of coconut-shaded beaches.

Last year on March 1, we opened our international premium resort along the island’s idyllic Ong Lang Beach, showcasing the Mövenpick brand’s signature Swiss hospitality excellence in Vietnam.

Despite opening during a low moment for world tourism due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the resort has not lost its vitality.

An overview of Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc, which won the Best Luxury Family Resort in Asia at the 2020 World Luxury Hotel Awards only eight months after it opened.

With a stunning 2.5km long private beach, the resort has become more tantalizing than ever before. We believe the resort is poised to become an ideal destination for family adventures, company trips, dream weddings and romantic honeymoons.

Winning the Best Luxury Family Resort in Asia award at the 2020 World Luxury Hotel Awards represents an evolution of the Mövenpick brand in Vietnam.

Our highlights include exquisite services and lifestyle and recreation activities which make us a “home away from home” for our guests. These services helped us earn the nomination in the awards' Luxury Family Resort category, and, ultimately, triumph over thousands of other reputed resorts.

While the hotel’s service excellence draws from Mövenpick’s Swiss heritage, the heartfelt hospitality delivered by its staff is a clear reflection of the warm and friendly nature of the local Vietnamese culture.

We offer high-end facilities, adorned with a delicate and heartfelt approach to service guests. A perfect harmony between a peaceful, relaxing and secluded space and an enjoyable common space with fun activities such as Chocolate Hour, aqua zumba, beach party, and BBQ pool party will bring to our guest memorable moments for their holiday at the Pearl Island.

Could you tell us about the recently opened Mövenpick Residences Phu Quoc?

We launched the Mövenpick Residences Phu Quoc on January 18 2021, which is a testimony to the brand’s signature Swiss hospitality excellence in Vietnam.

Nestled on the mountainside and open sea view, the adjacent Mövenpick Residences Phu Quoc, offering 329 condotels and 79 pool villas, are enveloped in a sentimental atmosphere featuring a contemporary design, including studios and family rooms, each equipped with a kitchenette, perfect for families or extended stays.

Each family member can immerse themselves in the sun, the wind and the steady sound of the waves lapping on the shore, finding peace amid nature with their beloved ones.

With more than 305 rooms each with a sea-view balcony, Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc is the ultimate destination for a weekend getaway for families.

What are the special activities offered at Mövenpick Phu Quoc during the Lunar New Year holiday?

Phu Quoc, which is now at its peak time of the year, is nothing less than the best selection for families in search of an ideal trip destination during the Lunar New Year holiday.

With our exquisite services of Swiss excellence, unique entertainment and lifestyle experiences, a stay at Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc promises guests a wholesome Tet holiday and a blissful time together with their family members.

To make your travels during the Tet holiday more memorable, we create enticing events and culinary programs at Movenpick Phu Quoc, all of which are specifically designed for our visitors to relish the vibrant and extraordinary atmosphere of the Tet’s season.

Families can come together to make banh chung and gather around with new friends as they wait for the dish to cook, savouring the intimate and heartfelt moments of Tet.

Guests can also enjoy a lion dance performance in the morning of the first day of Lunar New Year at the main hall, where children receive li xi (lucky money), and the adults exchange words of blessing for a peaceful new year and participate in the traditional folk games.

Our culinary delights include homemade-style dishes from all three regions of Vietnam, and desserts and mesmerising traditional Tet dishes at our restaurants or the traditional Tet market at our Waverly Lougne where guests can enjoy a celebratory extravaganza with live performances, traditional folk games, calligraphy art and a sumptuous Vietnamese Buffet.

While Vietnamese women are often super-busy with cooking preparations and other household chores around Tet holiday, spending the holiday at Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc is an alternative way to enjoy the traditional tastes of Tet.

Movenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc offers a perfect harmony between a peaceful, relaxing and secluded space and an enjoyable common space with activities such as Chocolate Hour, aqua zumba, beach parties and BBQ pool parties.

Could you tell us about your business plan for 2021, a year in which the pandemic is expected to remain unpredictable?

Our main aim for 2021 is to continue to focus on the domestic market. Tourist businesses targeting foreign tourists will be in trouble for a long time. The challenge can turn into opportunity if we seek ways to focus on the local market.

The domestic market, especially millennials and Gen Z travellers, have powered travel growth in recent years. Through suitable package pricing and world-class quality, Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc is well-placed to capture this local demand.

We will focus particularly on a family adventure as we believe that an ideal beach destination such as Phu Quoc is a perfect getaway for families, where they will find everything they need right here at our family lifestyle resort, especially for a weekend getaway.

We will also focus on F&B offerings. Mövenpick’s rich culinary legacy is evident in the extraordinary dining experiences available in the hotel’s restaurants and bars, including a beach club perched on the golden sands of Ong Lang Beach.

We are well prepared to get ready for international business, which hopefully will start again at the end of the year when the pandemic will possibly be contained.

We look forward to welcoming guests to our island home at Mövenpick Resort Waverly Phu Quoc. We ensure that guests will have a magical series of curated experiences during their stay with us.