Brand Stories

The Banyan Tree Story

What is true beauty? This was the question asked by 600 acres of land in Phuket, Thailand. And the answer has come to define the role of Banyan Tree resorts in the world. Many years ago, our founders purchased a vast expanse of coastal land punctuated by lagoons of the most intense cobalt blue. Only to discover that its beauty came not from Mother Nature, but the pollution of the previous tenant, a tin mine.

Rather than walk away, they dedicated themselves to cleansing the acid-laden soil and planting more than 7,000 trees. In doing so, they transformed this ecological wasteland into the environmentally-sensitive, first Banyan Tree resort – an oasis that today, is both beautiful and true.

Design & Innovation

A place where time, if not standing still, walks slowly, placing each step carefully, so as not to disturb its surroundings. A place where the romance of travel is not confined to the pages of a book, but is around every corner. A place that may be the real ‘Shangri-La’. From your first breath of its rarefied air 3,200 metres above sea level, to the moment you step into your villa, a real Tibetan farmhouse that has been lovingly restored, Banyan Tree Ringha, in Yunnan, informs every one of your senses that they have arrived somewhere that will re-connected them with what it means to be alive.

If the 21st century too often feels like paradise lost, then we invite you to paradise found.

Sanctuary for the Senses

The human hand. When it comes to grasping, manipulating and providing sensory feedback, nothing else can compare.. Our hands participate in the simplest of conversations, and they express our innermost feelings. They have built structures that are visible from space, and brought every one of us into the world. Yet not all hands are created equal. A few people called Master Therapists have very special hands. Khun Wai is one such person.
Through her natural gifts and advanced training at Banyan Tree Spa Academy, she revitalises and rejuvenates with massage techniques specifically tailored to the individual’s needs. The Banyan Tree Master Therapist experience, where the true power of the human touch can be felt.

Protecting the Environment

If a nursery and Head Start programme sound like unusual facilities for a resort, you may even be more surprised to learn that the youngsters they cater to are coral and Green Sea Turtles. Banyan Tree Global Foundation believes that every child of the Maldives deserves a future, and with this goal in mind, we welcome our guests and local children to contribute to the work of Banyan Tree Maldives Marine Lab.

The coral reef surrounding the resort, which was severely damaged by the El Nino of 1998, is regaining its health. And Head Start graduates receive titanium flipper tags so their lives can be followed and celebrated. Who could wish for anything more for their children?

A Culture of Our Own

‘As the sun dances the last of its feathery, crimson light on the water, I know it is not just me, but this land of the Mayans that awaits the arrival of our guests with anticipation.’ My name is Ana Ruth, and I am Banyan Tree. ‘When I see how revitalized he is after my Ayurvedic treatment, I too am revitalized.’ My name is Rattanaphong, and I am Banyan Tree. ‘Running her hand over the bedspread, she feels the centuries of our Tibetan tradition woven into it.’ My name is Tashi Tesering, and I am Banyan Tree.

Our 8,200 people representing 50 nationalities in our 26 resorts personify one thing. The culture that is Banyan Tree.

Home Away From Home

‘Where are you going on holiday?’ ‘My casa colonica in Tuscany.’ ‘Your own Italian villa? ‘Giovani has promised me the first taste of this year’s vintage.’ As a Banyan Tree Private Collection member, you will not only enjoy unprecedented luxury in the most exclusive locations for one week each year, you will make very personal connections with these special places that you call home, with the local people whom you call friends.

For those wishing to turn their lifestyle into an investment, there is also Banyan Tree Residences, which offers a guaranteed return on their own Banyan Tree-managed property in the paradise of their choice. ‘We are so different. I dream about really living, and you really live your dreams.’

Supporting Local Business

Each handcrafted Thai maun triangular cushion supports the enjoyment of aesthetic beauty and the livelihood of a community, as well as helping to preserve a traditional craft. It was with this in mind that the founder of Banyan Tree Gallery decided to commission 500 maun cushions for the Phuket resort after being introduced to the women who sewed them in the village of Yasothorn, northern Thailand.

Help us provide the best support to local communities around the world by choosing one of these handmade maun cushions or other artisan crafts from Banyan Tree Gallery.

Award-Winning Brand

Once upon a time a sailor was shipwrecked on an island Life was hard and all he thought about was being rescued… Had he been cast-away on Madivaru island today, he would have recounted a rather different tale. One of gastronomic pleasures served on fine china and exquisite furnishings hand-made for him, not by him. Yet some things would be familiar. There is the Banyan Tree, only now it provides sumptuous accommodation rather than simply shade.

There is his personal assistant who provides impeccable service. And there is universal acclaim, only now it is in lifestyle publications. When you are ready to write your own adventure story, request that you be cast-away here.

Nurturing Young Minds

A seedling by Jade Dragon Snow Mountain… Welcome to Banyan Tree Lijiang, in Yunnan. A place so magical, that this seedling is flourishing at tourism school. He Hui, a young woman of the local Naxi people was an excellent student. Unfortunately, her father passed away, and with her mother unable to work, it seemed her hopes for an education would end. That is until she was invited into Seedlings, a Banyan Tree initiative designed to help her and others in a similar position to fulfill their potentials through mentoring by a trained member of the resort’s team.

Just as the magical place that is Banyan Tree Lijiang gives each guest something special to remember, so too it gives He Hui and others like her, something special to look forward to.

Under the Banyan Tree

What is Banyan Tree? ‘A collection of resorts.’ ‘The reason I am receiving an education.’ ‘This pristine lagoon.’ ‘A living heritage initiative.’ ‘The wonderful massage I had last night.’ ‘An excellent investment opportunity.’ ‘That intricate hand-woven rug.’ At its heart, Banyan Tree is an idea, indeed an ideal, that inspires living and which finds expression in myriad ways. Banyan Tree is dedicated to supporting local communities and connecting them to a world in need of a sense of place, timelessness, harmony and integrity.

It is committed to delighting its guests, developing its associates, contributing to society and enhancing its shareholder value. What is Banyan Tree? It is all of those moments and each of those things that constitute life the way it should be.

Culinary Adventures

‘The table in the sea, certainly, sir.’ Under a canopy of stars, with music played by the South China Sea, Dinner on the Rocks at Banyan Tree Bintan gives new meaning to ‘natural ingredients’. Then there is Vertigo, whose name says it all. Perched 61 floors above the pulsing city of Bangkok, this al fresco restaurant offers a fresh perspective on food and on the world.

Let Banyan Tree’s signature culinary experiences tease, delight, amaze and confound every one of your senses.

Growing Globally

A stone skips lightly across the water, sending gentle ripples across its surface… This is not the description of a moment on holiday, but an evocation of the unobtrusive, unhurried, unexpected way in which Banyan Tree continues to expand across this blue planet we all call home.

Banyan Tree does not simply build resorts that offer their guests a unique sense of place in an increasingly homogenous world, it fosters relationships with local people, cultures and economies, and it nurtures sustainable physical environments. From Asia to the Americas, the Middle East and beyond, the ripples will continue to radiate forever.