Rooted in Design: Creating a Sense of Place

In the latest episode of the Skift Ideas Podcast, Colin Nagy is joined by Ho Ren Yung, Head of Brand HQ at Banyan Group.

Banyan Group is one of the world’s leading independent, multi-branded hospitality groups, with Ren being responsible for Brand, Digital and Wellbeing across the Group’s multi-branded portfolio, having joined the Group in 2009. 

Listen in as we unravel the secrets behind crafting spaces and experiences that seamlessly blend luxury, sustainability and wellbeing to shape an unparalleled guest experience.

Host: Colin NagyGuest: Ho Ren YungProducer: Jose Marmolejos/James Magallanes

Colin Nagy: Hello, everyone. Welcome back to this Skift Ideas podcast. Thanks for tuning in for today's episode. We're joined by Ho Ren Yung, Head of Brand HQ at Banyan Tree Holdings. Banyan Tree Group is one of the world's leading independent, multi branded hospitality groups centered on the purpose driven mission of stewardship and wellbeing while offering exceptional design led experiences.

Ren leads Brand HQ and is responsible for Brand, digital and wellbeing across the group's multi-branded portfolio. She joined the group in 2009.

An active member in the creative and social business landscape in Singapore and the region, Ren is the has co-founder of pioneering businesses in the co-working and ecommerce space, as well as the founding chapter of Asia's largest volunteer run creative network. She is also a Red Dot for Pink Dot business leader and a founding member of the AVP and Gender Network Supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Ren at Super Nice to have you with us today.

Ho Ren Yung: Nice to be back Colin and very excited about our convo.

Nagy: Cool. So I wanted to start off. We'll get into the background and your history with the brand, but I'm really excited about two of the properties that have been kind of putting off a lot of heat in the culture and the conversation. One is your property that just opened in AlUla in Saudi Arabia. The second one is your property that opened in Bali.

And I just wanted to talk about these because it seems to me that they break some of the rules or they're doing something different intentionally from potentially where your brand has been in the past. So I wanted to explain and unpack these a little bit.

Yung: Before we go into that. I want to ask and send it