In-depth conversation with Kevin Girard on two decades of Conrad Bali
As Conrad Bali celebrates its 20th anniversary, General Manager Kevin Girard shares his thoughts about the resort’s pivotal keys to success and its future plans
Since its opening in 2004, Conrad Bali has welcomed travellers with indulgent holiday experiences that embrace local culture. This year, the resort celebrates its 20th anniversary – a significant milestone in the resort’s history. Behind this mark of continued success stands a team of talented people under the direction of Kevin Girard, Conrad Bali’s general manager for the past couple of years.
Girard has actually worked at Hilton, which owns the Conrad Hotels & Resorts brand, for about 24 years in various capacities. After a stint with Conrad Brussels, he to Bali in 2011 and joined Conrad Bali’s team as Director of Business Development. Five years later, fate brought him to Bandung, where he helmed Hilton Bandung’s team for four years. Then, during the pandemic, Girard returned to Conrad Bali, this time as General Manager.
In an interview with Prestige Indonesia’s Abdurrahman Karim, Girard talks about Conrad Bali’s journey in the past 20 years and what’s next for the resort..
Twenty years is quite the journey. How do you see the resort’s evolution over the past two decades?
It’s been very special. The inception of Conrad Bali, when we opened in 2004, was a big enough hope. That was a difficult time, yet Conrad was the first luxury international brand and resort to open then. It symbolised a new beginning and a wonderful evolution from a difficult time. Through the years, we have had our ups and downs, but we are held together by our team. We have 450 team members; 125 of them are from the opening team. That speaks volumes of the team’s strength and how Conrad Bali is a great place to work. Hilton is the number one hospitality company in Indonesia to work for, and it’s the world’s best workplace. Our team members are also the backbone of the experiences that our guests enjoy from time to time.
Looking back, what challenges did Conrad Bali face during its journey up until its 20th anniversary this year?
The challenges were natural disasters of many different kinds. These were overcome by the ability of our team to focus on what needs to get done by first caring for our guests and our team, making sure that everybody is safe and that everybody is taken care of. For example, a guest broke something in the room, and they called to have it cleaned up, but before our team sent a person, we first responded by asking: “Are you okay? Is everything okay?” That’s what holds us together, the care we have for each other and our guests, and it takes us through difficult times. We must always expect the unexpected; and when it happens, you will feel safe and assured that you can pass this because we are in this together.
What are the pivotal factors that have contributed to the resort’s longevity and success in Bali’s ever-growing tourism scene?
I would say that being part of the Hilton family is key because of the strength that we have as a group. We support and challenge each other, move to the next level, and perform at that new level. This is not only within our group but also outside and around. For example, when there’s something happening at another hotel in Bali, we see how we can support them. When we held an event last night, teams from other hotels came to help serve our team so our team could enjoy the event. In return, we would do something similar for them. In addition to this, the act of sharing expertise and knowledge is critical, especially when it comes to new activities that people aren’t really sure about the implementation, like the food waste management system. When our team does something, and the other team needs to learn about it, we will share how we do it with them. This kind of support is really our strength.
What kind of guest feedback do you usually receive? And how has that helped support Conrad Bali’s success over the years?
I can point you first to the examples you see online through the review sites. The comments are generally like, “It’s a beautiful resort” or “It’s exceptionally well-maintained.” But to really stand out, it all depends on how the team takes care of the guests. You might also notice that almost every review posted about Conrad Bali mentions the genuine care and attention that our team shows to our guests.
We’ve developed a team called the Conrad Curators. They identify how we can engage with each of our guests in a special way that makes it memorable for them. For instance, we can create moments through the Signature Sensory Odysseys activities, whether SWAY or sound healing. It can also be an adventure around Bali, a beautiful experience amid the rice terraces, or a cooking class. At Conrad, we want to make those kinds of activities purposeful and impactful, and it makes a difference when the experiences become personalised.
Sustainability plays a significant role in the hospitality industry. Can you share with us the initiatives Conrad Bali has implemented and how they align with the brand’s DNA?
Hilton’s sustainability strategies are called “Travel with Purpose,” and our 2023 goals align in a large part with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our focus is as much as possible on the operation, like reducing waste – whether it’s food or other waste generated from the operation. Whenever possible, we reduce the source first so the waste doesn’t even get produced. However, it’s normal for, let’s say linen, to be heavily used by our guests. We won’t just throw them in a bin; we instead take them to our partner who upcycles them into something else. Mountain Mamas, for instance, makes reusable bags from our discarded linen. Another thing that’s really critical is the sourcing. Most of our ingredients – around 90 percent – are sourced locally from within Bali. We can get quality food, for example, and now even good-quality cheese from Indonesia.
Can you tell us a bit about Conrad Bali’s latest offerings introduced for its 20th anniversary?
We’ve launched 20 moments, sort of pulling together some of the new-to-come experiences and some of the ones that have been introduced in the past couple of years. Some of them are more spa- or scent-related, while others are more about going out into nature. There are also more dining-themed activities. We built this over a three-night, four-day experience, and it is really brought to life by our Conrad Curators. They are able to find out what a guest would like to experience while they’re here. Maybe they have tried sound healing and would like to try something else. Or maybe they like it and want to do it again.
How do you envision the resort’s role in shaping the future of luxury hospitality in Bali?
Purposeful stays and experiences with impact are all strong parts of the Conrad brand’s DNA. We’re looking at what guests want in the future that will come over time. If we say that eight or twenty years ago people would be really into sleep, in 20 years it would be hard to imagine that. However, by watching trends and through Hilton’s channel report, we are able to understand what guests are looking for and tailor our offers to those trends. We’ll keep strengthening our team through development programs and make sure the leadership is growing our team’s ability to deliver for our guests. It’s very hard to tell what we will be in 10 years, but what we will certainly do is continue to be relevant to our segment and what they are looking for.
Lastly, what’s next for Conrad Bali?
We’ve just launched our rooftop garden, which was a collaborative effort between our engineering and culinary teams. We upcycled woods that were no longer used in parts of our resort to create 40 planter boxes that now sit above our lobby, and the plants in those planters were donated by the teams in the resort as their favourite items. For instance, they know very much that I love lime with my water, so I donated two lime trees, and I hope to enjoy limes from those trees soon. And later, our team can tell the guests – in a culinary class, for instance – that the limes are grown right on our roof. In addition to this, we have Savor the Source, a special new concept, a new experience that will be available for our guests on the beach. We work with local suppliers to highlight and showcase their ingredients. Guests will then understand that these ingredients are authentic to Bali.
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
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