Written By : PETER LOMAS. If you want a taste of pampered luxury living and privileges, give the InterContinental at Natadola Bay a call now.
The year-old resort launched its Club InterContinental last week.
It is celebrating the opening with a range of early-bird rates for Fiji residents who want to give this new “first” in Fiji a try.
Neil Houghton, the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa general manager, said it is the first “Club” concept in the country’s resort and hotel market.
“There is no place like Club InterContinental anywhere on Fiji,” he said. “With the addition … we are certain the resort’s reputation as a luxurious Pacific retreat will be elevated even further.”
Club InterContinental is described as a resort within a resort.
Guests enjoy all the main resort’s facilities.
But in addition they get the exclusivity and benefits of the Club and its 55 suites, set on the hill above.
Staff in electric-powered buggies shuttle Club guests wherever they want to go in the main resort, or back up to the Club.
The Club comes with sweeping panoramic views of Natadola beach and bay.
Facilities include a private infinity pool, Club Lounge building, al fresco dining, and 24-hour butler service.
Ground floor suites offer a private plunge pool and sunbathing lawn.
All have private terraces, with a Cleopatra bathtub and day beds.
Benefits include breakfast, afternoon tea, and two hours of complimentary sunset cocktails and canapes every evening in the Club Lounge.
Early-bird packages for Fiji residents also include dinner in the Sanasana Restaurant down in the main part of the resort.
The InterContinental has a deserved reputation for service.
The Club lifts this to an even higher level. That’s no surprise.
Some of the resort’s best performers were recruited into the Club staff.
They got intensive training and a month of trials before the opening.
Heather Cornish, Executive Assistant Manager/Director of Sales/Marketing, said: “The current staff have been trained by our own management team – it has been a very collaborative effort with assistance from our Rooms Division Manager, F&B Director, myself and Neil involved.”
Ms Cornish has kept an extra special eye on the development. It’s an area she brings added expertise in.
“In my past life at our corporate office in Singapore I wrote up the brand standards for this product, so it’s very dear to my heart,” she said.
For the opening she also brought in a group of extra-critical guests to try it out.
These were some of the overseas travel wholesalers here for the big Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange at Port Denarau.
Their stay at the Club was, by all accounts, a success.
Ms Cornish said: “I think we will make a real difference by demonstrating the superior level of service that can be achieved.
“The initial feedback from some of the wholesalers experiencing the product is that the service is some of the best they’ve ever experienced.”
For early-bird rate details:
Phone: 673 3455. Email: reservations.fiji@interconti.com.
Source: InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa, Natadola Bay.

Hot on the Hot list

Here’s what the international magazine Conde Nast Traveler said recently about the InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa. It included the resort in its 2010 “Hot List” of new hotels and resorts:
“Sitting on what many consider to be the finest beach on Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, this 271-room resort has the palm-fringed sands and clear water that many seek on Fiji’s tiny offshore islands. But its expansive grounds also allow it to provide a choice of restaurants, room to swing a golf club, and a spa that’s more than a table under an awning.
“Even the standard rooms are sizable, and all include an outdoor living area that extends the usable space while still granting privacy.
“The 40-minute drive from the airport might be a drawback for guests on their way to an offshore resort, but the hotel offers so much to do … that they might happily decide to go no farther.”
Source: Conde Nast Traveler.