Michelle Ford – General Manager Namia River Retreat
In this interview, Michelle Ford, general manager of Namia River Retreat in Vietnam, talks about being a wellness hotelier and the expectations of current luxury travellers.
What do you do?
I am the general manager of Namia River Retreat and founder of Lumina Wellbeing.
How did you get into the industry?
I was one of the lucky ones. From a young age I knew I wanted to be a hotelier. I studied hotel management in South Africa. Before embarking on adventures abroad in hospitality.
Share with us a story from behind the scenes.
If you had visited us a week before our opening, you would never have guessed we could open! Vietnam is amazing in making things happen. With 24-hour shifts by the contractors, we managed to open on time and welcome guests.
What food memory from your childhood or travels stands out?
I remember my first taste of Vietnamese summer rolls! It think they were my lunch almost every day for my first year in Vietnam!
Every time I travel, I can’t wait to get back to have my first bowl of Vietnamese pho! My body craves the fresh herbs from Vietnam that I don’t get abroad.
What’s the best/ worst part of your job?
I love people – our guests, getting to know them and our team, seeing them grow.
Hospitality is really a 24-hour on-call type of work. Switching off fully can be a challenge.
What’s one of your favourite food and beverage pairings?
I recently enjoyed a fantastic sparkling wine and macaron pairing at a wine farm in South Africa.
What’s one of the most touching things you’ve seen behind the scenes?
We had a guest who stayed with us – she was elderly and did not speak much English. She arrived really upset that no one could understand her. Getting to know her and the life she has lived, and with a lot of care, she participated in a New Year celebration of dancing. She stopped me when I passed by and said to me – I think I now know what happiness feels like.
The perfect day off would be…
Going to the market in the morning, picking up ingredients and fresh flowers on my scooter, enjoying a Vietnamese coffee with friends, then heading home, cooking a meal, reading a book. I like a slow life.
A day in the life of a Michelle Ford is…
Meeting guests at breakfast, walking 10,000 steps throughout the resort to oversee the daily operations, and perks such as testing wellness activities and treatments!
What does Michelle Ford do for fun?
Brunches are one of my favourite things, enjoyed with friends. For a quieter space, I love a good gong sound bath session.
What would you like guests to know about Namia River Retreat?
Namia River Retreat was born from a dream of blending genuine cultural exploration with the healing touch of Vietnamese herbology and a sustainable philosophy. The resort offers 60 private pool villas and daily 90 minutes wellness journeys included in the rates.
How have you grown in your profession? What have you learned from your start in the industry until now? Are there any misconceptions?
The industry is about people. As I personally shifted my awareness of wellness, the same as people globally, I became more interested in integrating my wellbeing as a part of my holidays. The misconception is that spa or wellness is just a separate service on the holiday, whereas wellbeing is an integral part of my lifestyle – and should be the same philosophy in resorts. Guests now expect a higher level of wellness services, as their lifestyle already integrates good quality food, yoga, fitness, etc., back home, and they would like to continue this on their holidays.
What would you like people to know about being a wellness hotelier as a profession?
It’s a passion for the well-being of people.
What’s your view on the hospitality scene in Hoi An?
Hoi An and our region have not traditionally been sustainable. We hope that our resort showcases a new way forward for the future.
What practices do you currently implement or hope to implement to work towards social responsibility and sustainability in the future?
Waste management, refillable wellness waters, glass bottle recycling, minimise single use plastics, furniture made locally, use of local artisans, but more importantly we also recruit locally and source products locally to support small businesses around us.
What can guests look forward to in the upcoming months?
Our custom-designed boat will offer dinner cruises and a chance to dine on the Thu Bon river, with views of Hoi An’s lantern-lit town.
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