COMO Hotels and Resorts launches a refreshed brand identity and new website, including a COMO blog

Aug. 23, 2012 - PRLog -- Reflecting its growth as a brand for discerning travellers, COMO Hotels and Resorts unveils an updated brand identity. COMO’s nine properties will keep their individual logos while underpinned with “by COMO,” conveying the company’s distinctive personalised approach to hospitality. In line with this update, the luxury hotel group(http://www.comohotels.com/) is also launching a new website that includes, amongst other features, a news-driven COMO blog for friends of COMO to stay connected with their favourite COMO properties.
Founded by Singaporean entrepreneur Christina Ong, COMO Hotels and Resorts comprises The Halkin  by COMO in London, Metropolitan by COMO in Bangkok and London, Parrot Cay by COMO in the Turks and Caicos, Cocoa Island by COMO in the Maldives, Uma by COMO, in Paro, Bhutan, and Ubud, Bali, as well as COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali. This September, Uma by COMO, Punakha opens in Bhutan, to be followed by hotels in Phuket and other key destinations in 2013. Each handpicked property reflects the deeply personal philosophy of hospitality and service shared by the owner and COMO employees. Every experience “by COMO” is inspired by its destination, but also paired with COMO’s accurate and intuitive service, sympathetic and elegant aesthetic, outstanding cuisine and award-winning spa and wellness retreats.
Friends and guests of COMO will recognise COMO’s signature thoughtful style in its new website, comohotels.com. Tablet- and mobile-friendly rich content, such as locally-researched destination guides, chef profiles and even downloadable COMO Shambhala Cuisine recipes, channel the COMO experience to the home or office. Accommodation and event venue floor plans make planning easier, while intuitive design and stunning imagery allows an immersive customer experience. Trade partners and media professionals will find an improved, one-stop resource library.
The website also features a new COMO blog, comohotels.com/blog, which covers Destination News and COMO’s hallmarks of Wellness, Cuisine, Lifestyle, Adventure and Culture. “Tales from the Front Desk” provides behind-the-scenes glimpses of life on property; “Out and About” offers insider destination tips from the best shopping in London to the richest dive sites in the Maldives. Guests can also share their personal experiences and interact with COMO’s General Managers, Chefs, Activity Directors and COMO Shambhala Wellness Experts.
Says Kuno Fasel, Chief Operating Officer for COMO Hotels and Resorts: “COMO Hotels and Resorts is, and has always been, far more than a collection of hotels. COMO is a community of like-minded employees, partners and guests, who prize authenticity and quality. Our branding reflects how every detail in every property is intrinsically “By COMO”. Our new website’s interactive and social features welcomes guests to share their stories – they are part of COMO, on-property and online.”
Says Gabriela Henrichwark, Global Marketing Director for COMO Hotels and Resorts: “COMO’s new website was designed to deliver a user-friendly customer experience to facilitate comprehensive travel planning from research to booking. Demonstrating our commitment to engage further with our customers online, the new COMO blog extends our existing active social media presence. Our fresh branding retains each property’s uniqueness while extending COMO’s group-wide promise of a highly personalised, luxury travel experience.”
The new ‘by COMO’ identity is being launched globally via the company’s new website www.comohotels.com as well as the group’s wellness brand, www.comoshambhala.com.

About the COMO Group and COMO Hotels and Resorts

Headquartered in Singapore, the COMO Group represents a unique vision of contemporary living. This encompasses the hospitality collection known as COMO Hotels and Resorts, the international luxury fashion retailer Club 21, the award-winning wellness concept COMO Shambhala and the philanthropic COMO Foundation.

Founded by Christina Ong, COMO Hotels and Resorts develops and manages handpicked, individually curated properties, including The Halkin by COMO in London, two Metropolitan by COMO hotels in London and Bangkok, Parrot Cay by COMO in the Turks and Caicos, Cocoa Island by COMO in the Maldives, and three Uma by COMO experience resorts in Bali and Bhutan (the newest of the three, Uma by COMO, Punakha, opens September 2012). Point Yamu by COMO is a new property in Phuket, Thailand, opening 2013. The company also manages COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali in partnership with its sister brand in wellness, COMO Shambhala, which promotes health, relaxation and learning through its products, services, cuisine, treatments and spa facilities within each COMO property.

Accurate and intuitive service, sympathetic and elegant design befitting each location, and outstanding cuisine are hallmarks of the ‘by COMO’ experience. Restaurants within COMO’s properties include the award-winning Thai restaurant nahm in London and Bangkok, and the internationally renowned Nobu restaurant in London.

COMO Hotels and Resorts Brand Positioning:

COMO Hotels and Resorts creates personalised luxury travel experiences highlighting wellness, cuisine, adventure and culture, service and design-while always trying to uphold a strong, sustainable approach towards the people and places where we operate.

Urban Hotels: COMO Hotels and Resorts’ urban properties include The Halkin by COMO in London’s Belgravia, and Metropolitan by COMO hotels in London and Bangkok. All three properties feature award-winning chefs, a contemporary aesthetic and intuitive service. The lively Metropolitan hotels also house the world-famous Met Bars.

Island Resorts: COMO’s island resorts offer spectacular coastal locations, world-class watersports and diving.  The understated style and laid-back nature of Parrot Cay by COMO in the Turks and Caicos and Cocoa Island by COMO in the Maldives belie the exacting service that has become a COMO hallmark.  At Point Yamu by COMO, opening 2013 on Phuket in Thailand, this service standard is set to continue, along with the Group’s contemporary aesthetic, sophisticated cuisine and comprehensive COMO Shambhala wellness treatments, which complete COMO’s approach to a perfect island holiday.

Adventure Retreats: The Uma by COMO properties in Paro and Punakha in Bhutan (Punakha opening September 2012), and Ubud in Bali unveil local culture, nature, and religious and folkloric traditions. Specialist guiding, treks and tours, physical activities and tailor-made programmes ensure memorable insights into some of the world’s most unique locations.  Intimate and relaxed, the Uma properties reference local design and cuisine while providing an unmistakably COMO experience, which includes attention to holistic wellness and yoga at each property’s COMO Shambhala Retreat.

Wellness Resorts: COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali is a sanctuary for holistic wellness. Expert staff are goal-oriented, relevant and realistic in their consultative approach. Each guest’s individual needs and ambitions determine the programme of nutrition, exercise, therapies and activities.  Facilities and tropical villa-style accommodation are impeccably appointed, thus also appealing to couples, honeymooners and extended families looking for a unique, and very private, Balinese vacation.