Facilities and accommodation providers both cater to the needs of medical travellers, but the relationship is still tentative
Check-up and check in
With medical travel creating a buzz as Asia-Pacific’s current “sunrise
industry”, a growing number of accommodation providers are beginning to
take notice. Many visitor-patients would rather recuperate in less
hospital-like surroundings, after all, and since most are escorted on
their travels by a family member or companion, the medical-travel
industry presents significant opportunities for the hospitality sector.
Despite
the obvious synergies between health facilities and hotels and serviced
apartments, interviews IMTJ conducted with players from both sides in
different regional markets revealed varying stages of initiatives and
success. Like the medical-travel industry itself, this area of business
is evolving daily as entities size up each other’s needs and determine
long-term benefits. Here is the state of play in some key markets.
Manila
“We’re
definitely open to the idea, but so far we have no formal agreement
with anybody,” is how Dr Jack Arroyo, president of the American Eye
Center in the Ortigas district of Metro Manila sums up its relationship
with accomodation providers. The centre attracts patients from Hong
Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore and Guam and the US (mostly Filipino
immigrants) eager to undergo LASIK eye surgery, and Arroyo says the
12-year-old centre has performed about 30,000 such procedures.
There
are a number of reasons for the lack of formal agreements. Chiefly,
Lasik results are, on the whole, quickly apparent, so foreign patients
need only stay overnight, and barring any complications, can fly off
the next day. Located in the bustling Shangri-La Plaza mall, the centre
is ringed by several hospitality providers, the nearest being the
adjacent EDSA Shangri-La, while the Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Linden
Suites and Richmonde Hotel are only minutes away. The centre, however,
charges only for the operation, citing price competition as a
disincentive to package the operation with accommodation.
“Since
business is very competitive, margins are thin,” says Arroyo. “We are
satisfied with the fee (about US$1,477 for both eyes) that we charge,
because the volume makes up for things. It’s really up to the travel
agent to add their mark-up.“ Arroyo also points out that, at present,
“we’re the ones who inform patients about the nearby hotels. We’re
getting nothing for this”.
Lourdes Juco and Cecile Weber, sales and
marketing directors of the Makati Shangri-La and EDSA Shangri-La
respectively, say that following the Department of Tourism’s directive
last year to go after medical travellers, the Shangri-La hotels
launched packages targeting them, but response has been slow. Juco
observes: “We know there are guests who come for check-ups and
treatments, but they haven’t availed themselves of our offer, nor do
they tell us they’re here for medical purposes.”
Weber adds: “Even
if the hospitals recommend us, many of the patients usually prefer to
make their own arrangements, especially the balikbayans [overseas
Filipinos], who would rather stay with their relatives. If they’re
booked by travel agents, the travel agents do not inform us that they
are medical tourists.”
EDSA Shangri-La, however, isn’t deterred by
the lukewarm reaction to its promotions and will continue to market in
this direction. Weber says, “We want these travellers, since they are
known to stay longer and spend more in the hotel.”
In fact, the
EDSA Shangri-La plans to expand the definition of medical tourism to
include the wellness component, capitalising on the opening this month
of its new Chi Spa (see box, page 65), a brand that has been
successively rolled out across the Shangri-La network. Besides Chi’s
signature Tibetan therapies, local techniques such as hilot (the
ancient Filipino art of relaxing stressed muscles) and dagdagay
(traditional foot bath using rattan or bamboo sticks) will star in the
menu. Six rooms in the hotel’s Garden Wing have been designated as Chi
guestrooms, their interiors described as “nirvana-like” to mirror the
spa’s philosophy.
Dr Eugene Ramos, director, medical management and
services development unit of the brand-new Medical City, also in the
Ortigas area, stresses that an accommodation provider or travel agent
seeking a relationship with the hospital “needs to understand our
position and how we market ourselves”.
“There shouldn’t be any
discrepancies between our values and their values – and that is to
understand the needs and wants of the patients as well as the nature of
the procedure,” he says. “Due to the nature of their stay, they cannot
be charged on a daily basis.”
Cebu
In Cebu City, the
Philippines’ second gateway, the Cebu Doctors’ Hospital – a network of
five facilities – has been vigorously laying the groundwork for medical
travel. Hospital administrator Oscar Tuason, who has visited the
facilities of India’s Apollo Group and Bangkok’s Bumrungrad
International Hospital, is confident his city will be able to compete
on the world stage. “Our strength lies in Lasik eye surgery, executive
check-ups and heart surgery,” he says. “In the last year, we received a
lot of enquiries. The Canadians, especially, came with requests
focusing on cosmetic procedures and Lasik. And we’ll be doing kidney
transplants soon.” Markets such as Europe, the US, Japan and Korea
continue to provide a steady stream of patients.
Cebu Doctors’
enjoys close links with major resorts on Mactan Island such as
Shangri-La, Plantation Bay and White Sands and the Cebu Midtown and
Marriott downtown, although Tuason admits that during peak holiday
periods, securing rooms can be a challenge. A Korean travel agent is,
in fact, in talks with White Sands at Maribago Beach on Mactan to
allocate an entire wing for groups. “And White Sands is willing,”
Tuason reports.
Patients, he explains, can be quite fussy when
choosing a place to recover. “Beach resorts, such as those on Mactan
Island, win out because these are close to the water – that matters a
lot to the convalescent, as well as seeing a lot of greenery and
vegetation.” Tuason observes that their partner properties were
handling the needs of medical-travel guests very professionally, citing
the presence of on-site dieticians and nutritionists. “But perhaps some
of the staff could undergo additional emergency training such as CPR.”
In
three years’ time, Cebu Doctors’ intends to add a leisure property to
its hospital in Naga City, a 45-minute drive south of Cebu. “This will
develop into a sort of retirement-resort complex,” says Tuason, adding
it will mostly likely cater to Japanese pensioners.
Charging hotels
for referrals is still not in Cebu Doctors’ mindset, as it believes in
generating income from volume. “We’re not greedy,” Tuason reasons.
“We’re just happy sending patients to establishments where they will be
looked after, and we can also provide a caregiver who will attend to
the medical traveller from the time he or she steps foot in Cebu to the
post-op recovery period, even if that takes place in a resort. We can
even offer a corporate discount to groups we work with.”
New Delhi
In
India, tight room supply in cities such as the capital New Delhi is
hampering initiatives between health facilities and hotels from
developing further. Sanjay Rai, director of sales and marketing of Max
Healthcare, points to “the astronomical rates hotels are quoting” as a
rising deterrent to medical travel. “How do you expect travellers,
especially those on a budget, to afford such prices?” he asks.
“There
has to be a paradigm shift in hoteliers’ thinking. Ultimately, the
medical traveller spends comparably with, if not more than, the
business traveller, being confined to the hotel. Room tariffs simply
have to come down to get this market to see value in coming here and
getting treated at our hospitals.”
Benita Sharma, general manager of
Sheraton New Delhi and one of Max Healthcare’s partners, says that the
real secret of a successful tie-up with a medical facility is staff who
are responsive to the patients’ needs. “Our chefs are well versed
in handling any dietary requirement. The staff has had training in
basic first aid, and since Max is only minutes away, they can be rushed
there.
“We are also equipped with rooms with hard floors, wheelchairs and oxygen cylinders. There’s also a doctor on 24-hour standby.”
But
all that medical expertise and preparation by hotels would be useless,
says Sharma, if world trust in India’s ability to treat and cure
according to international standards is not strengthened. “If quality
healthcare can be had at a lower price, and with the same facilities,
that would matter a lot to people. However confidence [in India] will
take a while. What’s needed is a major marketing campaign to bolster
our credibility.”
Bangkok
Bangkok hospitals, recognised
pioneers in the medical- travel industry, continue to focus on what
they do best – providing healthcare services – and only occasionally
get involved in ensuring accommodation arrangements are to their
patients’ liking.
Phyathai Hospital is an example, with its current
Medical Leisure package (see box opposite), whose non-medical elements
cover transfers and accommodation arrangements and leisure activities
thrown in. Bangkok International Hospital has an arrangement with the
airport-limousine company to provide transport from the hospital (see
box opposite) but subcontracts travel otherwise. It also operates its
own serviced residences, called the BMC (Bangkok Medical Center), with
38 units.
Two accommodation providers that caught on early to the
potential of medical travel and responded to it were the JW Marriott
Bangkok and the Ascott Group (which is the operator of serviced
residence brands Ascott, Somerset and the newly introduced Citadines).
The
JW,
a 10-minute walk from Bumrungrad International Hospital, Thailand’s
first JCI-accredited hospital, has been welcoming frequent visitors
from Hong Kong and Singapore, incorporating check-ups and procedures
into their shopping weekends. Says Nick Tse, former JW resident
manager and now general manager of Courtyard by Marriott Bangkok, “They
usually stay two to three days. The check-up takes only about half a
day, with results available on the same day, if not the next.”
The
Middle East market, which represents big business for the hotel,
lingers between seven and 14 days, making the most of the long trip
from its part of the world, interspersing medical treatments with
serious retail therapy. The spa, swimming pool and suites that connect
to other rooms are amenities that rank high with these travellers, who
most often travel as a family. According to Tse, they prefer exploring
Bangkok and enjoying the hotel amenities rather than flying south to
Phuket to try JW’s sister properties there, the JW Marriott and
Renaissance.
Ascott has gone the extra mile to register all
long-stay guests billeted in any Ascott, Somerset and Citadines
property with Bangkok’s BNH Hospital as well provide other privileges.
These, says Celina Low, vice-president, corporate communications –
brand & marketing, Ascott International Management, include the
services of a registered nurse or doctor to help manage any existing
medical condition of the clients when travelling from the airport to an
Ascott property, preliminary health screening at the Health Kiosk
located in the lobby and advice from the health advisor who can clarify
the various health packages available to the resident (see box
opposite).
Supap Sirins, general manager of Marriott Executive
Apartments, adds that a serviced residence has the obvious advantage of
space over a regular hotel room or suite, especially for an individual
who is recovering from a procedure: “Some desire the privacy and being
able to cook when they want to.”
Singapore
Traditionally, hotels
in the Lion City set their caps for corporate and leisure clientele.
Now, it is medical travel that is keeping them busy, repositioning for
this niche, scouring for fresh partnerships and fine-tuning their
products and services to suit new demands. Mei Ling Tan, director of
marketing and business development, Sheraton Towers, admits that since
this field is a new one, “but a growing one”, they are still exploring
which medical facilities to approach.
Sheraton’s quiet location
just off bustling Orchard Road is, says Tan, one of the prime reasons
patients choose the hotel, something she says they will emphasise in
future promotional material.
Sonny Ang, area director of sales
& marketing for InterContinental (Singapore, Cambodia, Indonesia
and the Maldives), is responsible for the InterContinental Singapore,
close to Raffles Hospital in the Bugis Junction area. The hotel aims to
work with the hospital to promote a wellness package aimed at expats
based in China, Vietnam and Cambodia. “While Singapore may be more
expensive for check-ups than Manila or Bangkok,” says Ang, “the quality
of service and world-class technology is the big draw.”
Traders
Hotel, Shangri-La’s mid-range tier, is only a short taxi ride from
Camden Medical Centre and Gleneagles Hospital, while next door is
Tanglin Mall with its specialist and holistic clinics. According to
Tracy Ng, the property’s sales and marketing director, medical visitors
stay from three to five days for appointments or longer if surgery and
subsequent recuperation is required. Ramps located at the hotel’s
entrance, restaurant and health club help convalescents move with ease
around the premises.
Traders’ sizeable swimming pool and spa help
create a resort feel, and having the adjacent mall (featuring an
excellent supermarket) is a big bonus. “This makes it easier for them
to pick up sundries or over-the-counter supplies,” Ng says. The three
“wheelchair-accessible” guestrooms also come in handy if prescribed,
and these come with the toilet facilities to match and an “emergency
help” button.
While some staff are trained to dispense basic first
aid, they also know to alert nearby Gleneagles Hospital, which has
paramedics available for more serious matters.
Far East
Hospitality – with six properties scattered throughout the city,
including one in Changi Village – can certainly cater to medical
guests. Five of its hotels: the Elizabeth, Golden Landmark, Changi
Village Hotel, Orchard Hotel and Albert Court – are near hospitals such
as Mount Elizabeth, Gleneagles, Raffles and Changi General. Patients
can choose to either walk to their appointments or take a taxi.
By Margie T Logarta
