AYANA Resort and Spa Bali is pleased to announce the appointment of two new Directors in the Sales & Marketing Division, following its rebranding in April this year.

Melinda Kusnadi has been appointed Director of Sales, while Yoan Irma has been appointed Director of Weddings. The resort has also appointed a new Russian Guest Relations Officer, Aleksandra Vereshchagina, to provide personal concierge service for Russian-speaking guests.

Melinda, who speaks her mother tongue Indonesian as well as English, German and Dutch, joins the resort from the Marriott International Group where she was Director of Sales at three properties: Jakarta, Singapore and Medan, from 2005-2009. At AYANA, she will oversee the global sales strategy with personal responsibility for the Australian market, answering to Sales & Marketing Director Haryadi Satriono.

The Australian-educated Yoan brings a wealth of event planning and wedding expertise to the resort, having previously held senior positions with Bali-based events company M&M Innovation Concepts and the Conrad Bali Resort & Spa’s weddings team. She will oversee all non-Japanese weddings at AYANA, and use her creative flair and in-depth knowledge of the market to introduce new wedding services and packages.

“I am delighted to welcome these ladies to our team,” said Haryadi. “They bring the right combination of experience, creativity and service to ensure AYANA remains competitive, while offering unrivaled value for our guests.”

Yoan, who completed Hospitality Management at Martin College, Sydney, and a Bachelor of International Business Management at Charles Sturt University, said she was attracted to joining AYANA’s team because of its reputation as Bali’s premier destination for weddings and honeymoons.

“AYANA is known to offer secluded and intimate Bali wedding venues with a variety of unique services, starting from dedicated wedding planners to being the only resort in Bali to provide the ultimate fantasy of a horse-and-carriage arrival or departure,” Yoan said. “Our Wedding professionals assist with everything from planning the wedding to creating the dinner menu, choosing décor and flower arrangements, entertainment, hair and make-up, and fulfilling the documentation requirements of Indonesia. We are committed to ensuring a fuss-free wedding for the couple, who can relax and enjoy the most memorable day of their lives!”

Melinda said she was similarly interested in working for AYANA because of its reputation as one of south-east Asia’s premier destination resorts.

“It’s not every day you get an opportunity to work for a property like AYANA, with so many unique selling points,” she said. “We have 77 hectares of cliff-top land, a 1.3 kilometer coastline, 13 F&B venues, a world-class spa, Aquatonic Pool, Spa on the Rocks treatment villas, 6 distinct and private wedding venues, 78 private villas, a 290-room hotel, extensive conference facilities, and of course the new Rock Bar. This is a dream job!”

Their appointments follow the resort’s rebranding on 1 April this year. Previously known as The Ritz-Carlton, Bali Resort & Spa, the expansive cliff-top property overlooking Jimbaran Bay was reborn as AYANA, the Sanskrit word for ‘place of refuge’. Now an independent hotel under the same ownership, it is managed by US-based West Paces Hotel Group, which was founded by Horst Schulze, a former president of The Ritz-Carlton Group and founding member of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. The West Paces Hotel Group also manages its own luxury brands, Capella and Solis.

While AYANA retained the vast majority of its 950 staff following the rebranding, it appointed a new senior management team from West Paces. The General Manager is Charles de Foucault, a veteran hotelier with more than 30 years’ experience, including a distinguished background in hotel openings and strong credentials in food and beverage. He spent 17 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company during which he opened numerous resorts from the ground up, as well as led the re-branding of the The Ritz-Carlton Bahrain & Spa after its changeover from Le Royal Meridien Bahrain. Most recently, he opened the Leela Kempinski in New Delhi, India before serving as General Manager of the Leela Palace Kempinski in Bangalore.