An exclusive interview with David Mak,Vice General Manager of Sanya Sunny Bay Development Co., Ltd.

As a tourist passing through Sanya, what are your unforgettable impressions?

As a resident, why do you love Sanya so deeply?

As a keen observer of Sanya, what fond memories from under the coconut trees can you share?

As a scholar of Sanya, what is it you admire about the blue sea and city’s character?

On the shore of the vast, mist-covered sea dotted with sailboats, how many footprints do you leave?

Secret fairyland

As our car entered the expressway in Hainan, the scenery dazzled our eyes. We are on our way to visit beautiful Sunny Bay and the recently opened “splendid pearl” of that area, the stunning Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort.

As we turn onto the private Sunny Bay Road, the picturesque, winding mountains on one side and the hypnotic, rhythmic sea on the other validate the road’s reputation as the most beautiful coastal route in China. Leaving the big city behind us, we zigzag our way along

the edge Yalong Bay, the only link between Sunny Bay and the outside world.

“It is an exploration to enter this amazing and magical land,” says Mr. David Mak, Vice General Manager of Sanya Sunny Bay Development Co., Ltd. “As you approach, you are enticed by brief glimpses of Sunny Bay, then it disappears and leaves you anxiously awaiting more. For me, this exploration is a metaphor for life. There are ups and downs and twists and turns, but with anticipation, persistence, and excitement you can ultimately reach your desired destination.”

As we reach the end of the road, we have arrived at the exclusive and unique Park Hyatt situated along the edge of the breathtaking bay. This hidden wonder is now clear before our eyes, surpassing our imagination. The doorman greets us and, with a broad smile, reminds us that after reaching the hotel through the private road the surprises will continue as our journey has only just begun.

The resort’s private white-sand beach with the blue sea and sky is breathtaking. The sweet, fresh fragrance of the ocean breeze is intoxicating.

Zen, a contradiction

Sunny Bay’s guiding principle is to build the world’s top coastal leisure tourism resort. The Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort has been created by Belgian designer Jean-Michel Gathy, known as the “Design Master” from the internationally renowned hotel design consultancy firm, Denniston. The post-modern style architectural complex, consisting of six independent buildings, is embraced on three sides by lush green hills and by the sea on the other.

Mr. Mak introduced us to the property and led us on our tour of the Resort. “Many people say that Park Hyatt has used minimalism to interpret the fusion of nature with modern science and technology,” said Mr. Mak. “I prefer to call it ‘the balance of contradictions’…classics and simplicity, natural landscape and an artificial lake, dreams and reality, and even Yin, Yang and the Eight Trigrams are all interpreted most beautifully here.”

“To allow guests to relax and enjoy the comfortable air, the core design philosophy is based on a close connection between nature and the buildings. An overlapping archway design concept has been adopted for the buildings, allowing for air to flow freely between the mountains and the sea. The overall design goes far beyond the traditional concept of a tropical location by perfectly integrating the European designers 30 years' experience living in Asia, with elements of traditional Oriental civilization, modern luxury and nature.” As we look forward, we note that the black granite used on the hotel’s façade and the unique luminescent glass presents the concept of Yin and Yang. “The sides facing the mountains are dark in color while the side facing the sea is light and bright. This all takes into account of the balance of yin and yang.”

“Protecting and accepting nature has also been successfully achieved by the hotel.” Sunny Bay is China’s most beautiful protected soft coral area, with underwater visibility exceeding 10 meters. The Baifu Bay nearby is also renowned as one of the top dive spots in China. “To keep its peace & beauty, we dropped the idea of building yacht port here.”

As we look around, we see the Yalong Bay mountain starts right behind us, with a huge white rock stands lofty and firm atop the 379 meter high mountain, looming in the clouds and mist.

Secluded private villas Private villas equipped with swimming pools and terraces have become commonplace at luxury hotels.

However, Mr. Mak told us that the Park Hyatt has also added a spectacular library and offers courses in local culture. Whether it is star gazing, a private barbecue or a fish market trip in the early morning, a personal steward will make proper arrangements for all of your activities. “These villas are our guests’ private seaside homes. We have deliberately abandoned the terraces in order to reduce the distance between guests and nature. As with all Park Hyatt hotels, we are devoted to providing delicate and meticulous personalized services, meeting the requirements of guests with good taste, warmth, thoughtfulness, consideration and carefulness, and creating a memorable experience for the guests here in Sanya.”

Stepping inside the hotel, the elegant interior decoration reflects a kind of Oriental grace. The artworks, paintings and sculptures inside the hotel have been thoughtfully and carefully selected to create multiple mixed visual effects. Throughout the wide walkways and winding corridors, you seem to step into a tranquil, meticulously curated art space demonstrating a unique understanding of the individual buildings.

In addition to the artworks, the hotel also has many water elements integrated into its design. There are waterscapes on the first, second and fifth floors, and the only heated indoor swimming pool in Hainan. “When designing and building the hotel, our aim was to connect the original beautiful landscape of Sunny Bay with our guests as closely as possible. Water is an element that can blend the structures and nature into one, which put forward some stringent requirements for the performance of the window and façade products of the buildings,” Mr. Mak noted as he moved towards the corridor and introduced us to the materials used throughout the property.

As the leading brand in the luxury hotel market, the Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort was very selective in choosing only the highest quality building materials. “We chose to work with Schüco because of its first-class reputation for high quality materials, advanced technology, style and attention to detail in the global luxury hotel and high-end housing markets, as well as its widely recognized high level of service.” The hotel design team agreed that only Schüco could give expression to the original design concept and requirements of the resort. From profile quality, air and water tightness, compression resistance to wind-resistance stability, the hotel received the top quality in its doors and windows. In fact, the products were baptized shortly after installation by a level 16 typhoon, with the result being that the newly installed doors and windows remained absolutely still, firm and reliable.

“Many windows of our resort are larger than the typical size,” noted Mr. Mak as he opened a window. “Many domestically sourced products did not meet the very high standards for strength and durability that we required for our building materials. I’m very pleased to see that Schüco products not only met our needs but also contributed to the style of the hotel.” As we talk, the silhouette of the blue sea and sky were reflected on the floor through the glittering windows, like nature itself without decoration. “I’m quite pleased that the Schüco products have successfully brought the beautiful scenery outdoors into the room.”

As a guest’s private mansion, the sense of space is essential. Mr. Mak shared with us that within the 70,000 square meter property, there are only 209 guest rooms, each with automatic full-view windows that give guests panoramic views of the charming seascape of Sanya.

Simplicity and randomness among grids

Exiting the corridor, we followed our guide into the resort’s library.

“While it may be common in foreign luxury hotels, in China a library room is not typically found,” said Mr. Mak as he opened a book on the desk. “We believe that the moments of reflection in one’s journey are of lasting appeal. Our guests may come here for some peaceful thinking or to read a relaxing book. We just hope to provide guests with such opportunities. Here in our library you can find solitude and get away from the urban jungle for some personal reflection and meditation.”

The library’s design reflects a modern sense of style with an oriental influence. The multi-colored wooden floor is matched with wooden decorative walls. The overall tone looks elegant and dignified. When the sun lights up the library through the floor to ceiling full-height windows, a special kind of isolated space is created. We are at once attracted by the grilles within the windows. The well-proportioned grille, mainly grayish-white in color, is impressive and elegant, adding a purpose to the quiet library. “I worry that simplicity in design can be turned into unthoughtful crudeness,” shares Mr. Mak. Indeed, it is frequently the attention to minute details that determines the success or failure of modern architecture. Because of this, Mr. Mak spoke of the success of his relationship with Schüco with great enthusiasm and interest.

“In European and Thai architectural styles, complex lines can add interesting and fun elements to a building. However, this style requires unique and rigorous elements for construction, design and products. In the process of our collaboration with Schüco, their team not only provided regular consultation, design and after-sales services, but also made valuable suggestions for improvement on the overall style and proportion of the building, which is indeed rare and commendable.” Ahead of us we see the façade grille with its proportional golden sections. The sense of design among grilles and between grilles and windows perfectly integrates the façade, building and interior decoration, without any sense of embedding or substitution in the continuity. “The look is light, comfortable and unique. This is one of the outstanding values of Schüco products.”

Each Park Hyatt property is built at one of the world’s prime real estate locations and has distinct characteristics and positioning, making each resort all-embracing, distinctive, refined and exquisite, and providing guests with unprecedented, amazing and graceful modern luxury. At the Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay, every corner of the resort is designed to allow guests to enjoy the intoxicatingly beautiful scenery that surrounds them. Each window and grille has been meticulously designed for guests to enjoy the most beautiful coastal landscape in China.

“A truly luxurious experience will remain in people’s hearts; it is precious memories pieced together with every space, every element, every window and every surprise. The Park Hyatt Sanya Sunny Bay Resort aims to provide such memories for its guests,” commented Mr. Mak on the operating philosophy of the hotel. “With our guests, we remember each of their wishes and expectations, no matter how minor they may be.”

Here, when you wake up, the first ray of sunshine and the first breath of the gentle sea breeze is like a dream.

Here, you will meet the most stylish Sanya.

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Notes for editors

Schüco – System solutions for windows, doors and façades

Together with its worldwide network of partners, architects, specifiers and investors, Schüco creates sustainable building envelopes which focus on people and their needs in harmony with nature and technology. The highest demands for design, comfort and security can be met, whilst simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions through energy efficiency, thereby conserving natural resources. The company and its Metal and PVC-U divisions deliver tailored products for newbuilds and renovations, designed to meet individual user needs in all climate zones. With 4800 employees and 12,000 partner companies, Schüco is active in 78 countries and achieved a turnover of 1.5 billion euros in 2013. For more information, visit www.schueco.com