News
Aonang Princeville Villa Resort & Spa Achieves Accreditation through GBAC® STAR / GHA WellHotel Program
February 10, 2022
Thailand-based Aonang Princeville Villa Resort & Spa has now earned both GBAC® STAR Facility Accreditation from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council® (GBAC), a Division of ISSA, and Global Healthcare Accreditation (GHA). This means the property is the first in the world to achieve GBAC® STAR / GHA WellHotel® for Medical Travel and Well-being, which ensure hotels comply with cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention standards, as well as customer experience and safety protocols specific to the needs and expectation of medical travel and wellness guests.
“Travelers are increasingly considering the ways in which hotels are keeping guests safe ahead of booking their stays,” said Patricia Olinger, executive director, GBAC. “Third-party verification of a property’s health and safety protocols gives guests confidence that these businesses are prepared to manage biorisks.”
According to the Wellness Tourism Association’s 2021 Wellness Travel Consumer Survey, which polled 2,500 consumers from 52 countries and territories, the top offering respondents rated as extremely important was a “certified and safe hotel environment.” The GBAC® STAR / GHA WellHotel Program aligns GHA’s WellHotel program with GBAC® STAR, the cleaning industry’s only outbreak prevention, response, and recovery accreditation. The virtual accreditation is performance-based and requires documentation for 38 elements, including cleaning and disinfection chemicals; goals, objectives, and targets related to guest satisfaction for medical travel and wellness guests; audits and inspections; and emergency planning and response.
“We have seen travelers’ expectations evolve during the pandemic,” said Karen Timmons, CEO, GHA. “As we move past the pandemic, there is growing evidence that travelers will increasingly look for validation of safety, cleanliness and guest experience before booking a trip. The GBAC® STAR / GHA WellHotel Accreditation helps build guest trust in your brand by ensuring hotels comply with recognized industry-wide hotel cleaning and sanitation standards, as well as customer experience and safety protocols specific to the needs and expectations of medical travel and wellness guests. I would like to congratulate Aonang Princeville Villa Resort and Spa on achieving GBAC® STAR Facility accreditation and becoming the first hotel in the world to achieve the joint GBAC® STAR / GHA WellHotel Accreditation for Medical Travel and Well-being.”
Aonang Princeville Villa Resort & Spa is a four-star boutique resort on the beachfront of Aonang, Thailand along the Andaman Sea. The resort provides several wellness activities and services designed to help guests achieve their mental and physical health goals. In addition to wellness, Aonang Princeville Villa focuses on sustainability and attracts environmentally-conscious tourists from around the world to take part in environmental restoration projects.
“Our resort is incredibly proud to offer an environment that helps guests maintain or improve their wellbeing and health,” said Khun Kusuma Kinglek, CEO, Aonang Princeville VillaResort & Spa. “Because wellness is at the core of our business, it was only natural for us to pursue and achieve the requirements of the GBAC® STAR / GHA WellHotel for Medical Travel and Well-being programs.”
Learn more and apply for GBAC® STAR Accreditation at gbac.org/star. Apply for joint GBAC® STAR/ GHA WellHotel Accreditation at wellhotel.org.
Find accredited facilities and those pursuing accreditation via the GBAC® STAR Facility Directory at gbac.org/directory.
About GHA
Global Healthcare Accreditation® (GHA) is an innovative accreditation body with specialized foci in medical and wellness travel, safety, and well-being. Founded in September of 2016, GHA’s initial purpose as an independent accrediting body centered on improving the patient experience for medical travelers and supporting healthcare providers in validating quality, increasing visibility, and implementing a sustainable business model for medical travel. Since then, GHA has developed a variety of programs covering the entire spectrum of the care continuum and offers certification and accreditation for stakeholders in all aspects of health and wellbeing. For more information about GHA, visit www.ghaccreditation.com.
