Origins

The journey begins

Banyan Tree Holdings began in 1984 with the purchase of 222 hectares of land on the site of an abandoned tin mine at Bang Tao Bay in Phuket, Thailand.

Heavily polluted and considered a wasteland, it required a thorough soil remediation to be safe for public use. After an extensive clean-up and planting over 7,000 trees, the site opened as Laguna Phuket.

Timeline of Banyan Tree Group
Angsana LAguna Phuket
1984
Laguna Resorts and Hotels, a Banyan Tree Holdings subsidiary, acquires over 550 acres of abandoned tin mine land at Bang Tao Bay, Phuket, Thailand.
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1987
With extensive site rehabilitation completed, Laguna Phuket, Asia’s first destination-integrated resort, is opened.
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1990
Architrave, our in-house architecture and design arm, is established in Thailand and Singapore.
laguna golf phuket hole
1992
Laguna Phuket Golf Club opened, and Laguna Childcare Centre is established for education and community engagement. Laguna Phuket won the American Express and International Hotel Association Environmental Award for remediating a toxic site.
spa massage aerial vertical
1994
Banyan Tree Hotels & Resorts is launched with the holistic ethos: “Embracing the Environment, Empowering People”. Our flagship luxury resort, Banyan Tree Phuket, opens in Laguna Phuket with the first Banyan Tree Spa.
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1996
In the year the Banyan Tree Gallery is established to support artisanal communities, we also launched Laguna Bintan, our first project in Indonesia and second destination-integrated resort in Asia.
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2000
The Angsana brand is born with the opening of Angsana Bintan in Indonesia. Combining local chic with a fun-filled atmosphere, Angsana was designed to bring the adventure back into travel.
BT ringha ox land
2001
The Green Imperative Fund is launched to formalise our sustainability efforts, alongside The Banyan Tree Spa Academy. The first of its kind in Asia, the Academy trains therapists’ skills and the spa industry as a whole.
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2004
The first resort-based research facility in the Maldives, Banyan Tree Maldives Marine Lab, is established to focus on conservation.
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2005
Banyan Tree Ringha opens in the mountains of Yunnan, marking our first foray into China.
anji white tea picking tour
2006
To coincide with the Banyan Tree Holdings Limited debut on the Singapore Stock Exchange, we publish our first Sustainability Report, ahead of our time in corporate reporting and transparency.
Aerial view
2007
Bintan Conservation Lab begins operations in Indonesia to support environmental research, conservation, restoration, and awareness.
laguna phuket
2008
Banyan Tree Management Academy is launched, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to internal talent development.
laguna phuket kindergarden
2009
Banyan Tree Global Foundation, the Group’s non-profit arm, becomes an integral part of our management framework.
banyan tree lang co golf course
2013
Laguna Lăng Cô, our first project in Vietnam and third destination-integrated resort in Asia, opens its doors.
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2014
We launch our third brand, Cassia, to tap into the growing demand for extended-stay, lifestyle hotel residences.
dhawa cayo santa maria
2015
With Cassia expanding into Phuket, Thailand, our fourth brand, Dhawa, is launched to meet contemporary travellers’ demand for affordable and design-inspired full-service hotels. Banyan Tree Spa, meanwhile, enters the TTG Hall of Fame as Best Spa Operator.
matter prints 5241
2016
In another eventful year, Dhawa opens in Cayo Santa Maria, Cuba, while we enter a strategic long-term partnership with AccorHotels to develop and manage Banyan Tree-branded hotels, and welcome MATTER Prints, a textile-based artisan brand, to Banyan Tree Gallery.
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2017
A joint venture with China Vanke is formed to focus on active ageing and wellness hospitality. Banyan Tree Essentials is re-launched with natural, responsibly sourced body and aromatherapy products. We align our sustainability efforts with UN Sustainable Development Goals and stakeholder-inclusive materiality framework. Work begins on an eco-friendly resort at Mandai, Singapore, the first Banyan Tree in the country.
banyan tree hangzhou
2019
Banyan Tree Group celebrates its 25th Anniversary, Banyan Tree Marine Lab Maldives’ 15th Anniversary, and Banyan Tree Global Foundation’s 10th Anniversary.
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2020
Banyan Tree Holdings issues Convertible Bonds, as well as forming a joint venture with Htoo Hospitality to manage all its hotels and a hospitality school in Myanmar. Banyan Tree Global Foundation inaugurates Greater Good Grants to support external environmental and community projects, in alignment with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
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2021
We launch Banyan Tree’s Wellbeing Sanctuary, announce Buahan, a Banyan Tree Escape, and join Expedia Group in the UNESCO Sustainable Travel Pledge. We also expand our ecosystem of brands with Homm, Garrya, Folio, Banyan Tree Escape and Banyan Tree Veya.