Even though most of my work is in the magazine and book publishing fields, I also undertake some commercial work for advertising agencies, design houses and the like (time permitting!). Hotel and spa companies are encouraged to contact me, as I work closely with photographers, designers and printers to produce websites, brochures, leaflets, pamphlets and product information; and if copywriters are in short supply, I have the experience to create copy to suit a variety of clients.

FITCH DESIGN

This multi-disciplinary design consultancy, specialists in branding and communications, commissioned me to codify a writing style for a hotel company client that could be used in any of their future collateral (brochures/websites etc). The tone was to be conversational, intimate even, allowing readers/guests to get an idea of the brand through the tone of copy. It was a challenging project: I had to come up with key phrases, content, tone and style — all of which went into the client's Masterplan briefing.

  

 

 

BIOTROPICS

Biotropics, a Malaysian company that develops and promotes herbal-based products, commissioned me to write (or re-write) a series of papers they had in hand on Malaysiašs unique health traditions and rich biodiversity. As the papers were written by academics, anthropologists, scientists and botanists, they contained a plethora of information, but the style and tone was heavy, uninspiring and sometimes difficult to understand! Popularising the papers wasn't easy, but in the end the client went on to publish a book about the way that it combined state-of-the-art science with Malaysia's rich cultural heritage, using my texts.
Later I was commissioned to write the text for the company’s ramuan website. Click here to learn more about this fascinating subject.

 

 

 

Turning Point Travel

My job here was to work with CEO Don Siegel and his website designer to formulate the best way possible to promote this new travel company and its destinations. I liaised with both Don and his partners in Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet to produce straplines and texts that best encapsulate these exciting, unusual destinations. For a complete view, click here.

 

 

 

Glamour, Glitz and Legend: The South of France

ORIENT Luxury brand The Leading Hotels of the World commissioned me in December 2006 to write an in-a-nutshell roundup of the South of France’s attractions. Quite a difficult feat as I was only allocated 800 words! This was an exercise in restraint: too many superlatives would have exceeded the word count. Nonetheless, I manage to cover climate, topographical details, main tourist sites, hotels and restaurants, food, beverage — and of course some history of the famed Riviera.

    

 

 
Where Sea, Sand and Horizon Meet

ORIENT The official magazine for the British Chamber of Commerce, Orient, isn’t my usual epistolary venue, but hey . . . when they asked me to write about one of my favourite places on the planet, I wasn’t going to refuse. “Where Sea, Sand and Horizon Meet” is an exploration of the gorgeous Rayavadee Resort and Spa in Thailand’s Krabi province: more than a visual treat, it is a must-go venue for serious sybarites. Written for the October 2006 edition, this feature covers all the facilities at the resort.
    

 

 
Singapore Slings

ASIASPA This gorgeous glossy epitomizes the glamour of Asian spas, so putting together an assessment of Singapore¹s top spas for the magazine was hardly a hardship! Running in the November/December 2005 issue, it attempted to portray both the variety and the quality on offer: up-to-the-minute reporting for a discerning market.

   singapore slings   singapore slings

 

 

The New Journey to Business Excellence

FREQUENT TRAVELLER Aimed primarily at the corporate traveller, this magazine keeps readers up to date on new places for both travel and leisure. This feature showcased a holistic retreat hotel in Southwest Australia that specializes in a concept Moondance Lodge has termed '“corporate nourishment”. Explaining both the offering, and the gorgeous surrounds in which it is offered, and featuring interviews with past attendees, the article is both informative and atmospheric like the lodge itself.

   travelers   travelers

 

 
The At-Home Spa

QUILL Put together by one of Asia's oldest bookstores, MPH, Quill is the MPH members' logbook. Offering reviews of new books, as well as articles by authors and contributors, it covers a range of subjects from home improvement to travel and business. This two-pager in the December 2005 edition was a pre-Christmas stress buster: how to make your own at-home spa work for you during the hectic holiday season. Shopaholics took note!

   quill   quill

 

 
Little India

DESTINASIAN is Asia's leading travel and lifestyle magazine, and putting together an assessment of small heritage hotels in India for them was a joy. The only problem was deciding which gorgeous properties had to be excluded. This assignment, which ran in the March 2005 issue, is an informative travel article featuring interviews with some of India's top heritage hoteliers.

   

 

 
Radical Resorts

Bangkok is booming, so say design mavens, style aficionados and trendsetters worldwide. This feature in a 2004 issue of THE EXPAT assessed the new international architecture and interior design that is springing up from Bangkok to Phuket and Chiang Mai in the north.

    
Brit Hot: Food

THE EXPAT, a Singapore-based glossy aimed at the expatriate market, ran a special on the UK one month in 2004. I was commissioned to write an overview of London's vibrant food and beverage scene. Featuring interviews with some of the UK's gastropub owners, chefs and restaurateurs, it was a short, snappy assessment.

  
In the Neighbourhood

A mainstay in the magazine scene in Asia for decades, THE FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW was a weekly that had wonderful assessments of the entire region - economically, politically, in arts and entertainment, design, literature and more. In an in-depth section about Asian Interior Design and Architecture, specifically on the workplace, I wrote this assessment of an award-winning office design in Singapore.

 

 

 
Bali's Best

The OBEROI hotel chain's in-house magazine that is placed in every guest room in the Oberoi empire commission me from time to time on general interest features. This piece on "Shopping in Bali" was a fun guide to the Island of the Gods' more commercial side; with a listing of over 25 of Bali's best boutiques and homeware and design stores, it is intended for the serious shopper.

  
Look Good, Feel Good

An overview of alternative therapies appeared in the OBEROI magazine in 2004. A comprehensive assessment of Asian, and other, modalities, ranging from qi gong to meditation, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, this article mirrors the current trend of looking East for inspiration in health as well as other matters.

 

Jewels of India

DESTINASIAN A regular contributor to this leading travel mag, I was asked to do a succinct one-pager on my top six spas and health retreats in India. It was a tricky task as the choice is so extraordinary these days; so I decided to go for variety of offering and locale: an Ayurvedic retreat, a yoga ashram, and some gorgeous spas in areas as diverse as Rajasthan, Kerala and Goa.

  

 

 

A Glimpse into the Indian Spa

 SPA AUSTRALASIA Volume 32 of Australiašs leading spa business magazine(Spring 2008)commissioned me to write a round-up of the spa scene in India as they wanted to promote my book The Indian Spa, and because India is such a hot topic in the spa world these days. A pictorial treat, it outlines some of the rejuvenating, exotic rituals available in India today.