Kiwi hotel boss Gavin Faull expands Swiss-Belhotel with two new resorts in Bali

On July 16, the business opened a second hotel, the four-star Ashva Swiss-Belresort 5km away, priced at US$63 to US$186/night, Faull said.

That second hotel is much larger with 94 rooms accessed off multi-level open walkways where rooms face a river, overlooking the rice paddy fields.

The Ashva Swiss-Belresort Ubud, in Bali, is surrounded by outdoor terrace pools. Photo / Swiss-Belresort

The hotel is aimed at being a respite from the noise, bustle and dense traffic of the highly congested area.

Faull said the area’s rising popularity drew the business there.

Gavin Faull (left) with son Matthew Faull at the popular Tegalalang Rice Terraces, Ubud, Bali. The Faull family has opened two new hotels in the area. Photo / Anne Gibson

The Faull family owns the Swiss-Belhotel International business with Tam, joining in 1999 to take over an international hospitality management group.

Back then, it had just three hotels.

The Faull family owns 100% of the hotel business outside Indonesia.

Gavin Faull at the new Māua Olea Ubud hotel, Bali, Indonesia.

Swiss-Bel now has 170 hotels in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

Faull said the Māua Olea is near some of Ubud’s most popular attractions, including the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary.

The site was chosen partly because it is off a main road, resulting in a quiet place, yet within close proximity of major attractions, which also include the Agung Rai Museum of Art.

The new hotel, Ashva Swiss-Belresort Ubud, opened on July 16, 2026. Photo / Anne Gibson

The larger new riverside Ashva hotel is flanked by curved multilevel outdoor pools on its lower levels, facing the river.

That hotel is 3km from the popular Tegalalang Rice Terrace, a Unesco World Heritage site visited by thousands daily.

Swiss-Belhotel does not own either of the two new hotel properties, Faull said.

Instead, it has long-term management contracts with the owners to run them.

Māua Olea Ubud, a new hotel in Bali, opened in early June 2026. Photo / Swiss-Belhotel

Both new hotels were developed by Indonesian-based companies with which Faull has worked previously.

Agreements are struck via a memorandum of understanding between the Swiss-Bel business and the property owners who lease the properties.

There were good reasons for investing in that area, he said.

Ubud was known as the cultural heart of Bali and for its lush landscapes and wellness retreats.

The central pool at the new Māua Olea Ubud hotel, which opened in early June, 2026. Photo / Swiss-Belhotel International

So it was important for the business to continue to expand there, he said.

“We are now employing about 15,000 staff in 20 countries,” Faull, 78, originally from Taranaki, said.

At breakfast in the new Kōwhai Restaurant in the Māua Olea, he told of expansion plans, particularly at the luxury end of the market.

At the Māua Olea, large villas with their own private in-ground swimming pools in enclosed courtyards are priced from US$150 to US$250/night, depending on the time of year.

Edward (from left), Oliver and Matthew Faull with their parents Gavin and Carol Faull, pictured around 2024/2025. The family owns the Swiss-Belhotel International hotel business and Faull Farms in Taranaki. Photo / Swiss-Belhotel International

Faull would like to see rates go higher, but noted that the weakness of the Rupiah made such hotels globally affordable.

Most trade is from Indonesia, but also comes from other surrounding Asian, Australasian and European destinations.

Faull’s three sons are all executive directors and senior vice-presidents.

They have big roles in the business and each worked outside the chain before joining it.

Auckland-based Oliver Faull, a chartered accountant, had worked in New York and had a group finance role with the giant UK-based Carphone Warehouse. He is the head of Australia and New Zealand.

Jakarta-based Matthew Faull, who has a computer science degree from the University of Auckland, previously worked in Russia, the Philippines and Japan. He is head of information technology, e-commerce and distribution.

Auckland, Jakarta and Vietnam-based Edward Faull has a background in construction. He worked as a civil engineer for about 10 years, initially here, then in Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong. He is head of construction for the group.

Gavin Faull estimated each of the rooms at the luxurious Māua Olea is worth about US$500,000.

That puts a potential value of US$16 million on that new hotel.

Before the July 16 Asha opening, Faull toured rooms with management staff.

A big Bali welcome – television screens in each room of the new Ashva Swiss-Belresort Ubud welcomed the boss, Gavin Faull. Photo / Anne Gibson

As a welcome gesture, the staff had projected profiles featuring their suited president on each room’s TV screen.

To Faull, that was a surprising yet delightful example of the dedication of staff who show deference but also warmth towards the Kiwi family and its global reach.

“They get it,” he concluded of their approach to hospitality.

Anne Gibson visited Bali as a guest of Swiss-Belhotel International.

Anne Gibson has been the Herald’s property editor for 26 years, written books and covered property extensively here and overseas.

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