Karma Group is an international

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

and

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...

company owned by English

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...

and

hotelier A hotel manager, hotelier, or lodging manager is a person who manages the operation of a hotel, motel, resort, or other lodging-related establishment. Management of a hotel operation includes, but is not limited to: management of hotel staff, b ...

, John Spence. it operates 44 properties worldwide. Its first property, Karma Royal Beach Club, opened in

South Goa South Goa district is one of two districts that together constitute the state of Goa, India, within the region known as the Konkan. It is bounded by North Goa district to the north, while the Arabian Sea forms its western coast. It ranks among t ...

in 1993.

History

British-born John Spence (born 23 February 1961)Spence founded the company Royal Resorts in 1993. The group's first property was purchased in

Goa Goa (; ; ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

on the west coast of India. The company sold fractional ownership in these Goa properties directly to India's middle class, then to affluent expatriate Indians living in Dubai and Oman. Royal Resorts then expanded and built more properties in the region, firstly under the Royal Resorts brand in Indonesia, (Karma Royal

Candidasa Candi Dasa, or often Candidasa is a seaside town on the eastern cost of Bali that rests on the edge of a fresh water lagoon, named Candi Dasa Lagoon. The town is centred around ''Jalan Raya Candida'', where a number of hotels, restaurants, and s ...

, Karma Royal

Jimbaran Jimbaran (Balinese script: ᬚᬶᬫ᭄ᬩᬭᬦ᭄) is an Indonesian fishing village and tourist resort in southern Bali, administered under South Kuta District of Badung Regency. Located south of Ngurah Rai International Airport at the "neck" ...

, Karma Royal Sanur) in the late 90s, and then under the Karma Resorts brand with the first property, Karma Jimbaran, opening on the island of Bali in 2005. By the end of the 1990s, the company had opened 70 sales offices worldwide. In 2003, the group launched the Karma Resorts brand. The company continued to add properties to its portfolio, notably in Greece (

Crete Crete ( ; , Modern Greek, Modern: , Ancient Greek, Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the List of islands by area, 88th largest island in the world and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fifth la ...

and

Mykonos Mykonos (, ; ) is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island has an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. At the 2021 census, there were 10,704 inhabitants, most of ...

), Indonesia (

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

Lombok Lombok, is an island in West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east. It is rou ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

), India (

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

and

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

), Germany (

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

), France (

St Tropez Saint-Tropez ( , ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Southern France. It is west of Nice and east of Marseille, on the French Riviera, of which it is one of the best-known towns. In 2018, S ...

and

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

), and the

Isles of Scilly The Isles of Scilly ( ; ) are a small archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall, England. One of the islands, St Agnes, Isles of Scilly, St Agnes, is over farther south than the most southerly point of the Great Britain, British mainla ...

(si-lee). In 2008, Karma Kandara was opened in the south of Bali with 78 Infinity Pool Villas and private beach. In 2013, Karma acquired the Cote D'Azur chateau Le Preverger, once the home of UK designer

Laura Ashley Laura Ashley (née Mountney; 7 September 1925 – 17 September 1985) was a Welsh fashion designer and businesswoman. She originally made furnishing materials in the 1950s, expanding the business into clothing design and manufacture in the 1960s ...

. In 2014, Spence acquired the rights for Karma Rottnest on

Rottnest Island Rottnest Island (), often colloquially referred to as "Rotto", is a Islands of Perth, Western Australia, island off the coast of Western Australia, located west of Fremantle. A sandy, low-lying island formed on a base of aeolianite limestone, ...

, West Australia, off the coast of

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, and managed it until it was handed back to the WA Government in 2022. Karma Resorts sponsored the Rottnest Channel Swim and were naming sponsors from 2015 to 2018. In 2017, Karma Group entered into an agreement with Sanctum Hotels Group as part of a five-year plan to expand the Group's holdings to 60 resorts. In 2018, Karma Group opened new resorts in Thailand (Karma Apsara) and Vietnam (Karma Song Hoia). In 2019, it announced the opening of Karma Sitabani, in the

Jim Corbett National Park Jim Corbett National Park is a national park in India located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand state. The first national park in India, it was established in 1936 during the British Raj and named ''Hailey National Park'' after Willi ...

, part of the Corbett Tiger Reserve, in

Uttarakhand Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the n ...

in Northern India. In December 2020, the company acquired Salford Hall (in the

Cotswolds The Cotswolds ( ) is a region of central South West England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper River Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and the Vale of Evesham. The area is defined by the bedroc ...

, England), near Stratford on Avon, which dates back to 1487. In 2021, Karma Group expanded its operations in Spain by acquiring real estate in Andalusia. In 2022 the company acquired Lake of Menteith Hotel in Stirlingshire, expanding its operations to Scotland. In 2022 the group expanded to include Karma Munnar (

Munnar Munnar () is a town located in the Idukki district of the southwestern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. This ancient plantat ...

, India), Karma Lake of Menteith (

Stirling Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...

, Scotland). In 2022, Karma Group took control of a Nile River Boat, Karma Karnak, which provides Nile cruises for its members. In 2023, land-based accommodation in Sharm El Sheik was also acquired, called Karma Sobek. In 2023, Karma Group revived Karma Margaret River resort and added Karma Martam Retreat (

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

, India). In 2023, Karma Kandara was extended with the Mentari Residences, 58 one- and two- bedroom apartments in a four-level apartment block, with three other apartment blocks in development. In 2024, Karma Group took control of Maldives 16-cabin boat Karma Fushi, taking members on 4-7 day trips across the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

. In 2024, Karma Group acquired a 36-room resort in

Siem Reap Siem Reap (, ) is the second-largest city of Cambodia, as well as the capital and largest city of Siem Reap Province in northwestern Cambodia. Siem Reap possesses French-colonial and Chinese-style architecture in the Old French Quarter ...

, Cambodia, Karma Bayon. As of 2024, Karma Group has properties in 27 locations. Over 90000 Club Members, and over 3,500 Staff Members. Projects in development include:

Gili Meno The Gili Islands ( hree Gilis Kepulauan Gili ili Islands are an archipelago of three small islands or Gili island triplets — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. The local n ...

(Lombok),

Palawan Palawan (, ), officially the Province of Palawan (; ), is an archipelagic province of the Philippines that is located in the region of Mimaropa. It is the largest province in the country in terms of total area of . The capital and largest c ...

(Philippines),

Hakuba is a village located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As of April 1, 2019, the village had an estimated population of 9,007 in 4267 households, and a population density of 48 persons per km2. The total area of the village is . Hakuba is located i ...

(Japan),

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

(Bali),

(Greece), Sri Lanka, and

. Karma Boutique sells Karma-branded products.

Public activities

Karma Group has been supporting Christel House India, a charity that supports inner city children from

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

since 2001 and supports similar initiatives in

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. In 2020–2021 during the

Covid pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...

, Karma Group vaccinated staff, their families, and community in India and Indonesia, and provided food donations to affected communities. Within the Karma Mayday initiative, the company teamed up with the Prince of Wales Trust to provide oxygen equipment for India. In 2022, after the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, Karma group set up Karma Refuge, which provides shelter and support to those fleeing the conflict.

References

{{Reflist British companies established in 1993 Timeshare chains