Cicada Ubud, Autograph Collection
PT Cicada Internasional Management · Bali, Indonesia · 2024
Client brief
Make Wellness Mean Something Again.
Ubud’s wellness category has become crowded with sameness. Most hotels in this space describe themselves through the same set of features — fitness facilities, spa treatments, yoga classes, a vegan menu — rather than through experiences that hold real emotional weight. The result is a market of Functional Escapes: pleasant, restful, forgettable.
Cicada Ubud was built to stand somewhere else entirely. Not Escape, but Self-Care — consciousness for renewal, where nature, sustainability, and indigenous heritage converge into something a guest can carry home. And not Functional, but Experiential — immersive rituals and habits that evoke purpose, renewal, and significance, rather than a checklist of amenities.
As Cicada underwent conversion to Autograph Collection Hotels by Marriott — with 12 additional suites in development alongside the original 30 — the brief required more than repositioning. It required proof: a wellness identity rooted in something Ubud’s wellness-saturated market could not simply replicate, because it was never a feature to begin with.
Who is Normal .
Normal . is a preferred branding agency of Marriott International in Asia Pacific and was tasked with a rapid conversion and rebranding of a newly developed luxury, all-suites resort into an Autograph Collection Hotels.
For Cicada Ubud, Normal . defined the brand’s Autograph Collection conversion identity and guest experience as a blueprint for the property improvement plan (PIP) required by the rapid conversion process. The project was delivered at speed — three months from start to finish.
Wellbeing – a definition
Before Cicada could stand for wellness, Normal . had to ask what wellness actually means. Drawing on global research from Euromonitor and McKinsey, Normal . developed a six-dimension model of holistic wellbeing — fitness, nutrition, appearance, sleep, mindfulness, and spirit. When people are asked what being healthy means to them, mental and emotional wellbeing rank above physical markers.
This research, developed during the Cicada Ubud project, has since informed Normal .’s work across its hospitality portfolio, including JW Marriott Greater China’s Luxury Essentials program.
Good for me. Good for the world.
The Big Idea, Normal . Method
Cicada is not another premium resort describing a luxurious hideaway in a serene, culturally rich setting — the well-worn vocabulary of “escape begins here,” “indulge and immerse yourself.” That language may be inviting. It is not what Cicada is for.
Cicada is a guardian: steadfast, assured, and genuinely invested in the life a guest builds beyond their stay. A guardian encourages and empowers those in its care to grow and find their own path — and that is the role Cicada holds for the Pathfinder, the guest who comes to Ubud not for a getaway but for a deeper engagement with life’s truths.
The Big Idea is built on three pillars: Naturalist, Aspirational Rituals, and Indigenous Wisdom — each working together to focus the guest experience on rituals and habits, rather than facilities and features, that evoke purpose, self-care, and significance. Cicada became more than a retreat. It stands as a guardian, guiding a life that harmonizes self-care with mindfulness for the world.
I found a place.
Where transformation meets tradition for true change and deeper connection. Here at Cicada Ubud, a genuine connection with something bigger than me is not just an ideal but the very essence of everyday life. I learned elegant rituals that drew me closer to Ubud’s spiritual heart, guiding me towards new habits deeply aligned with my core.
Cicada Ubud became more than a retreat; it stood as a guardian, guiding a life that harmonises self-care with mindfulness for the world – truly embodying the spirit of “Good for Me, Good for the World”.
An excerpt from The Big Idea narrative of Good for me. Good for the world.
Seven-Stages of Guest Journey
Normal . Method
Normal . structured Cicada’s guest experience using the Seven-Stages of Guest Journey — applied here as a blueprint not only for rapid conversion property improvement plan (PIP), but for indigenous wellbeing guest experience: a sequence built around Tri Hita Karana from Arrival through Wellbeing.
Tri Hita Karana
Experience Principles, Normal . Method
In a world where the only constant is change, Cicada’s answer for Self-Care is to evolve back — to find guidance in timeless, local heritage. Tri Hita Karana, the 12th-century Balinese philosophy, roughly translates to “three causes of wellbeing.” It is the cultural tradition that shaped Bali’s terraced rice landscapes and Subak water management system — both recognised as UNESCO World Heritage — and it gives Cicada’s Experience Principle its structure: harmony across three realms.
Harmony among community. Shared adventures and serendipitous connections that instil belonging to something bigger than the self, and equip guests toward a more kind, compassionate, and sustainable way of living.
Harmony towards the heavens. A grounding in purpose beyond physical existence. Moments of wonder and awe, deliberately created, so guests can sit with life’s deeper truths.
Harmony with the environment. A sense of connection to the broader world, woven into experiences that educate and immerse guests in Ubud’s nature, history, art, and community life.
Melukat – The Mark
Signature Experience, Normal . Method
Autograph Collection requires every property to carry a Mark: a signature moment within the guest experience, designed to attract attention and spark conversation, brought to life through the hotel’s own space, people, or rituals. For Cicada, Normal . answered this brand standard through its Signature Experience method — identifying Melukat as the ritual that could carry the full weight of Cicada’s Brand Promise.
Melukat is a Balinese spiritual cleansing ritual aimed at purifying body, mind, and spirit. The name derives from su (good) and lukat (purification) — to purify oneself for goodness and happiness. Open to all, indigenous wisdom holds that it enlightens participants, removes negativity, and restores balanced wellbeing.
Of Cicada’s three Brand Pillars — Naturalist, Aspirational Rituals, Indigenous Wisdom — Melukat is the one single signature moment that holds all three at once for Good for me. Good for the world.
The execution reflects the same operational rigour Normal . brings to every creative concept. Holy water is sourced directly from the hotel’s nearby waterfall, pumped from that source rather than supplied externally — keeping the ritual genuinely local. The certification process required under local tradition was researched and identified in advance, so the ritual carries legitimate cultural standing. No time restriction is placed on the experience, because achieving balance and peace cannot be rushed to a schedule. And Melukat is positioned as a chargeable experience — informed by Normal .’s research showing that without a price, guests cannot perceive its value, with luxury properties in Ubud charging up to IDR 1 million for comparable rituals — with the option to direct a portion of proceeds to local village causes.
How do you stand out in Ubud crowded with wellness retreats that all promise the same eco-friendly and socially responsible retreat-like escape? Most hotels in this space describe a set of features — not an experience. We believed the answer was to build something Cicada could own: wellbeing not as a feature, but as a way of life, rooted in what Ubud actually is — the energy vortex of Bali, one of the most spiritual places in the world.
Jinou Park, Founder of Normal .
Talk to Normal .
We help brands uncover what makes them different — and express it with clarity, craft, and conviction.
Our clients choose Normal because we combine strategic depth with creative artistry. You work directly with the founder and senior experts — every time. No layers. No dilution.
Whether you’re defining a new brand, repositioning an existing one, or shaping a place that tells a story, we help translate purpose into experience — turning insight into impact.
Normal . 