Originally Posted by
FlyerEC
While Puri seems to be evolving - what with 2 F & B outlets opening this month , in Dec ; use of 3 types of new ' buggies ' including electric ones , service seems a bit stretched . Even at 100% capacity , this would not have been the case during ' the days of old ' . ( But Phuket is getting crowded & seasoned staff have to be appreciated by the owners as they keep the Aman family spirit going .)
Also new BMW 7Ls .
So while hardware is being worked on , ' software ' needs more rigorous practise including English comprehension for ' newer ' team members . Less service recovery required then , & even this can be way better .
Anticipatory hallmark of Aman ethos has to kept a priority along with sincere warmth .
Being the pioneer Aman , perhaps it is resting on its privileged laurels . I feel some others are now flying the Aman flag better . The older GMs understand & so do many newer ones who have the Aman spirit . Many Amanjunkies are thankful for this .
We shall see what happens over the CHRISTmas & NY peak period
& beyond to our Puri home . But of course , we will be at our other Aman homes too to see how things are
.
We are only comparing Aman with Aman
This is FT after all & jetting about is the norm .
Thoughts about any other Amans you have been at recently ?
We were at Amansara in January and will be at Amangiri in April. Amansara was exceptional. But Amansara's only true 5 star competition is the newly refurbished Park Hyatt Siem Reap. Not really competition there, if you ask me.
Amanpuri has far more competition in Phuket, and that means that Amanpuri doesn't necessarily offer the same exceptional difference to everyone for the price point. When Amanpuri was the only resort of its kind in Phuket, it stood out more; now, the sheer number of comparably excellent resorts in Phuket means that Amanpuri, while still outstanding, may not stand out in contrast as much as it once did. Amanpuri didn't change as much as the competition vastly increased and vastly improved to compete. (For the record, we've not been to Phuket, but we've heard about all of the top resorts there from numerous friends who've been, not to mention following reports here on FT.)
Aman properties that are often considered the best are also those in the more remote locations with virtually no direct competition. Amanpulo is the only true high-luxe resort in the Philippines; Amantake and Amansara are the only examples in their cities. Amangiri and Amangani are the same. Amanjiwo is the perfect example of this, as well, and is still my favorite Aman ever.
Amanyara in Turks & Caicos has the Parrot Cay COMO property competing with it. Amankora in Bhutan now has the COMO properties competing. Aman Grand Canal in Venice has numerous top properties competing with it (Gritti in particular IMO). Aman Summer Palace in Beijing is nice, but it has plenty of competition. Even Amandari and Amanusa have numerous properties competing with them, including the perhaps superior (by many accounts) COMO Shambala. Amankila is a bit more remote and has less competition, and is generally acknowledged as the best Aman in Bali--coincidence? I think not.
Aman is spectacular, but it is most worthy and considered the best most often when it has no or less competition IMO.