I am painfully reminded of one too many instances in which I was reassured not to worry about new ownership and regime and in due course that particular person ‘comforting’ me, after a few weeks, had left the operation as well.

Interestingly, I am of the opinion that the new owner himself does understand Amanresorts and its DNA intimately, but sadly most persons beneath him do not. It is not enough to hire the best consultants, hospitality professionals and graduates or to get simply the hungriest on board, for they will not understand Aman. This is not another lifestyle operation in which a brand is a testing ground for a 21st century transformation, it’s about the small details, the culture, humor and care. I much preferred the pitfalls of the past days, compared to soulless mass experience seminar of current ones. It’s not enough to hire best, as sometimes the merely best have no understanding of the way one communicates or welcome guests, not clients. When I hear many of the new ‘hosts’ talking, I find them comparing Amanresorts to Rolls Royce...
With every person replaced, I wonder who is left and holding up what we know so well and love? My hope is the front liners, the cooks, gardeners, guest assistants and butlers might do it, as they are the true Amanresorts, but I hope that in the thousands instances they are reminded to use guest names they do not forget hospitality from the heart. Yes we might have been amused about some ‘characters’ in the past, hires who where a little caprice and sometimes AZ saw something essential in them most would not, but the underlining thread always was a passion for hospitality and not a ‘stint’ for the CV. The eclectic have been long replaced..

The misconception is that Aman cannot be programmed, put into words... or manuals. Try to teach these armies of PR people what our stays should be all about. They are not about Instagram filters. And the best is not always the most expensive or exclusive. Yes I have seen some write “Aman is the most expensive and exclusive group in the world”. Wrong.