I completely agree on all points. I have no doubt that Anantara has the ability to manage hotels and resorts at the same level as Four Seasons, as evidenced by its wonderful Layan property (especially residences) and Anantara Siam. However, for the time being the FS properties still benefit from the marketing exposure and the Four Seasons branding which enables them to achieve higher rates.

I recently had a great conversation with the lovely head of PR for Minor Int’l over dinner, and we talked all about how Anantara is evolving into an increasingly exciting high-end brand. However, one issue they encounter as a relatively new brand is name recognition bias amongst travelers who are less enlightened than we are about the brand. This apparently was very interesting following the rebranding of Anantara Siam, as guests suddenly commented negatively on aspects of the hotel, such as breakfast quality, that were in fact completely unchanged from what they had been under FS management.