FlyingDoctorwu

Lovely. How did you go about arranging the back of house tour? That's something that's always interested me.

Fdw

ngfan

We just asked the Executive Assistant Manager at the time (who is one of the best managers I ever encountered at an Aman and who has become GM since rightfully so - at Zoe ). The tour was mostly of the extensive kitchen facilities there and great to meet all the chefs from those many different (mostly Asian) countries.

FlyerEC

Yes , ours is super long , perhaps at some Amans even hanging from the ceiling , like a wide streamer
Don ' t want to even envisage what it looks like for our other preferences .

And when the whole family stays , hmm

Kagehitokiri

so far only tokyo has semi dynamic rates

so far for nemu >

aug premium now only during week
spring 2017 currently shows premium for in between spring equinox and easter
with (annual) rate increase currently scheduled for after easter

re giri >

2016
1900 jun aug
1700 jul sep oct (increasing to 1800?)
1400 nov dec (dropping to 1250)

2017
1250 jan (feb) mar
1800 apr may jun
1900 jul aug

this past winter they had 8th nt free and one complimentary via ferrata

i may have previous posts giving 2016 seasons

i need to check bali rates again
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/luxur...l#post26484400

scented

I hear some rumors Aman contemplates changing their Spa products a bit. I hope and pray they stick with Sodashi... I'll scream should I read The Aman Spa by Guerlain.

vuittonsofstyle

This has been going on for some time. They brought in a 'Consultant' who allegedly blind-tested a number of products, including Sodashi.

From what I hear, Sodashi is out, but I have yet to find out who they are using to create a new spa line. Hopefully not anyone like Guerlain - I suspect some cottage industry type that professes chemical-free, but doesn't really understand the concept. This happened with Taj and the original Six Senses Spa lines. Incredibly stupid of Aman to change things just because they can.

scented

I feared this would come, nevertheless it is just shocking. The whisper I heard was that they wanted to change the products as they would need something more lifestyle-oriented and 'pure'. Hilarious! Would love to see someone more ethical than Megan Larsen when it comes to ingredients. Would also like to meet this new 'Consultant'.

There are still some people within Aman who 'get it', but I am seriously wondering who is in charge of the Spa operations. You won't hear a word of criticism from me about the recent retreats they did at Puri and Bagh, but this non-sense with products is just a big no-no.

Many recent occurrences hint to LVMH. Do we have to bring our own products now when staying at Aman?

Kagehitokiri

you two will probably get a kick out of this - not aman, but a luxury property with rates that include everything except spa, decided to give two massages to virtuoso/agency guests as agency amenity, and then brought in spa consultant to increase spa revenue

the thing that consultants / MBAs dont do - if sodashi doesnt have name recognition, increase its name recognition and partner with them to co develop both brands

cost and margin are almost certainly factors. sodashi will not have margins as high as others.

aman keeps doing rate drops, and various exclusives, even as most expensive do go up some.

very few countries have real educated markets for 'chemical free' right? so thats a limiting factor

scented

Hilarious, Kage.

You are right that few countries have educated markets for chemical-free, but so far Aman was special in this regard as the clientele in general was a bit more sensible. From what I gather in the past there always was a certain appreciation for using organic, pure products and many knew about Sodashi.

But with the opening of Aman Tokyo, the clientele started changing and the entire group will get an entirely different set of travelers staying.

Quite honestly I don't think we will see an Aman Spa by Chanel or Guerlain in the nearest future, but the glorious days of the Aman Spas will be gone once they ditch Sodashi. Aside from a bit more variety, there was nothing I would change about these products. If they wanted more branding, they could have gone the route of The Siam, which introduced a Sodashi-branded spa. And with Megan Larsen and Sodashi now being featured in many upper-end fashion magazines, it is more of a "brand" than it was before. Also I saw on Instagram a post recently that showed a bit more of the production / "crafting " process and that was exactly the right route to go for Sodashi.

Kagehitokiri

right i mean the consultants hired by aman - they say cut, not 'increase' (sodashi etc)

for some reason something an (EU) business owner related to me stuck in my head, he had an "MBA" telling him to "cut costs" and owner's response was "I'm going to try to increase sales"

for high value stays/clients and or regular clients, properties should buy whatever amenities they want
because for regular clients, especially if a bunch use same brand/sodashi, can buy/stock it regionally
but these are the kinds of things that 'institutions' cant do. aman avoided 'institutionalization' as it grew

but regardless, at least the new/current owner of aman is an individual, not some giant conglomerate

GK1998

We have met the new Spa consultant and his spouse at one of our Aman trips last year. My personal feeling is that he is mostly interested in change for change's sake. I hope that I am wrong.

Kagehitokiri

on the subject of change, not sure there is necessarily any reason there cannot be multiple 'official partners' other than 'placating' the incoming/replacement brand

FlyerEC

Oh dear , my worst fears coming to pass . Different MBA here . Very sad that the destruction marches on . Better check what products on next visit , BYO to an Aman is rather ridiculous .
But with the new style who knows what else to expect / dread ? Do we want to pay good $ , £ , € , ¥ , etcetera & not be feted to the best ?
Always felt safe before in an Aman no matter how remote but these days with the new regime generally not knowing what to do , well .. Hiring consultants who don't know Aman says everything

bearbrick

just stumbled on this >>. aman-junkie.com
Don't remember seeing it here before .

DetailsIM

As I sit here drooling over Amangiri and the surrounding scenery, am I the only one thinking that $2,000 a night starting rate is a bit much?

I'll get there one day, just not today