callmedtop

How does one get an invite to Noble?

benjinito

Waitlist on their site. I got the invite after about a week.

ABG

I hope it won't be a case of legit today and gone tomorrow.... are the vouchers are issued directly by Aman?

benjinito

The vouchers are issued by Noble, but you deal with the hotel directly to redeem them. I emailed the hotel after I made the purchase and they confirmed that they’ve received my certificates.

ABG

I'd be more curious if the hotel has your funds on account than the fact they acknowledged you've purchased something from a third party operating out of a virtual office address in NYC. Reminds me of Luxury Link. But anyways, I don't wanna debate this with you, I really hope it works out and you have a great stay.

benjinito

No worries, I was a bit concerned as well, which is why I reached out to the property directly.

This is what I asked them:

And this is what they responded:I presume this means Aman is holding the funds, and even if they’re not, given my experience with the brand, I trust that they will honor them even if Noble goes bankrupt. I will report back when I redeem the certificates though, hopefully by the end of this year

Noblestay

I am a Noble company representative here on Flyertalk, and as we noticed the communication, we thought we should help clarify that the hotel holds the funds awaiting member redemption.

After a sale, there is a 14-day refundable option for the member; Noble temporarily holds the funds during this period. Post this 14-day period, the funds are transferred to the respective hotel as a non-refundable payment. The hotel will then hold this as a prepayment credit that the certificate holder can redeem anytime—sort of like a hotel checking account.

Our certificate model is a precursor to a new tech-enabled travel model launching later this year.

Best,
Amy & The Noble Team

burr

Will you be expanding this to other hotels like Four Seasons?

Fc912

If the funds are directly transferred to the hotel, does this mean I can make bookings through my virtuoso agent and still get benefits? If so these are very attractive and there are quite a few true luxury hotels available.

Noblestay

Great question. The redemption booking can solely be made directly with the hotel, with no exceptions. So that would not be possible.

I cannot say which hotels will be added in the future, but if you are a member, please give the team your wishlist!

clubeurope

Has anyone stayed at Amankila recently?

I'd really like to make a return to Amankila as soon as I can, although my last stay there left me with a bit of bad taste. It were as if they were losing the Aman Magic. Has the property been deteriorating service-wise after VD's takeover?

jja34-1

I haven't been since November 2019 (pre-COVID), but I've had quite a different experience than you in all my stays. Amankila for me is the quintessential Aman experience and has provided the most personal level of service and experiences of any Aman I've been to. The one thing I think that has changed in the past few years is the clientele. Lots of younger couples and people posing for instagram-worthy shots in the pools. On one stay the honeymoon couple in the suite next to me had a drone. That was quickly reported to the manager...

clubeurope

Oh that's very interesting to know, makes me hopeful again!

I was a bit disappointed when I last stayed in August 2019. Granted the hotel was rather full as it was in peak season and the grounds are still pristinely kept. Unfortunately it just felt like any other hotel but in the setting of Amankila. No one was at the porte-cochère was there to greet upon arrival, check-in was done at the desk, a large majority of daybeds by the pool were reserved/occupied, they asked for room numbers when dining at the restaurant, and the rooms weren't refreshed frequently anymore (only the standard housekeeping service and turndown). I mean all these sound absolutely ridiculous as a marker of disappointment at any other hotel, but this is Aman.

It has always been much more "magical" on my previous stays.

uclabruin82

Based on what could be open to vaccinated tourists at the end of the year, I am considering going to Bali for part of my NYE trip. Based on logistics, it looks like my total stay would be 6 nights. Since I will be travelling with an 18 month old at the time, my strong inclination is to not move hotels during my stay.

My initial preference would be to book Amankila, but wanted to see if others thought booking a 1-bedroom at Amanusa would be better for our stay.
Thanks!

United747

Surely I’m being dense, is it true that Amanusa villas start around 40k square feet?! Even including outside space, pool, etc. that seems a bit much?