partly damaged by fire

broke out from one of the two big bukharis in the dining hall at around 9:45 pm, and quickly spread out over the room making it impossible to control, according to a staff...Deo, a supervisor of guests at the resort, said almost 80% of the belongings in the dining room and kitchen were lost...housed the business center of the resort and reportedly contained valuable antiques

26 guests who were safely evacuated to hotel Taj Tashi. “Thanks to the resort staff we were quickly taken away to safety,” said a guest.

I live close to the Amankora and arrived at 10:30 pm when the blaze was in full force. The last of the guests were being evacuated at this time. Given the ferocity of the blaze and the difficulties of re-filling the water trucks the fire brigade did a good job of bringing the fire under control and preventing the spread to the guest rooms and surrounding trees. There was a real fear from locals that if the dry pine trees had caught fire then surrounding houses (mine included) could have been destroyed as well.

Currently, DLF owns 97% in Aman Resorts and its founder Adrian Zecha the rest.

DLF had acquired Aman Resorts, a chain of 23 hotels across 12 countries, for $400 million in the third quarter of 2007. The $400 million consisted of equity value of $250 million and $150 million of debt. Later, the company had invested in rebuilding the old Lodhi hotel in Delhi, which is now known as Aman Lodhi. DLF spokesperson Sanjoy Roy refused to comment. “As a policy, we do not comment on market speculation,” he added.

Another official said the company had originally told its foreign partner, Mr Zecha, to bring in a strategic partner. “DLF had given time till February 2010 to Mr Zecha to bring a strategic partner or financial investors, but this did not materialise within the stipulated time. Now, the company has itself initiated the process of divestment,” said the official involved in the process. Spokespersons of Goldman Sachs could not be contacted.