i dont know, i seem to recall some others expressing mixed feelings regarding the aman concept in general.

certainly Marrakech and Jackson Hole are among the properties that get mixed reviews from the amanjunkies.

i seem to recall some people saying amanpuri has gone downhill over the years as well.

Well, depends how my upcoming stay at Amanpulo turns out...

In my opinion the amans in Indonesia are exceptionally good.

I find the idea of a six senses in England with overwater cottages hilarious !

I was at a charity bash in the new RC powerscourt over the weekend. It is very nice (im not a huge RC fan) and yes it would be suitable for conferences (and charity bashes ). I didnt stay overnight but the hotel is built in a neo- palladian style which copies the adjacent powerscourt house. the staff were friendly and what one would expect. The food was good for an event like this.
I will be at a small private party in the main restaurant next month and I might stay over and will report on the bedrooms.

The new Capella in west Cork should be a great sucess as the 4 and so called 5 star hotels there have very high occupancy rate.

I am an Amanjunkie (have several tee-shirts) but over the past few years, I have been quite disappointed by some, especially Amanpuri, which I first stayed at when it opened back in the 1980s. The management there does not seem to care any more and although the architecture is beautiful and they maintain everything well, there is an arrogance now that did not used to be there. The other disaster, of course, is Amanwella in Sri Lanka, which is a hopeless design and has never run properly (apart from when Francois Richli was there).
In fact, Aman do not own all their properties. Most are owned by investment groups or even, as is the case with Amanyara, Turks & Caicos, and Amangani, by one investment group - Canyon Equity.
It will be interesting to see how Aman do running city hotels (Delhi, Bangkok, Beijing) as when they ran Carcosa Seri Negara (now GHM), and The Strand Myanmar (also now GHM) the feeling was that they were out of their depth. GHM tends to be better at it.
I also wonder what Aman will do about its spas now that their spa director has quit. Adrian Zecha is notoriously disinterested, which is probably why the spas never really impressed.

Has anyone here been to Rocco Fortes in Munich? It just opened. We might stay there in January-would love to hear opinions.

I'm a little disappointed to hear mixed reviews about Aman properities...I had such high hopes for Amanpuri (when we visit Thailand next year).

Well, it looks like Aman has decided to go mainstream...

wow, those are discounted in terms of USD.. how strong is HKD right now? is that part of it?

Not strong at all, it is pegged to the USD, which is in the toilet....

[QUOTE=vuittonsofstyle;8537789]I am an Amanjunkie (have several tee-shirts) but over the past few years, I have been quite disappointed by some, especially Amanpuri, which I first stayed at when it opened back in the 1980s. The management there does not seem to care any more and although the architecture is beautiful and they maintain everything well, there is an arrogance now that did not used to be there. The other disaster, of course, is Amanwella in Sri Lanka, which is a hopeless design and has never run properly (apart from when Francois Richli was there).
In fact, Aman do not own all their properties. Most are owned by investment groups or even, as is the case with Amanyara, Turks & Caicos, and Amangani, by one investment group - Canyon Equity.
It will be interesting to see how Aman do running city hotels (Delhi, Bangkok, Beijing) as when they ran Carcosa Seri Negara (now GHM), and The Strand Myanmar (also now GHM) the feeling was that they were out of their depth. GHM tends to be better at it.
I also wonder what Aman will do about its spas now that their spa director has quit. Adrian Zecha is notoriously disinterested, which is probably why the spas never really impressed.[/QUOTE

some shared sentiments here for sure ......except for the villas at amanpuri there is a general decline in "aura" at some of the older properties eg amandari and indeed aman puri at least in the "hotels" part .....amandari is particularly badly affected .....from staff to product .......

re ghm ......and being better at it....well.....i am not sure ......they seem to be losing many hotels ..eg the lalu and more recently the heritage inn at mendocino ...... ghm is finding its way but ever so slowly but hopefully their newer properties ..if they materialises ......would be better.....

but AMAN must pull up their socks .....although i seriously cant wait for the beijing and delhi property to open ......

Those rates quoted are per person...unfortunately

Been there when Francois was running the show and really loved the resort. Do you know where he went to ? His wife still running Amangalla ?

Yea, but they include both airfare and the hotel-airport transfers, so we're looking at a meaningful discount. The bigger issue is that Aman is now reduced to creating package deals with CXHolidays, which although a fine outfit, it isn't exactly targeting an upscale clientele.

OK, I'll bite... What is the "mass affluent meltdown" in the US?

No idea. I don't think the mass affluent are being dented too much by the economy these days.

well well well....so its true after all ............the Royal Monceau Paris will become a Raffles property after an extensive renovation.

this is too strange .why did they give up montreux and hamburg - unless there was some coporate reason....and then come back into europe again....

i woudl avoid a fairmont if possible ...