There's an interesting interview with adrian zecha in the december european isssue of cn traveller.

A Zecha on amanresorts : "Beijing, new delhi and montenegro are next......oh the amazon, just back, been seven times, we're building up a landbank."

Obviously this interview was before recent devlopments.

Hi everybody!

There really is no place like Amanjiwo. And now with a very decent WLAN. The second time is just as good as the first.

I saw some report on the web that DLF denied the earlier reports I posted. What I understand from our conversations with Sean is that Silverlink was sold but that Zecha still controls the management company. He told us that Zecha is now only interested in the management contracts and that nothing will change. Just wanted to let you know.

MJ

apologies opxzaw, but I have no idea what you mean. If you get the chance to translate to us ordinary aman regulars I would like to know what your post means, thanks, paul

mgmt company?

so zecha will keep managing aman and ghm?

but not be part of investing(silverlink)/development/etc(falls under aman)?

I really have no idea how this is all structured. What he told me is that the deal with DLF involves Silverlink, that is clearly different from the news reports. He said that there is no change with respect to the management of the hotels, Zecha stays in control, he just gets new funding, I think. I hope that is clearer.
MJ

i would be very surprised that DLF or whoever buys into aman ....would just buy silverlink without having Aman being in the deal ....very surprised indeed.
dont forget the over USD 200 million debt that was paid for .... even if it was just funding .one of the attractions ....as it were would / must be the Aman Brand itself.

if not mistaken ...some of the Amans are not owned by Aman or silverlink.just managed ..... interestingly and of note is that Le Melezin was recently refinanced . ....and are Amans rolling in the profits ? to justify its price tag ? and future earnings ?....

i would have thuoght DLF or whoever would buy Aman buys in the hope of leveraging the Brand etc.

whatever its is .i cant wait for Beijing , New Delhi and montenegro .
as for the Amazon ........i think Anoushka Hempel got there first !!!.... .or somewhere very close to it ........she has designed a beautiful preperty in Brazil that is STUNNING ...........i wonder if its the same place Zehca was talkig about ...??

BTW >
Silverlink owns the Sukhothai?
whatever happened with Maha Resorts?[/QUOTE]

silverlink does not own sukhothai it is owned by a hong kong company that also owns the sentosa in singapore .....both were designed by and conceptualised by mr Z himself using the same people who designs his other resorts.

it was originally managed by beaufort hotels .which didnt come to much at all .but this was a prelude to the Amans et al..although the Sukhothai was touted as and Amanpuri in the city when it was first launnched.


as for Maha.......dont know what happened ........it prbably merged and morphed in with amans althlugh the properties under maha the last being hacienda san antonio ceased its affliliation with aman some years back.

Warapuru in Brazil, designed and operated by Hempel, supposed to open spring 2008 (now delayed and aquapura - http://flyertalk.com/forum/showpost....95&postcount=2)

kind of looks like Trisara except not sure about how far the villas are from the beach.

there are 18 villas, 3BR 8K ft2 > 6BR 16K ft2 (on ~1 acre)

Solstice's is 5BR. (~13.3K ft2?) with 5 pools
http://www.sherpareport.com/destinat...ka-hempel.html

Nizuc is the only Zecha project im aware of being marketed right now, like in the latest issues of Departures and Elite Traveler

More info about the new deal. Adrian to stay on, etc...

Bloomberg - 11/27/07

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DLF to Partner Amanresorts Founder in Luxury Segment (Update1)

By Sumit Sharma

Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) -- DLF Ltd., India's biggest property developer, will partner Amanresorts founder Adrian Zecha to acquire a controlling stake in the luxury resorts chain to tap the growing number of affluent tourists across Asia.

New Delhi-based DLF and Zecha will pay an equal part of the $400 million for the acquisition, which includes $150 million of debt, DLF said in a statement to the Bombay Stock Exchange. DLF is owned by Kushal Pal Singh, described by the Forbes magazine as the world's richest property tycoon with a $35 billion fortune.

``With the financial backing of DLF, Amanresorts will now have the resources to significantly scale up its development plans,'' Zecha said in the statement. ``While we expand our global footprint we are committed to preserving and enhancing the distinctive character of the Aman experience.''

DLF, which raised $2.2 billion selling shares in June, is snapping up land across India to build houses, offices and townships as demand accelerates in the world's fastest-growing major economy after China. The company also has a venture with Hilton Hotels Corp. to build 75 hotels in the South Asian nation.

Amanresorts owns and operates 22 luxury resorts across the world, spanning Phuket, Bali, Pacific islands, the U.S. and India, according to the statement. The projects were designed by architects including Ed Tuttle, Kerry Hill and Jean-Michel Gathy.

`Will Add Value'

``It's an investment that will add value to DLF in the long term,'' K.D. Mehru, vice president research at brokerage Darashaw & Co. said in a telephone interview from Mumbai. ``I would certainly buy this stock, it's a long-term buy.''

DLF last month said it plans to raise $1.5 billion from overseas investors to fund construction and acquisitions. The developer has forged partnerships with at least two overseas companies in the past four months. In August, it formed a joint venture with Hines, a closely held U.S. property investor, to develop an office, retail, hotel and entertainment project on a 15-acre site in Gurgaon, on the outskirts of New Delhi.

Four Seasons Hotels Inc. will manage a luxury hotel being built by DLF Ltd. in Gurgaon, for about 5.5 billion rupees, the Economic Times said in August, citing people it didn't identify.

More Indians are getting affluent in an economy poised to grow 9 percent in the year to March 31, following from an average 8.6 percent growth in the previous four years, according to central bank data.

India's Millionaires

Entrepreneurs from the fields of software, pharmaceutical and telecommunications are also emerging as millionaires as they cater to customers across the globe. Rising prices of stocks and property has also increased wealth of individuals. The benchmark Sensex index has doubled over the past two years.

The number of millionaires in India rose by a fifth to about 100,000 last year, the second fastest in Asia after Singapore, according to a survey by Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc, and Cap Gemini SA.

DLF shares have surged 71 percent since its listing in July, compared with a 29 percent gain in the benchmark Sensitive Index in that period. The stock was included in the 30-member gauge from Nov. 19.

In October, the company won an order along with Dubai World to develop a $15 billion township near Bangalore, India's Silicon Valley that's home to Infosys Technologies Ltd. and Wipro Ltd., the nation's second- and third-biggest software companies.

The company, which has land reserves that can be developed into 738 million square feet of projects, also is involved in special economic zones and infrastructure projects.

``We are delighted at this unique opportunity to become a partner in one of the world's leading hospitality and lifestyle brands,'' Rajiv Singh, vice chairman of DLF said in the statement. ``We look forward to working closely with the founders and management of this business to further enhance its leadership position in the industry.''

Overseas Hotels Ltd., a subsidiary of DLF, is making the investment in Amanresorts, the company said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Sumit Sharma in Mumbai at [email protected] .

NOW this make better sense.......but will EGOs clash ?

In the current Conde Nast Traveller (with the lady in Sydney on the cover) there is an interview with Mr. Zecha. I hope you have read it.

I did several searches in this thread but couldn't come up with anything to answer my question: What inclusions come with Aman's published rates?

Breakfast? All meals? Some activities available at the resort? All activities?

I'm looking at Amanpulo, for example, the private island in the Philippines with lots of natural activities and such. Since no one else occupies the island, you're a captive of Aman's dining and activity options, rather like one would be on, say, a cruise. If nothing is included, then you could get really gouged on everything from a glass of orange juice right on up. If everything's included, except perhaps alcohol and spa treatments, that would be a bit more reasonable. I looked at Amanpulo's website, and it doesn't list any inclusions at all. The only extra charge I saw listed was the air transfer from Manila, $350 per pax.

I looked at Amanjiwo too, and their website left me with the same questions.

I seem to recall looking at one aman or another, and the rates listed a "mandatory" board charge in addition to the room rate, something like $150 per person. I don't remember which property that was.

If nothing is included, then how reasonable or unreasonable are the extra charges? Another $50 per person for breakfast, $50 for lunch, and $150 for dinner with no wine takes an $800++ nightly rate and turns it into a $1300++ night rate.

The experience of contributors to this thread would be most valuable.

From my experience, there are generally no inclusions unless you do one of the "experience" packages, in which there are usually some (but not all) meals included. The only exception I can think of is the Amanwana Komodo Expedition, which is inclusive of all meals, which makes sense since you are basically on a boat or in "camp" for 5 nights!

In my experience, I have always found meals at the Amans to be very reasonable, relative to other "similar" resorts. I've never had an experience where I felt nickel-and-dimed, such as at certain Four Seasons properties, and meals were always of very high quality. I would go so far as to say that I have had some of the best resort meals in my life at Amanjiwo, and also Amankila.

megatoplover, amanwana in Indonesia has a compulsory board charge of us$100 per person per day which includes all meals, soft drinks and laundry.

amansara in Cambodia has a us$85 per person per day charge which includes breakfast and lunch or dinner, beverages including house wines and two excursions per day with an english speaking guide and a remork.

I agree with amanjunkie, I have never found aman f & B expensive.

I'm sure the F & B manager at amanpulo would email you a sample menu if you ask.

MegatopLover,

I just came back from Amanpulo four weeks ago. It was an amazing experience, magical even by Aman standards.

I booked the standard rate through Virtuoso (DavidO) and received daily continental breakfast (no matter if taken at beach club, clubhouse or through room service) and one lunch for free. Dinner was reasonably priced by Western European (or Pen BKK ) standards. In fact, it is an Aman like all the others I stayed at where food and beverage prices did not reflect the room rates fortunately .

Our average expense for a dinner for two was about 90 EUR incl. drinks.