Amanpuri, meaning “peaceful place” in Sanskrit, according to the resort, opened in Phuket in 1988. Over the next decades Mr. Zecha created Amans around the world, typically working with Mr. Tuttle or two other architects: Jean-Michel Gathy and Kerry Hill. The focus is on building luxury resorts, typically minimalist, that flow seamlessly into the surrounding breathtaking landscape.
Billionaires and celebrities, including Bill Gates and Prince, flock to resorts, in part because discretion is a core part of the brand. Service is also exceptionally reliable. Miguel Guedes De Sousa, general manager of Amanjena in Morocco and Amanpulo in the Philippines from 2003 to 2013. Each guest will be assigned entirely to one or two staff members, said: “During their stay, they will not have a date. any break. and work as many hours as possible so they can fully focus on that customer,” he said.
The extreme indulgence persists to this day. Lauren Trentle, 37 years old, of Manhattan Beach, California, and her husband have been celebrating their now 6-year-old daughter’s birthday at Amangiri in Utah since she turned 3. During that first visit, staff learned that the baby was a toddler. went to like unicorns, so they dressed up as a horse into a unicorn. When the family returns to their room, they find a framed photograph of the girl’s mythical encounter.
“She thought it was the only place we could see unicorns,” Ms. Trentle said of the annual tradition.
By 2013, Mr. Zecha no longer owned the company. When an Indian real estate company decided to sell it, Omar Amanat, an American productor flim and businessman, approached him about trying repurchase. They partnered with Mr. Doronin, who has been at the Aman estate since the 90s.
Mr. Guedes De Sousa remembers hosting a birthday dinner at a romantic lighting tent for Mr. Doronin and his then-partner, Naomi Campbell, in Marrakesh, when they were just another Aman power couple. Compared to King Salman of Saudi Arabia, who occasionally buys out Marrakesh hotels, or the man who asks for 20,000 candles and fresh lobster in the middle of the desert, they are a weak point, he said.
