I chose a path that was different, and I dared to find my own ikigai [the Japanese word describes a deep sense of purpose]. "The SHTM has gone from strength to strength and is now a highly regarded hotel and tourism school in Asia. Mr. Zecha was also a founding shareholder and non- executive director of Rafael Hotels Limited. Adrian was born in Sukabumi, West Java, in 1933, to an upper-class Peranakan family. The natural beauty of the coastline was one of the first things that impressed me. Recently, on April 17, 2020, he released [] One sign of trouble: a new resort on the Indonesian island of Java, the Amanjiwo, opened in October1997--just as the Indonesian economy was collapsing. ", "It is a tremendous compliment for me to be awarded the SHTM Lifetime Achievement Award," said Mr Zecha. Adrian Zecha Born: 1933 (age 89years), Sukabumi, Indonesia, Adrian Zecha Education: Columbia University, Dickinson College, Adrian Zecha Nationality: Indonesian, Singaporean, Adrian Zecha Founded organization: Aman Resorts, Azerai, Regent International Hotels. If we think we can conceptualize and execute a beautiful resort with a unique soul, we will take it on. Sitting on the resort's stone patio, watching the sun set over the Andaman Sea, martini in hand, George says: "This place has none of the marble and glitz of other resorts. Throughout are Art Deco touches, giving a nod toits past, including the mansions distinctive faade, with its nautical flourishes. Christopher Cannon, Dean Halford, Brittany Harris and Julian Burgess, of the total wealth of the 500 richest people in the world, of the top 200 U.S. executives total awarded compensation. When they arrive you welcome them warmly, help them with their coats, offer them an aperitif. The School is uniquely positioned to cultivate the human capital needed to drive the overall development of the industry. Based on Four Seasons' capitalization of $1.8 billion, the stock market values it at $162,500 a room. All rights reserved. What is the essence of luxury hospitality in todays era? Many had been coming for years to enjoy the Christmas-New Year's break at Amanpuri. It brings the Aman level down to their level. My great love are the small and intimate ones like the Amans.". E-mail : jobs@globalexpatrecruiting.com, 2023 GLOBAL EXPAT RECRUITING | All Rights Reserved, https://vietcetera.com/en/the-essence-of-world-class-hospitality-a-qa-with-azerai-founder-adrian-zecha. Under his management, Pick n Pay grew into 794 stores around Southern Africa, Mauritius and Australia. This formula has since been replicated at Amanresorts worldwide to great acclaim. Mr. Zecha was one of the three founding partners of Regent International Hotels Limited (RIH), where he was responsible for the development and financing of RIHs hotel projects and the companys rapid growth into one of the worlds leading operator/owners of luxury hotels. Lark was talking about Adrian Zecha, the founder of Amanresorts, which owns the Amanpuri and ten other top resorts around the world (Aman means peace in Sanskrit). He spent his teenage and young adulthood in the US before moving to Indonesia to become a journalist. Address:6 Thi Sach, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC, Viet Nam, Social Media License Number 530/GP-BTTTT, signed on 07/11/2022, issued of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Content Management Responsibility byPhan Nguyen Lap. Azerai is a new story and brand of resorts offering guests simple elegance, refined design, and discreet and attentive service in places of unique beauty and cultural interest. Rest in peace, Peter Muller. Despite giant leaps in technology, the essence of hospitality remains human contact and genuine connections. converted to U.S. dollars at current exchange rates Read WebThese unicorns are forever changing the way we interact with money. I do not give any thought to personal legacies. An entrepreneur who admits that he doesn't know how to use e-mail, Zecha believes that Colony's bean counters have relegated his 13 years of handiwork to a line item on a spreadsheet. They were encouraged, if they liked the place, to tell others--guaranteeing a strong opening. He married a local woman and began to accumulate what became a number of substantial plantations. Thats a tall order, I know, but I believe we can get there. Founded by Indonesian hotelier Adrian Zecha, the Aman Group was acquired in 2014 by Vlad Doronin, who has grown the business globally. The convivial atmosphere resembled a reunion party at a private club. To boost Amanresorts' revenues, it wanted the chain to take over the management of some Colony-owned hotels outside Asia that would be rebranded as Amans. It was an era, he recalls, when the affluent, educated, and genteel sought out their favorite ryokans as retreats. WebZecha and I met in his office for this interviewa minimalist space swathed in white and dotted with wooden accents and books, a look similar to the streamlined tropical luxe interiors his hotels have perpetuated in the last four decades. Zecha will not confirm that he is considering starting another chain. The 36 Most Anticipated Hotel Openings of 2021 There's also a set of guests known as "Aman junkies" who return to the same properties year after year or travel the world to visit all 11 Amanresorts. Operating profits totaled $15 million despite an occupancy rate of only 50% last year (the five Amanresorts in troubled Indonesia dragged the chain down from its usual 65% occupancy). By 1960 he had struck out on his own to launch a series of Asian publications, including magazines covering the Asian art industry and the business travel market. Adrian Gore R6.7 billion. The passenger was Rajiv Gandhi, son of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. My desire was always to take on challenges, the longer the odds the better. Each blends into its surroundings with the help of simple architectural designs and local materials. Our culture is based on trust, familiarity, and a legacy of success. I want Azerai to become a group of resorts that guests want to return to again and again. For almost two years, Colony didn't interfere with Zecha's running of the business--until late 1998, when Asia's financial tsunami was striking the eight Amanresorts in the region. Venturi didn't have the cash, so Colony could exercise its right to sell Vaturi's remaining stake in the holding company and then bid for it. Adrian Zecha shares his thoughts on where the Azerai brand is heading, his philosophy on creating memorable guest experiences, and what he hopes his legacy will be. Imitated but not equaled. What was the average net worth? Can they do that? With a strong international team of over 90 faculty members from diverse cultural backgrounds, the SHTM offers programmes at levels ranging from undergraduate degrees to doctoral degrees. What is the legacy you want to leave both for Azerai and yourself personally? A beautifully appointed resort might be one reason someone decides to visit in the first place, but genuine, heartfelt hospitality is what makes them return, again and again. The billionaire's son, Rajiv, made his foray into real estate in 1987, when he oversaw construction of DLF's first office building in central New Delhi. It demanded the return from Vaturi of the $120 million investment plus around $40 million in "interest." I do not give any thought to personal legacies. Adrian Zechas first encounter with one of these inns, largely found in the countryside and often run by industrious families, was back in the 1950s. Read more here. "And then they say, 'Well, you can try to buy it back.' The prime minister's son helped Singh get a meeting with the chief minister of Haryana, who changed the law to allow farmland to be developed. This is where things now stand: Colony has management control of Amanresorts, and a majority of the board seats but not a majority of the shares. Little known outside the real estate industry, the privately held Colony is among the top five real estate funds in the world, with assets worth $6 billion. (Argent's 63% share of Amanresorts subsequently fell to 55%.) In the end, Zecha, Thadani and other partners in Arral built the Amanpuri with their own money, $5 million for 40 rooms--at $125,000 a room, it was widely considered to be exorbitant at the time (later Amanresorts were built at a cost of $300,000 a room). Ranked No. My view has always been that our resorts should speak for themselves. How can Zecha win back control? Ever since he stepped down from the chairmanship of Amanresorts, Zecha has been looking around for suitable sites on which to build new hotels that could be added to Amanresorts (if he returns) or become a new chain of top-class resorts, which would be compared to the Amanresorts. Even Adrian's closest Thai banking contacts refused to lend him the $2.5 million he needed, a conservative amount that covered buying the land and half the cost of constructing the resort. "Amanresorts still charges what people consider outrageous rates, but the occupancy rates are there.". It is now under the control of Colony Capital, a U.S. real estate investment fund based in Los Angeles that's run by Thomas Barrack Jr., a former principal at Robert M. Bass Group. Chasing the dream: I write about travel and the world around me, opened last spring and last month, the second hotel , Hydrogen-Powered Regional Airliner Readies For Takeoff, Nature Heals: A Renowned Doctor Explains Green Micro-Breaks And Natures Importance For Our Health, The Real Players Of Formula One: Drive To Survive Season 5, Delta Pilots Ratify Contract With Massive 34% Salary Hike, Need A Fresh Start? [5] [6] [7] He is the owner and chairman of Aman Resorts, [8] chairman and CEO of OKO Group [9] and is a co-founder of Moscow-based Capital Group. by Hotelier Staff May 12, 2020. In 1988, Zecha established Amanpuri, the first Aman Resort and in so doing, reinvented the luxury vacation experience. Those desires wont suddenly go away, I dont think. SHARE. People will always remember how they were treated and how you made them feel. But if Amanresorts has outgrown Zecha, then it's time for him to start a new family. Selling his interest in Regent International in 1986, he went on to partner with Georg Rafael in the Rafael Hotel Group, which focused on the acquisition and management of luxury five-star hotels and resorts in Europe and the US. Most of the projects we are working on are driven by circumstance. He and his allies could withdraw the lawsuit and raise the money to bid against Colony to acquire Vaturi's stake. Initially a journalist and publisher, Mr Zecha's entry into hospitality was as one of the founding members of Regent International Hotels, recognised in its day as the finest international hotel management company. Simply said: I like it. Colony's position is that it is simply trying to recover its money from Vaturi. "That's not growth, that's poison," says Zecha in a lengthy interview over Cuban cigars and espressos at a beach-side hotel on Singapore's Sentosa Island. To keep his family company afloat, Vaturi cut a deal with Colony Capital. 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