[photopress:shnagrila_1.jpg,full,alignright]Amanresorts has signed a co-operation agreement with Beijing Zhaode Property to build a five-star Amanresort in the Shangri-La area of Yunnan province. This according to the Yunnan Diqing Tibetan Autonomous District Government.
More than RMB300 million (US$38 million) will be spent on the resort, which will be built around the Pudacuo area and will feature local minority architecture. Which sounds pretty plain and straightforward. It is anything but for this resort, which will be the extension of the dreams and visions of the world’s most remarkable hotelier, Adrian Zecha.
The question has been asked whether the introduction of a hotel which is, effectively, part of a chain be a suitable move for an area which you can think of as Shangri-la, Yunnan. In fact, there is only one hotel group that you would seriously trust to get it right and that is AmanResorts. It was the first luxury Bali hideaway built by Adrian Zecha which showed how a stylish and expensive, hotel could blend into a country setting. From there the Aman chain went from strength to strength. There was a bit of drama a few years ago when an American company had control but the reins are now firmly back in the hands of Adrian Zecha.
He is obsessed, no other word, at the idea of creating hotels which do not intrude, do not damage, but become part of the locality. Yes, the result is expensive — never less than US$500 a day, probably US$1,000 — but the result is perfection in a landscape. Adrian Zecha was a most remarkable publisher. He is also, almost without any argument, the most creative, caring and stylish hotelier in the world.
Source: TTG Travel Hub
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