Latest news with #Jean-MichelGathy
Forbes
02-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok Hotel Designed By Jean-Michel Gathy Has Just Opened
Atrium floor of Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, Thailand Opening its doors today, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, set within the seven-acre green oasis of Nai Lert Park, is the Aman Group's newest urban retreat. Designed by illustrious Belgian architect and interior designer Jean-Michel Gathy, founder of the Kuala Lumpur-based firm Denniston that is renowned for its visionary approach to luxury hospitality design (including projects for Mandarin Oriental, One&Only, Cheval Blanc and Four Seasons), the 52-suite luxury hotel seamlessly blends heritage with modern elegance, drawing inspiration from the century-old Nai Lert Park Heritage Home. Known for his signature style blending cultural heritage with contemporary sophistication, creating immersive environments that emphasize tranquility, seamless integration with nature and a strong sense of place, Gathy's design of the new property showcases handcrafted pieces by local artisans, a collection of antiques and a striking elliptical void centered around a majestic Sompong tree. Each suite, starting at 94 sqm, features floor-to-ceiling windows framing panoramic views, while the Aman Suite, a 713-sqm presidential retreat, offers three bedrooms, a private spa and a study for an unparalleled luxury experience. The luxury hotel is set in tranquil Nai Lert Park Aman Nai Lert Bangkok's refined dining and social spaces include the 1872 lounge bar and Arva, an exceptional Italian restaurant. Aman Club Founders enjoy exclusive access to the 19th-floor open-air terrace, which houses two private restaurants, an Aman Lounge and a Cigar Bar. Wellness is central to the experience, with a two-story Aman Spa & Wellness center offering hydrotherapy, personalized treatments and a Hertitude Clinic medical facility. An infinity pool overlooking Nai Lert Park completes this urban sanctuary, solidifying Aman's legacy of serenity, privacy and world-class service in the heart of Bangkok. Gathy discusses his philosophy behind designing the most luxurious hotels on the planet. How has your work evolved over the past three decades? It's very simple. We are continuously exposed to our guests. Why? When you design a 400- or 500-room hotel, very often you don't know your guests. They are numbers on a computer. When you design a 25-, 30- or 40-room hotel, all your guests are VIPs. You know them. I won't mention names because of course in my business, I can't mention names. But the who's who of this world stay in our hotels – all of them. So we know them and because of that personal rapport that there is with most of them, they talk, they express themselves, they say what they like, what they don't like, etc. We are continuously exposed to the clients, that niche of clients' requests, or likes and dislikes, and therefore we are continuously refocusing our target and trying to serve their demands for the next project. So if 10 guys tell us, 'A 60-sqm room is really small for me. In my home, that's what I have for the maid,' then progressively the room becomes 80 sqm or 90 sqm. At Cheval Blanc Randheli in the Maldives, a standard room is 167 sqm. So when we designed Aman Resorts and the room was 60 sqm, people thought we were crazy. People thought Adrian Zecha was crazy. Today it's a standard room of the Marriott! I'm talking about resort hotels, not urban hotels – that's different. A suite in Aman Nai Lert Bangkok That's the importance of listening to your clients… We have welcomed all of our clients' comments continuously and we have tried to entertain their comments, complaints, advice or vision. We progressively integrate them, so we're always up to date because we're always here every single day. We always should have that, and of course I often meet these people. It's a very special type of clientele. I often meet them, discuss with them, spend time with them, we fly together, etc. So finally after a while, you really think like them, you're impregnated by their way of looking at life and looking at holidays. Therefore, you know how to interpret what they say, what they want and you keep up to date. What is it like for a hotel designer to stay in hotels all around the world on business trips? I'm a very strange guy. I adore hotels, I adore traveling, I travel all the time and I am extremely critical, which means I analyze everything I see. This is too small, we should have done this bigger, I don't like the color, I think this is too aggressive, the bathrooms are too slippery, we shouldn't use this bathroom, we shouldn't use this shower. Whether we did it or somebody else did it is irrelevant. I have a very open mind. I have a lot of good friends who are great architects, and I have no jealousy, no pain. We are a community. Architects have a community like doctors and lawyers. We respect each other. We don't necessarily agree with each other: I don't agree with your style or I don't like what you do personally, but I like you because we respect this sort of brethren between architects, just like lawyers. They sue each other, they go to court against each other, but after that, they go for dinner together. It's quite funny. I live in luxury hotels and I go to very private villas of very wealthy people. They invite me and I see the way they live, so I'm sort of impregnated with it.
Trade Arabia
16-02-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok is set to open in April
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, a new urban sanctuary in the Thai capital, will open in April. The 52-suite hotel will be home to an exclusive Aman Club, dedicated spaces, a 1,500-square-meter Aman Spa & Wellness center, and multiple dining and socialising venues. With reservations now open for stays from 2 April, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok brings the brand full circle from its 1988 launch of flagship property Amanpuri in Phuket and provides a gateway to Aman's 24 hotels and resorts in Asia. The 36th property in the Aman collection, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, epitomises every aspect of the brand's hospitality and revered DNA of peace, privacy, and unparallelled service. The hotel is designed by Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston architects to integrate details of the century-old Nai Lert Park Heritage Home with contemporary elements. Custom-made products by local artisans and antiques honor the elegance and simplicity of Aman's emblematic design ethos. Speaking about the property Vlad Doronin, Chairman and CEO of Aman Group said, "Thailand has played a significant role in the history of our brand and the latest evolution, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, will offer a unique connection to the rich heritage of the city. This is enhanced by our close collaboration with the Nai Lert family, in particular Naphaporn "Lek" Bodiratnangkura who's involvement and support has ensured the property reflects the legacy of its incredible location. Further, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok represents another milestone in our long-term vision to introduce the exceptional Aman experience to urban destinations as well as providing a strategic link to our properties across Asia." Aman Nai Lert Bangkok introduces Aman's trademark serenity to an area renowned for its energy. The hotel's contemporary urban sanctuary features a restaurant and gathering spaces across two distinct floors, including a light-filled central atrium and reception area, an 1872 lounge bar, signature Italian restaurant, Arva, poolside bar, The Pool, and an infinity swimming pool overlooking the green canopy of Nai Lert Park. On the 19th floor, exclusive to Aman Club Founders, there is an open-air terrace with skyline views, two restaurants, an atmospheric Aman Lounge, and Cigar Bar. Founders will also have access to the hotel's state-of-the-art wellness facilities. The 1,500-square-metre Aman Spa & Wellness will house both a medical clinic operated by Hertitude Clinic and an Aman Spa. The Medical Wellness by Hertitude Clinic will include eight private clinic rooms, one examination room, an IV Lounge, and cryotherapy chamber. On a separate floor, the Aman Spa will offer an extensive range of hydrotherapy facilities and movement spaces.
