Latest news with #Sompong
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
27-02-2025
- Business
- Trade Arabia
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok to open on April 2
Aman Nai Lert Bangkok, a new urban sanctuary following in the footsteps of Aman Tokyo and Aman New York, will open in the Thai capital on April 2. Located in the oasis of Nai Lert Park amid the embassies of Lumpini, the property rests in green seclusion, a haven of calm amid the leafy embrace of the privately owned park. The 52-suite hotel will be home to an exclusive Aman Club, with its own dedicated spaces, a 1,500-sq-mAman Spa & Wellness centre and multiple dining and socialising venues alongside exceptional branded residences. With reservations now open for stays from April 2, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok brings the brand full circle from its 1988 launch of flagship property Amanpuri in Phuket and will provide a gateway to Aman's 24 hotels and resorts in Asia. The 36th property in the Aman collection, and its third global urban property, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok epitomises every aspect of the brand's hospitality and revered DNA of peace, privacy and unparallelled service. Chief among the tapestry of influences informing the hotel, is the historic Nai Lert Park Heritage Home, owned by the Nai Lert family, who, in addition to being Aman's partner on the project, have an unrivalled legacy in Bangkok. Over the decades the trees and gardens have grown, creating the lush oasis that is the park today, with hotel harmoniously juxtaposing old and new, within nature's timeless embrace. Perfectly placed to ensure an immersive experience of all the city has to offer, Aman Nai Lert Bangkok will provide signature experiences unveiling Bangkok's best-kept cultural and culinary secrets. 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 will introduce Aman's trademark serenity to an area renowned for its energy. Long-time Aman collaborator, Jean-Michel Gathy of Denniston architects has designed the hotel to integrate details of the century-old Nai Lert Park Heritage Home with contemporary elements. In addition, custom-made products by local artisans and antiques honour the elegance and simplicity of Aman's emblematic design ethos. Symbolic of the genesis of the hotel, a central feature is the majestic, 100-year-old Sompong tree dictating the building's root-framing courtyard and its striking elliptical void. A contemporary urban sanctuary in a sprawling metropolis, the restaurant and gathering spaces will sit across the two distinct floors. From the ground level entrance with its carved roofline, lifts rise to the 9th floor, crowned with a light-filled central atrium and reception area. Located on the same level will be the convivial 1872 lounge bar and signature Italian restaurant, Arva. On the same floor, poolside bar, The Pool, spills onto the east-facing terrace and the hotel's infinity swimming pool overlooks the green canopy of Nai Lert Park. On the 19th floor, exclusive to Aman Club Founders, is an open-air terrace with skyline views, as well as two restaurants, an atmospheric Aman Lounge, and Cigar Bar. In addition, Founders will also have access to the hotel's state-of-the-art wellness facilities. The Aman Spa & Wellness, spanning two floors will house both a medical clinic, operated by renowned experts Hertitude Clinic, and an Aman Spa. The Medical Spa 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. Treatments will take place across six spa therapy rooms, a dedicated Thai massage treatment room, and the unique private Banya Spa House. Situated on floors 11 through 18, the hotel's 52 suites will be among the largest in the city, starting at 94 sq m . Floor-to-ceiling windows frame park and city views. Encompassing an entire floor, the Aman Suite is one of the largest presidential suites in Bangkok, offering up to 713 sq m and three bedrooms with a balcony and terrace, dining room with bar counter and separate kitchen, spacious living room, private spa, entertainment room, and dedicated study. – TradeArabia News Service
