Amanresorts new haveli destination

Amanresorts may have untied its knot with Umaid Bhawan Palace, but it is not loosening its grip on the Indian hospitality market. Till last month Amanresorts managed Umaid Bhavan.

Come December and it will open Amanbagh, its second stand alone luxury property in India. The resort, comprising 40 havelis, 16 of them with private swimming pools and private courtyards, is located in Alwar, Rajasthan, and was earlier a hunting destination for the Maharaja of Alwar.

Amanresorts, the Hong Kong headquartered company hopes that the $600-$800 a night luxury resort will pull in high-spending travellers to a region which is lesser known than its more well-known counterparts like Jaipur.

Responding to a Business Standard questionnaire, Trina Dingler Ebert, director of marketing at Amanresorts, said: "India is a big draw for high-end travellers and South Asia is very important to Amanresorts." Recently, the company opened a resort called Amankora in Paro, Bhutan.

Talking about the company's other properties in India, Ebert said that in January 2003, Amanresorts acquired the Lodhi Hotel in Delhi for Rs 76.25 crore. Amanresorts also has a 12-suite hotel property called the Manor in Delhi.

Ebert said that Amanresorts is not planning to open more properties similar to Aman-i-Khas, the exclusive, air-conditioned luxury tents outside the 400 sq km Ranthambore National Park, which opened in November 2003.

"It is always the site that dictates the right concept for the company," she explained. But is the company looking at any new properties in India? "Amanresorts is always on the lookout for interesting properties that meet our requirements," she added.

Amanresorts, founded by Adrian Zecha, has 16 resorts around the world, including in Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, French Polynesia, France, Morocco, the US, Mexico, India and Bhutan.