Special RepoRt : Leadership
Outdoor dining at the newly refurbished Amanpulo in the Philippines chairman of the board and there is a corporate director nominated by the minority shareholder .”
The new leadership team has brought in some fresh blood and introduced new incentives . “ We now have a young , energetic , motivated sales , marketing and PR team who are ready to take Aman forward ,” Doronin says , adding that he plans to make Aman a stronger brand , with stronger marketing and higher occupancy rates for owners who want to see their Amans as more than trophy assets .
Aman ’ s main opportunity , according to Doronin , still comes from the fact the brand is unique and remains in a league of its own with destinations rooted in discovery that create experiences beyond luxury . “ Expectation is high when it comes to the look and feel at Aman , and we need to deliver ,” he adds . “ Keeping up with this costs money and I am in a position to provide the necessary financial input to make it happen .”
Some of that money has Aman taking a different tack than that of founder Adrian Zecha , now sometimes away from the far-flung resort destinations to city center properties such as the one that recently opened in Tokyo . Now , Doronin is eyeing developments in London , New York , Paris and Shanghai .
Doronin adds that Aman is currently working on complete reconstruction and refurbishment of its hotel in Bora Bora and plans to develop new locations in the Bahamas , Brazil and Mexico , followed by Africa and the Middle East . “ As for how that integrates with our city plans , urban locations have always been part of Aman ’ s long-term strategy and now we ’ re in a position to make it a reality ,” he says . “ City-Aman will bring the brand experience closer to where our core clientele live and work , giving more newcomers the opportunity to discover that experience .”
Doronin also makes it clear that Aman is a long-term investment , saying his goal is to carefully expand the portfolio while at the same time being an effective custodian of the brand . “ The most important lesson I ’ ve learned so far is to be patient . Making such a large investment in an undercapitalized company like Aman is an extremely exciting challenge , but implementing necessary changes can take time .”
36 HOTELS April 2015 www . hotelsmag . com