THE LEGEND
he now runs family investments out of Monaco and Hawaii . “ He has always consulted me a little bit and asked me for my view on what he was trying to do because we had this very good friendship . I think we were good partners .”
Zecha ’ s latest brand ,
Azerai , integrates luxury service into a 3-star brand : “ That is actually the essence of the hospitality business .”
‘ WHAT ’ S THE FORMULA ?’ Zecha ’ s definition of luxury – the “ different ” that Bickson cites regarding Aman – is easy to experience but tough to define . “ I remember one time people asking , ‘ Well , what ’ s the formula ? What ’ s the model ? What are the list of risks , the whole thing of what to do ?’” Dingler recalls . “ And ( Zecha and I ) looked at each other and said , ‘ I don ’ t know . Do you know ?’”
“ I said , ‘ if I ever see a manual , you ’ re going to get hit on the head with it ,’” Zecha concurs . Why ? “ You give it your personality . I don ’ t want cookie-cutter everybody , or ‘ he ’ s an Aman guy .’ I hate that . Because no Aman is alike .”
His hotels do have a few things in common . Zecha likens it to hardware – the physical space and amenities – and software – the service itself . “ Which is more important ? Well , that is ridiculous . What is that ?” He claps . “ That ’ s a clap . Which is more important ? This hand or this hand ? Come on . It is both .”
If hardware attracts first-time guests , it ’ s the software that keeps them coming back . He says he still hears from people about their first impressions of Amanpuri – and in one case , the myth that resulted from one employee randomly winding an orchid around the suitcase handle of a Condé Nast travel writer , who portrayed it as standard operating procedure for the then-new hotel . “ That ’ s the software ,” he says .
He continues an artisanal approach with his most recent brand , the 3-star Azerai , which has two properties open in Vietnam and a pipeline of nine signed hotels : “ When I say affordable , everybody says , ‘ but you ’ re
The Azerai Luang Prabang in Laos marked Zecha ’ s entree into affordable luxury .
downgrading it .’ No , I ’ m not .” He compares Aman and Azerai as being two models built by a single luxury carmarker . “ The hardware product is smaller than Aman . The software product is the same . My goal is to have that same software , that same quality of the smile , of the attitude , as Aman . Because for me , that is actually the essence of the hospitality business .”
He remains busy and traveling , including a new project in California ; he declines to
say more , citing a dislike of the hyperbole that often comes with touting new properties , but points to his insistence on seeing potential sites himself .
Two things keep him going : “ I smoke cigars ,” he says . And he has a clear conscience . He would like to live to be 99 years old , and when friends ask him why he isn ’ t shooting for a round 100 , he replies : “ I negotiate deals all the time . And I ’ ve learned that if you go one step too far , you lose the deal .”
22 hotelsmag . com April 2019