WE ALL HAVE A DESTINY AND SHOULD TRY TO FULFILL WHAT WE FEEL WE ARE ON EARTH TO DO .
PROFILE
A rendering of the pool area at the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok
in Oman ; St . Regis Lhasa in Tibet ; The Oberoi in New Delhi ; The Setai in Miami Beach ; and the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore .
Gathy ’ s passion for learning about the complexity of human nature across different cultures is rooted in his childhood love of maps — so much so that from the age of 9 , his parents entrusted him with planning family trips around the globe . Today , this manifests in his fascination with Google Earth to study the locations of Denniston ’ s projects — and the nearby rivers , mountains , sea trenches , etc .
“ I love natural geography and know the world by heart ,” he says . “ I ’ m totally addicted and spend up to two hours a day on Google Earth while waiting for the plane or when I ’ m exhausted at night . I ’ m obsessed , but it ’ s better than drinking . Even when I ’ m not traveling , I travel in my dreams .”
Sixty years of discovering vibrant destinations has provided Gathy with a deep well of inspiration , what he calls a library of layers of sensation , with visual , acoustic and artistic memories that emerge naturally in his designs .
Ben Taechaubol , CEO of Country Group Development , a publicly held real estate company in Thailand , says these instincts are part of the reason his company commissioned Gathy to design the concept for the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River , which opened in March .
“ Appointing Jean-Michel was a very easy decision , because he really understood our ambition to create an urban resort , an iconic property that is loved and revered in the hearts of the local community ,” says Taechaubol . Gathy ’ s tiered architectural design follows the natural landscape with cascading courtyards and pools that draw the river from the 660-foot shoreline into the 9-acre site .
ALWAYS STRIVING While there weren ’ t any true conflicts in the project , Taechaubol says they did take turns pushing each other to strive further .
“ Jean-Michel is a character ,” he says , “ and I appreciate that he stands up for what he believes in . Every key design issue that added material cost was discussed on the basis of value .” For example , when he asked Gathy to revise the ballroom design to go beyond the conventional “ box ,” Gathy countered that they needed to create a terrace for an indoor-outdoor experience . It ’ s a feature that has already proved particularly attractive for the all-important wedding market .
Taechaubol says he ’ d happily work with Gathy again , but Denniston ’ s plate is pretty full with 2020 completions : Jumeirah Bali opened in March ; Four Seasons Otemachi , Tokyo is due to open in June ; One & Only Montenegro in July ; and then Aman New York and Amaala Saudi Arabia ’ s masterplan by the end of the year .
Could Gathy imagine a career doing anything else ? “ I ’ d love to be an art dealer , but I don ’ t have enough money ,” he says . “ If I die tomorrow , my hope is to be reincarnated as the same thing .”
WE ALL HAVE A DESTINY AND SHOULD TRY TO FULFILL WHAT WE FEEL WE ARE ON EARTH TO DO .
48 hotelsmag . com April 2020