DESIGN
THE YEAR-ROUND PAVILIONS OF AMANGIRI NEIGHBOR CAMP SARIKA OFFER LUXURIOUS SHELTER IN UTAH ’ S DESERT .
Contributed BY ALICIA SHEBER
While the opening of a new hotel is always cause for celebration , during this era of COVID-19 recovery it ’ s a vote of confidence that travelin ’ days are here again — or will be , soon .
Camp Sarika , the long-awaited sibling of developer Canyon Equity ’ s Amangiri Resort in Canyon Point , Utah , makes a virtue of social distancing . The rugged , 78-acre desert site is billed as the first all-weather , yearround luxury camp in North America . With 10 “ pavilion ” tents and a brick-and-mortar building for the lobby , spa and restaurant , the sprawling destination is surrounded by 600 acres of wilderness and framed by 165-million-year-old sandstone formations .
The camp opened on July 1 , three months later than originally planned . “ Amangiri and Camp Sarika ’ s protocols exceed those mandated by Utah and the CDC ,” says Homi Vazifdar , CEO of Larkspur , California-based Canyon Equity , “ but at the same time , our guests are pretty uber-wealthy , so we needed to create an environment that doesn ’ t look clinical or make them uncomfortable .”
Occupancy started at 50 % with altered SOPs for social distancing , Vazifdar says . “ We ’ ve been inundated with requests and have a waiting list ,” he says . “ We won ’ t be irresponsible , but rooms will be released gradually to hopefully reach 100 % occupancy by the end of July .”
A heated plunge pool in one of the tented “ pavilions ”; Camp Sarika is billed as being North America ’ s first year-round luxury camp .
38 hotelsmag . com September / October 2020