Aman Resorts

9-111-012 REV: APRIL 9 , 2011

EUGEN E SOLTES

You admit you are an “Amannjunkie.” You have been to seven of the twenty-four Amman Resorts and are headinng to your eighth—and for good reason. Since 1988, when the flagsship Amanpuri opened in Phuket, Thailand, Aman has opened propeerties across fourteen countries ranging from the Himalayan peaks of Bhutan to the crystal blue waters of Turks and Caicos. Each time you visited an Aman, you were struck bby the individuality of the property, while at the same time taking comfort in the common elements that characterize them all—a beautifuul natural location, outstandinng facilities, and exceptional service.

Your flight just landed a few minutes ago at the airport in Denpasar, in Bali, Indonesia. A young man quickly ushers you past the chaotic immigration line with a simmple nod to the customs officer. Outside the air is warm and you are led to a white SUV where your driver greets you with the traditional Sanskrit salutation of ‘namaste’.

Your driver introduces himself as Suarsa and offers you a cool white towel and a bottle of sparkling water. He informs you that the drive to Amandari will take approximately two hours. As you pull away from the bustlinng airport lot, Suarsa inquires about your journey and ooffers some background on the resort. You learn that Suarsa grew up in a village adjacent to Amandari and has been workinng at the resort since it opened 20 years aago.

Ass your drive continues, Suarsa notices a marked increase in your energgy and suggests you might enjoy a longer, but more scenic route through the countryside which passes by ruins dating back to the eleventh centurry. From your conversation, Suarsa also detects your keen interest in crafts and suggests a visit to a renowned woodcarver in one of the more rural villages along the way. As he drives, Suarsa points out things of interest—the statues of holy deities and the colorful bamboo poles, called penjors, which line the roadside to express gratitude for the recent successful harvest.

Ass you pull into the impeccably maintained grounds of Amandari, you see three people waiting to greet you including Liv, the geeneral manager, and two guest assistants, Asrami and Ayu.

Asrami escorts you to your private villa to complete your check-in. As you pass by the restaurant, she notes that “dinner is served on the patio from seven until eleven in the eveninng, but naturally that’s flexible.” Arriving at your villa, Asrami pooints out the amenities, which are simple but many. The thatched rooof, the vases of freshly picked jasmine flowers, and the basket of local fruit and freshly baked cookies all catch your attention with delighht (Exhibit 1).

______

Professor Eugene Soltes and Senior Researcher Aldo Sesia Jr. of the Global Research Group prepared this case. HBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not intended to serve as endorsements, sources of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management.

Copyright © 2010, 2011 President and Fellows of Harvard Colleege. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, call 1-800-545- 7685, write Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, MA 02163, or go to www.hbsp.harvard.edu/educators. This publication may not be digitized, photocopied, or otherwise reproduced, posted, or transmitted, without the permission of Harvard Business School.

This document is authorized for use only by Lorie Loeb ([email protected]). Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Please contact [email protected] or 800-988-0886 for additional copies. 111-012 Aman Resorts

Only a few minutes later, you are lying on the large cream-colored day bed on the spacious outdoor terrace listening to the slow rhythmic chant of the insects from the surrounding forest. As you page through the activities book deciding what might interest you for the following day- perhaps a hike through the countryside or a visit to the market and private cooking class with the executive chef- you begin to get thirsty. You check the small refrigerator tucked discretely into an elegant teak cabinet and find it entirely stocked with your favorite beverage. You smile as you recall how you mentioned your favorite drink to the guest assistant, Aurosman, while visiting another Aman property years ago. Since then, you’ve always discovered the refrigerator filled with the drink upon arrival at any Aman.

As night falls, you walk to the restaurant where the host greets you by name. In the distance, you hear traditional Balinese music being played on a bamboo rindik. As you gaze over the menu, the server notes that the chef would be delighted to prepare another dish if you are in the mood for something not on the menu. After completing your skillfully prepared, but simple meal, you stand up to leave without needing to sign a check. As you walk back to your room along a pathway illuminated by candlelight, you arrive back in the room to see your purchases from earlier in the day already delicately wrapped up and ready to be brought home. You also notice Aman’s version of a turn down service treat on your bed- an intricate handmade figure with a handwritten note describing its significance to the Balinese. As you fall asleep, you are already eagerly looking forward to the day ahead.

The Aman Story

Aman (“peace” in Sanskrit) Resorts was the creation of Adrian Zecha. Born in 1933, Zecha had a privileged childhood. By his early twenties, Zecha found his niche as a journalist for United Press International and later Time magazine. In 1961, Zecha launched Asia magazine, which was partly funded by an equally ambitious young Australian newspaperman named Rupert Murdoch.

By the 1970s Zecha found himself in a new line of business: hotel management. He co-founded Regent International Hotels, which was one of Asia’s early luxury hotel groups. In 1986, the 53-year- old Zecha sold his 30% stake for $30 million.1

The Beginning and Growth of Aman

Soon thereafter, the energetic Zecha began searching for a secluded piece of property where he could build a holiday home. When Zecha came across a sheltered bay near Phuket’s Pansea Beach in Thailand, he was immediately enthralled. Zecha, however, soon discovered that “the cost of bringing in water would have to be shared so the solution would be additional villas for friends. Since my friends were spread across Asia, Europe, and America, it seemed like common sense to build a small hotel that could look after these villas and would be the center of a shared social life.”2

He contacted Edward Tuttle, a Paris-based American architect who had previously designed residences for Zecha in Bali and Hong Kong. Tuttle hopped on a flight to Thailand to examine the site and was also struck by the spectacular views of the Andaman Sea.

Zecha and Tuttle quickly got to work designing plans for the site. “Working with my friend of fifteen years” Zecha noted, “we didn’t sit across from each other at a conference table trying to design something the market was asking for—the market didn’t know it wanted something new until it saw it. Our goal was simply to build something that we each would like to live in.”3

Zecha and Tuttle reached similar conclusions about the design of the property: They should build a small unconventional hotel without the typical commercial trappings. Tuttle fondly recalled that “aesthetically, Adrian and I think alike. We wanted the hotel to express an attitude that was far from the commercial approach that was typical in the high-end hotel industry.” The hotel sought to

incorporate traditional Thai architecture with the comforts of a contemporary lifestyle.4 Thai banks refused to finance the project so Zecha and a private equity firm, co-founded by a friend, invested $5 million to buy the property and build the resort. Zecha and Tuttle insisted on using simple, durable, and, most importantly, local materials.

Amanpuri (“place of peace”), opened in 1988, with 40 Thai-style bungalows averaging 1,200 square feet each. At the time, the daily rate for a pavilion room during the high season was an unheard of $300. Two restaurants served Thai and Italian food and amenities included a swimming pool, and tennis courts. A 55-foot boat, Amanpuri I, was also available for charter for an additional $720 a day.5

Although Zecha did not have plans to create a set of resorts when ground broke on Amanpuri, a year later he opened a second resort, in Bali, Indonesia, well before any other high-end hotels had entered the inland market. He named the 30-room property Amandari (‘peaceful spirits’). Nestled in central Bali, high above a river gorge and surrounded by rice paddies and forests, Amandari was built to replicate a traditional Balinese village.

By 2000, there were 11 Aman resorts—five in Indonesia, one each in Thailand, French Polynesia, France, Morocco, the Philippines, and the United States. Aman Resorts was the envy of the hospitality industry with a gross margin that was widely believed to be among the highest, if not the highest, in the entire industry.6

Following the Bali nightclub bombing in October 2002 and the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), there was a severe leisure tourism downturn in Asia which affected the occupancy rate at several Aman properties. Despite this setback, by 2010, Aman boasted 24 resorts in 14 countries with an average price for a night’s stay of nearly $1,200 before taxes (see Exhibit 2). Aman consistently won annual awards identifying it as one of the world’s top resort groups in the Zagat Survey, Condé Nast Traveler, The Gallivanter’s Guide, and Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report.

The Aman Philosophy

“Everything we do starts with our philosophy,” Zecha explained, “which is based on three essential components—peace, uniqueness, and family. They must all be of equal strength to fulfill the guest experience to its utmost.” The Sanskrit world for “peace” (Aman) was incorporated into all new property names to characterize the peaceful and relaxing atmosphere that guests expected. Most Aman properties were small, with less than 40 rooms, and located in remote and/or distinctively private areas. Entrances to Aman properties were understated and lacked any brightly lit signs. Each Aman resort sought to incorporate itself with the surrounding area by using material and design elements from the location and local culture. Finally, family described the desired home-like atmosphere within the hotel. Zecha wanted guests to feel that that they just visited the home of a good friend.

The location of each property, which could take years to find and negotiate appropriate terms of ownership, was Zecha’s forte. He alone handpicked each location. Steven Scott, one of Zecha’s closest advisors and manager of development, said “After Adrian selects the location, we try to first understand what type of guest experience we are aiming for. Once we understand this we try to build a resort to deliver on that experience. We want to be sympathetic to the location.”

Aman Resorts also acquired properties to add to the Aman portfolio when the location, site, and opportunity intrigued Zecha. In the cases that Aman purchased properties (e.g., Amantaka, Villa

Milocer, Le Mélézin) Zecha sought to maintain its historic charm while being updated to accommodate Aman guests. Like the new property developments, acquired properties could still take years to negotiate ownership terms and renovate.

During development and renovation, Zecha was both exacting and demanding in his standards. At Amankora in Bhutan, for example, construction workers tore down and rebuilt numerous rooms multiple times before Zecha and his architects were satisfied. During the building stage, Zecha visited each property several times. Few details escaped Zecha’s attention—even down to the arrangement of flowers in suites.

Ultimately, the goal of Zecha and other members of the Aman organization was to create an experience that surprised, delighted, and ultimately exceeded guest expectations. Aman guests typically had the resources to stay at the world’s most elegant and exclusive hotels. Zecha preached that to create something truly special required enhancing the entire guest experience.

To enact this philosophy, Aman operated differently than most hotels in several significant ways. For example, with few exceptions, the company did not offer discounts from the rack room rates. Zecha explained:

We have to charge more for our rooms because we are so small. We have never dropped our rates—except for Amanpuri after the 2004 tsunami. The Prime Minister of Thailand called and asked me to lower our rates since the tourist based economy was suffering. Being who we are, getting us to lower our rates would signal to others in the industry to do the same. The tsunami was an extraordinary event, so we decided to drop our rates by 50% during the low season. Our occupancy rate was over 70% at Amanpuri, rather than our typical 30%, and we had our most profitable low season ever. The general manager suggested that we should drop our rates every low season. I said no. We are in the brand business. Dropping prices simply harms a brand. Jackie Kennedy wore Pierre Cardin. Now you can buy Pierre Cardin key chains. They lost their caché.

The company did not pursue traditional advertising and relied heavily on word-of-mouth. Aman sent letters and e-mails to Amanjunkies, loyal repeat customers as they were fondly called, announcing new Aman properties. Aman also attracted media attention which raised the visibility of its properties. For example, in 2007, Condé Nast Traveler created a special issue which focused on Bill Clinton’s philanthropic efforts around the world. A number of photos of the former president, including the cover, were shot at Amanpuri in Thailand. The photographer described Amanpuri as “one of the nicest beach resorts that exists on the planet.”7

Managers and staff of Aman properties spend a significant amount of time developing and nurturing their relationship with local communities. Many properties were located in rural areas where villagers continued their traditional cultural and religious practices. Aman sought to be particularly sensitive to the needs of these villages and tried to contribute in a constructive manner without importing outside influences and beliefs. Aman also designed its properties in a manner which respected local cultural and religious needs. For instance, Amandari was built at the top of a ridge above an important temple where villagers brought offerings of fruit and gifts. Religious tenets did not permit offerings to be carried beneath a roof, so the architect created an open walkway through the lobby. Consequently, villagers had direct access to the temple pathway from the hotel and processions of villagers frequently walked through Amandari down to the temple.

To contribute to the local community in an economic fashion, room amenities and complimentary guest gifts were often created by local craftsmen. Whenever possible, the resorts acquired produce for the restaurants from local farmers. Aman even sought to contribute to the local community in a

cultural fashion. At Amankora Gangtey, in central Bhutan, staff spent over 1,000 hours in 2009 building a small monastery near the property for use by local farmers and monks (see Exhibit 3).

The Aman Guest

Aman’s guests represented a diverse and global clientele. Aman catered primarily to leisure travelers. Approximately one-third of Aman’s guests came from the Americas, one-third from Asia, and one-third from Europe. Typically, guests were frequent travelers between the ages of 30 and 70. Guests included a cross-section of successful people on holiday, including wealthy individuals, politicians, and celebrities. While many of its guests were repeat customers, Aman also regularly hosted newlyweds who were treating themselves to an once-in-a-lifetime honeymoon experience.

Over the years, the composition of Aman guests had continued to broaden. As new properties were developed, the visibility of Aman grew. After hearing about a new local Aman, individuals would “discover” Aman resorts, which created an increasingly diverse guest base. For example, following the development of the Aman at Summer Palace and Amanfayun in China, a growing number of Chinese visitors had become regular Aman guests at properties around the world. Similarly, when Aman began developing plans for a property in Palau, the island’s President Tommy Remengesau stated that “this is exactly the type of project that will put Palau on the world tourism map.”8

The different Aman properties served various kinds of guests and their desires at different points in time. Visitors to Amantaka in Laos tended to desire a more adventurous experience, whereas those going to Amanpulo in the Philippines tended to want a sybaritic experience. While all Amans had the ability to pamper its guests, the more adventurous destinations focused on delivering an exciting or culturally authentic experience during the day, while offering the contemporary comforts of home when guests returned to the property in the evening. Beach locations attempted to cloak guests in comfort and relaxation—in some locations it even meant having the staff spray the sand with water to prevent it from getting excessively hot.9

Given that most guests heard about Aman through word-of-mouth, most understood the model and aesthetics that defined Aman. Nonetheless, occasionally some guests left disappointed. Unsatisfied guests tended to voice two criticisms. Some guests expected richly appointed and expensively designed rooms that utilized pricey luxurious materials (e.g., gold-leaf, exotic silks, etc). Those guests were surprised by the simplistic design and had difficulty understanding the significant price premium Aman charged. For instance, a guest on a popular travel site criticized one of the Aman properties in Indonesia for “the stark design and no TV” and moved to a nearby Four Seasons which offered rooms which included several flat-panel televisions at a significantly lower price. Other guests were surprised by the lack of lively guest activity within the properties (e.g., bar scene in the evening). Despite its exclusivity, Aman strived not to be a place to “see and be seen,” but rather a place for rest and privacy. In both cases, Aman staff tried to accommodate guests as much as possible (e.g., bringing a TV into the room, adding additional furniture like lamps and chairs), but in these cases, management often conceded that Aman simply was not a good match for these guests.

Organization and Staff

Each Aman property was overseen by a general manager (GM). Zecha personally handpicked each manager for his or her charisma, charm, and commitment to the Aman philosophy. GMs came from a wide variety of backgrounds including some with hotel management experience, but many others had less traditional backgrounds (e.g., diplomat, naturalist).

GMs were given a high degree of autonomy. Robyn Bickford, co-GM of Amanbagh, said Zecha’s parting words to her when she took the position were “Amanbagh is your Aman. Manage it as if it was your own.” GMs typically lived in one of the suites on the resort grounds. Liv Gussing, general manager of Amandari, noted the importance of interacting with guests and felt that her role was “to invite guests in and share my home with them.” Manav Garewal, co-GM of Amanbagh with Bickford, agreed and stressed the importance of developing relationships with guests. His goal with Bickford was for “people to come as guests and leave as friends.” Consistent with this, a major responsibility of the GM was to visit with guests throughout the day. Finding the right balance of being attentive while not being imposing could be difficult and, according to Zecha, required an inherent talent. Besides seeing guests as they came and left the property and discussing interests during meals, GMs even accompanied guests on excursions outside the property.

GMs not only strove to create a home-like experience for guests, but also to create a comfortable family atmosphere among employees. Sharing birthdays, religious holidays, birth of children, and other personal occasions was one way in which the GM built rapport with staff. In doing so, Aman hoped that the internal home-like dynamics were extended to the staff’s interaction with guests. Despite the small number of rooms, staff to guest ratios ran as high as 6:1, which created organizations of considerable size and complexity.

For most of its history, Aman had its general managers report directly to Zecha. As the organization grew, it finally became necessary to put in an additional layer of management between the GMs and Zecha. The company created three regional manager positions where each manager was responsible for a particular geographical area. Ferdinand Wortelboer, managing director of the South East Asia region who oversaw nine Aman properties, said, “although each general manager is given a great deal of autonomy, there has to be clear financial oversight and consistency about how the brand is presented to the outside world, which is the role of the regional directors.”

One area that general managers had no control over was in setting room rates. All rates were set at the corporate headquarters in Singapore. Nonetheless, GMs still had sales targets and were expected to control expenses. For example, at one property, the GM acquired pool covers for the resort’s 17 heated pools to reduce heating costs when suites were unoccupied. This decision helped reduce costs without compromising the guest experience.

With the exception of the GM and executive chef, 95% or more of the staff at most Amans were from the local region or country. At Amandari, over 70% of the staff came from villages within 2km of the hotel and 60% of the staff came from a single village. Many Aman employees came from backgrounds that were starkly different than any of the hospitality positions offered by Aman (e.g., agriculture, tradesmen).

Aman valued personality, enthusiasm, and the willingness to learn over prior hotel experience. Zecha wanted employees who did not have a preconceived notion of how things should be done. This same belief extended even to the management trainees. Aman infrequently hired college graduates with degrees in hospitality or tourism. Wortelboer noted that Aman tended to throw new employees “in the deep end, so to speak, to find out what they are made of. We do this because we believe that about 10% of what they learned in school can be used at Aman. The other 90% must be learned. They must be able to adapt to the culture where the resort is located and the unique Aman philosophy.”

Given the heterogeneity in background and experience of new hires, all employees underwent extensive training. The first step in this process was communication of the Aman philosophy by a corporate trainer from the Singapore office. Afterwards, employees received training to perform their specific job and English language training. Aman used very few manuals or written training

materials. Instead of memorizing responses to specific situations, training heavily utilized role- playing to enhance employee perception of guest needs and their ability to learn how to respond to guests in an empathetic manner. Zecha believed that by understanding what a guest was feeling and why, employees were better able to respond to guests in a more individualized manner. Only a few aspects of Aman’s service, like carrying guest luggage by hand, were designed to be the same across properties.

One consequence of this lack of institutionalization in the training process was that guests experienced and interacted with the employees as individuals with unique personalities rather than corporate entities. Aman believed that this facilitated the development of more intimate interaction between Aman employees and guests. Guests commonly remembered specific employees’ names and developed heartfelt relationships over repeat visits.

Formal job descriptions for Aman employees were typically concise. (Exhibit 4 provides job descriptions for a guest assistant at Aman Delhi, a driver at Amandari, and a human resources supervisor at Amankora.) Employees were strongly encouraged to think about the guest experience holistically and offer their assistance in any manner that would enhance the quality of the guest experience. As Putu Kesuma, rooms division manager at Amankila, succinctly put it, “the job descriptions are the minimum duties necessary.”

Instances of Aman employees performing tasks which were significantly outside or beyond their job descriptions were common. Examples included:

• After picking up an energetic guest from the airport, Kawit, a driver for Amandari, was asked to visit the other side of the island for shopping “on the way” to the hotel. Although he originally anticipated the drive would take less than one and a half hours, he spent the next nine hours translating, bargaining, and helping the guest shop for crafts and textiles. Despite this unexpected change, Kawit fondly recalls this event since he was able to use his discretion to create these plans which ultimately delighted the guest.

• At Amankora in Paro, the human resources supervisor, Chimi Dema, heard a woman shouting at the gate of the hotel. Chimi left her office to investigate and discovered that the women believed Amankora’s dogs had destroyed a number of her farm’s potato plants. Although the woman had no proof, Chimi sought to resolve the situation. She walked to the woman’s farm to inspect the damage and decided that the situation could be easily resolved if she quickly responded. While still wearing her silk kiraa, Chimi helped the woman replant the potato plants. When she returned to Amankora, staff members were surprised to see their typically impeccably dressed manager heavily covered in mud. While far outside her responsibility at the hotel, Chimi felt that her effort not only avoided any guests from being disturbed, but also enhanced Amankora’s relationship with the community.

Each quarter, employees met with their supervisors to discuss their job performance. Both the employee and manager filled out a written review scoring numerous attributes of the employee’s performance. At Amankora, these attributes included quality of work, communication, supervisory skills, attitude, self-management, and maintenance of staff and guest areas. In addition, for all staff that interacted with guests, several additional guest contact criteria were scored (Exhibit 5). Consistent with the management philosophy, the lowest score in each of the guest contact attributes was simply following the requirements of their job. The scores from each of the criteria were summed

a A kira is a Bhutanese ankle-length dress.

to provide an employee with an overall performance ranking of “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D”. The “B” ranking was typical and “A” and lower “C” and “D” grades were less common.

The Future

Zecha’s lead at the helm of Aman over more than two decades had some Amanjunkies worried about what would become of Aman Resorts after Zecha. These concerns, Zecha said, were unwarranted. “When I exit this world, I am after all 77,” Zecha said, “I don’t think the company will change its philosophy. There are many long time employees, management and staff, beyond myself who understand what is the essence of Aman.”

Exhibit 1 Amandari Guest Suite (Bali, Indonesia)

Source: Company.

Exhibit 2 Amanresorts as of 2010

Amanfayun in China becomes the 24th Aman Resort 2010 Amangiri (U.S.), Amantaka (Laos), and 2009 Aman New Delhi (India) are 2009 additions

2008 Aman at Summer Palace (China) and Aman Sveti Stefan (Montenegro) open

2006

AMANYARA opens in Turks & Caicos 2005 2004 Amangalla and Amanwella (Sri Lanka), and Amangabh (India) are new additions in 2005 2003

Amankora joins the Aman family of resorts in Bhutan 2002 AMAN-i-KHAS is opened in India

The new Millennium sees the opening of The first Cambodian resort, Amansara, opens a resort in Morocco: Amanjena 2000

1998 1997

AMANJIWO is opened in Indonesia The first U.S. resort opens: AMANGANI 1993 Amanpulo in the Philippines and a third Expansion continues with the opening of Indonesian resort, Amanwana, are opened Le Melezin in France and two additional 1992 resorts in Indonesia: Amanusa and Amankila

Two more resorts are opened: Amandari in Indonesia, and Hotel Bora Bora in French Polynesia 1989 1988

AMANPURI, Aman’sflagship resort

In 1988, the first Aman resort, Amanpuri (“place of peace”), opens in Thailand, comprised of 40 Thai-style bungalows

Source: Casewriter.

Exhibit 3 Community Work bby Amankora Staff (Gangttey, Bhutan)

View of the village and monastery from Amankora

Close-up view of the monastery built by Amankora Staff

Source: Company and casewriter.

Exhibit 4 Job Descriptions for Aman Staff

Aman Delhi (Delhi, India) Position: Guest Assistant Department: Front Office

Responsible for: -Check-in/Check-out -Food service -Laundry collection and delivery -General observation -Liaising with different departments for guest needs -Changing the status of the room -Activity planning

Amandari (Bali, Indonesia) Position: Driver Department: Front Office

Responsibilities for guest airport arrival: -Check transfer schedule on shift; reconfirm arrival time -Contact Amandari airport representative to determine whether the flight is on-time -Greet and welcome guests as airport representative brings to the car -Loading/unloading luggage -Check guest comfort; answer guest questions along the way to hotel

Amankora (Paro, Bhutan) Position: Human Resources Supervisor Department: Human Resources

Responsible for: -Training and other staff related activities (e.g. birthdays) -Leave updates -Coordinating with staff for appraisals/promotions/interviews -Orientation program -Disciplining and counseling -Transfer and accommodation of staff

Source: Casewriter.

Exhibit 5 Guest Contact Performance Review—Amankora

13. Guest Interaction Score

Confident and enthusiastic in building relations with guests. Is sensitive to the level of 4 attention a guest requires, is pro-active in initiating guest contact and is aware of personality and personal space. Listens, understands and responds and is able to interact with the guest in a personal, positive, informative manner. Pro-active and confident in initiating guest contact and enthusiastic when interacting with 3 guests. Listens to and understands guest’s needs and is sensitive to level of guest attention required. Comfortable with guest interaction and when initiated by a guest, pro-active in sustaining a 2 relationship. Is able to respond to a guest request in a positive and informative manner and will try to 1 ensure guest requirements are met.

14. Guest Experiences Score

Priority and wholehearted intention is to ensure an outstanding guest experience through 4 attentive observation, which is converted into personalized service on all levels. Represents the Amankora values and standards and consistently works to enhance or develop new guest experiences. Focuses on the guest experience on all levels and ensures timely and accurate 3 communication or actions. Is pro-active in developing and enhancing guest experiences through attention to detail, personalized service and active follow up. Understands the importance of maintaining Amankora standards to ensure a positive guest 2 experience on all levels. Actively contributes to the guest experience through timely and pro-active communication to supervisors. Maintains the departmental standards to ensure no negative impact on the guest 1 experience.

Source: Company and casewriter.

Endnotes

1 “Destination of the week,” Forbes Magazine, at http://www.forbes.com/2004/03/11/cx_as_0311dow.html, accessed April 29, 2010.

2 Amanresorts International Pte Ltd: Aman² (2009).

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.

5 Elisabeth King, “So Exclusively Thai,” The Sun Herald, January 14, 1990, via Factiva, accessed August 9, 2010.

6 “Aman’s Man,” Robb Report Article, March 1, 2008 at http://www.robbreport.com/Feature-Amans- Man.aspx, accessed August 9, 2010.

7 Cover Shoot, Condé Nast Traveler, September 2007, photographer Jeff Riedel speaks on photographing former U.S. President Bill Clinton at Amanpuri, at www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/media/0907-clinton, accessed August 9, 2010.

8 “Aman’s Man,” Robb Report Article, March 1, 2008 at http://www.robbreport.com/Feature-Amans- Man.aspx, accessed August 9, 2010.

9 Ibid.

This document is authorized for use only by Lorie Loeb ([email protected]). Copying or posting is an infringement of copyright. Please contact [email protected] or 800-988-0886 for additional copies.