Adrian Zecha
Encyclopedia
Adrian Zecha is an Indonesia
n hotelier
who is best known as the co-founder of Regent International Hotels
and founder of Aman Resorts
.
-Czech
plantation owners, Zecha had a privileged upbringing that included being educated in the United States
.
In 1956, when President Sukarno
nationalized the country's private businesses, the Zecha family fled to Singapore
. At the time the 23-year-old Zecha was in New York, working at Time magazine. In 1961, Zecha launched Asia Magazine, the first regional newspaper colour supplement in Asia. When the magazine faltered a year later, Rupert Murdoch
was persuaded by Zecha to invest in the magazine (in what was his first Asian investment). The magazine was a part of English speaking familys until 1998. It was held above water for its last ten years by Mr.Giro Semba and Mr. Olav Mueller-Uri until it finally closed in 1998. Olav Mueller-Uri is the person responsible for getting Air France back into Vietnam.
In 1970, Adrian started a new travel and lifestyle magazine named Orientationshttp://www.orientations.com.hk based in Hong Kong. With the advent of in-flight magazines, Orientations dropped its travel content and progressed over the years to become a publication focused on the arts of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Himalayas. It is now the leading magazine in this field and its contributors are renowned scholars and researchers from around the world.
While in Phuket
looking for a site upon which to build a holiday home, Zecha was walking along Pansea Beach when he came across a coconut plantation which occupied a prime location. Plans to build a home on a site soon developed into an idea to build a small boutique resort in partnership with longtime friend Anil Thadani. The two spent mainly their own money as no banks would lend for the project due to the small number of planned rooms, instead of the 500-room hotel they thought would be more practical.
Amanpuri
opened in January 1988 at a cost of US$4 million with only 40 rooms. Its success, followed by that of Amandari in Bali
, confirmed to Zecha the viability of a chain of minimalist boutique resorts in remote, natural settings. Each resort in the chain has been unique, with no more than 50 rooms. Initially concentrated in South East Asia, the chain has expanded to the United States, Morocco
and Sri Lanka
.
In 1992, needing additional money to fund expansion, he sold a controlling interest in Silverlink, the holding company which owned Aman Resorts to Clement Vaturi, an old friend whose family owned the Hoteliere Immobliere chain of French hotels. Zecha was left with only 45% of the share holdings. The arrangement was satisfactory to both parties until, in a convoluted series of financial events, Vaturi’s controlling interest effectively came under the control of Los Angeles-based Colony Capital, a real estate investment fund. A lawsuit between Vaturi and Colony Capital promised to drag on, putting on hold indefinitely Zecha's own plans to expand the number of Aman resorts. Dispirited and by now owning only 45% of Silverlink’s shares he resigned from his position at Aman Resorts in 1998.
By 2000 Colony Capital and Vaturi had settled their lawsuit, which led to Vaturi getting his Silverlink shares back. He soon onsold his shares to Lee Hing Development, a Hong Kong
property fund which was affiliated with Thadani's Schroder Capital Partners (a Singapore-based fund). With investors in control whom he felt shared his vision, Zecha returned as chairman and CEO.
In the intervening period Zecha founded Maha Resorts, which opened its Hacineda de San Antonia in Mexico
in October 2000.
On 27 November 2007, Zecha announced that he had reached an agreement with DLF Ltd, India
's largest real estate company, to form a partnership to acquire a controlling interest in Aman Resorts. The entire transaction, when completed, is estimated to be valued at US$400 million with an assumed debt of approximately US$150 million.
In addition to his position at Aman Resorts, Zecha is also chairman and director of General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM), a developer and manager of luxury hotels and resorts.
Zecha was also a partner with Georg Rafael in Rafael Hotels Limited, a company that was sold to Mandarin Oriental Group in May 2000.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n hotelier
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
who is best known as the co-founder of Regent International Hotels
Regent International Hotels
Regent International Hotels is a brand of upper luxury hotels, currently operating nine hotels in Asia, Americas and Europe. In recent years, the brand has expanded to Regent Seven Seas Cruises and Regent Residences.-History:...
and founder of Aman Resorts
Amanresorts
Amanresorts is a small luxury hotel group, located in 15 countries around the world. The word "Aman" is Urdu for "peace." It is owned by DLF Limited, India's largest real estate company.-History:...
.
History
Born to a family of wealthy IndonesianIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
-Czech
Czech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
plantation owners, Zecha had a privileged upbringing that included being educated in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1956, when President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
nationalized the country's private businesses, the Zecha family fled to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. At the time the 23-year-old Zecha was in New York, working at Time magazine. In 1961, Zecha launched Asia Magazine, the first regional newspaper colour supplement in Asia. When the magazine faltered a year later, Rupert Murdoch
Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch, AC, KSG is an Australian-American business magnate. He is the founder and Chairman and CEO of , the world's second-largest media conglomerate....
was persuaded by Zecha to invest in the magazine (in what was his first Asian investment). The magazine was a part of English speaking familys until 1998. It was held above water for its last ten years by Mr.Giro Semba and Mr. Olav Mueller-Uri until it finally closed in 1998. Olav Mueller-Uri is the person responsible for getting Air France back into Vietnam.
In 1970, Adrian started a new travel and lifestyle magazine named Orientationshttp://www.orientations.com.hk based in Hong Kong. With the advent of in-flight magazines, Orientations dropped its travel content and progressed over the years to become a publication focused on the arts of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the Himalayas. It is now the leading magazine in this field and its contributors are renowned scholars and researchers from around the world.
Hotels
Zecha's first experience of the hotel business was when a friend asked him to help the Marriott Hotel chain broker land deals in Asia. This experience led to Zecha joining with Robert Burns and Georg Rafael in 1972 to found Regent International Hotels, which was one of Asia's first luxury hotel groups. The trio built 12 hotels before in 1986 Zecha sold his 30% stake for $30 million. He then moved into real estate speculation, forming an investment fund that, among other deals, bought Bangkok's Regent Hotel and London's Dorchester Hotel before eventually on selling them.While in Phuket
Phuket Province
Phuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
looking for a site upon which to build a holiday home, Zecha was walking along Pansea Beach when he came across a coconut plantation which occupied a prime location. Plans to build a home on a site soon developed into an idea to build a small boutique resort in partnership with longtime friend Anil Thadani. The two spent mainly their own money as no banks would lend for the project due to the small number of planned rooms, instead of the 500-room hotel they thought would be more practical.
Amanpuri
Amanpuri
Amanpuri is a luxury resort located on Pansea Beach on the west coast of the island of Phuket in Thailand. The resort is owned by Amanresorts. Amanpuri means "place of peace" in Sanskrit.-History:...
opened in January 1988 at a cost of US$4 million with only 40 rooms. Its success, followed by that of Amandari in Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, confirmed to Zecha the viability of a chain of minimalist boutique resorts in remote, natural settings. Each resort in the chain has been unique, with no more than 50 rooms. Initially concentrated in South East Asia, the chain has expanded to the United States, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
In 1992, needing additional money to fund expansion, he sold a controlling interest in Silverlink, the holding company which owned Aman Resorts to Clement Vaturi, an old friend whose family owned the Hoteliere Immobliere chain of French hotels. Zecha was left with only 45% of the share holdings. The arrangement was satisfactory to both parties until, in a convoluted series of financial events, Vaturi’s controlling interest effectively came under the control of Los Angeles-based Colony Capital, a real estate investment fund. A lawsuit between Vaturi and Colony Capital promised to drag on, putting on hold indefinitely Zecha's own plans to expand the number of Aman resorts. Dispirited and by now owning only 45% of Silverlink’s shares he resigned from his position at Aman Resorts in 1998.
By 2000 Colony Capital and Vaturi had settled their lawsuit, which led to Vaturi getting his Silverlink shares back. He soon onsold his shares to Lee Hing Development, a Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
property fund which was affiliated with Thadani's Schroder Capital Partners (a Singapore-based fund). With investors in control whom he felt shared his vision, Zecha returned as chairman and CEO.
In the intervening period Zecha founded Maha Resorts, which opened its Hacineda de San Antonia in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in October 2000.
On 27 November 2007, Zecha announced that he had reached an agreement with DLF Ltd, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
's largest real estate company, to form a partnership to acquire a controlling interest in Aman Resorts. The entire transaction, when completed, is estimated to be valued at US$400 million with an assumed debt of approximately US$150 million.
In addition to his position at Aman Resorts, Zecha is also chairman and director of General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM), a developer and manager of luxury hotels and resorts.
Zecha was also a partner with Georg Rafael in Rafael Hotels Limited, a company that was sold to Mandarin Oriental Group in May 2000.