Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas
Encyclopedia
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is a luxury resort and spa operator based in Bangkok
, Thailand
, with a currently portfolio of 14 resorts operating across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with its spa brand expanded into Africa .
The Anantara brand is part of Minor International Plc
; a hospitality and leisure company based in Thailand with approximately 30 properties in a portfolio also including the Four Seasons
, Marriott Resort & Spa, alongside the 4MSpa international spa brands - Mandara, Anantara, Aequalis and the individually Tailored Spa collection.
Anantara’s brand symbol of two water jugs has roots in ancient Sanskrit. For hundreds of years throughout Thailand, people would leave a jar of water outside their house to provide refreshment and extend a welcome to the passing traveller. Anantara means 'without end', symbolising this hospitable sharing of water.
The first Anantara resort opened in 2001 in Thailand’s historic seaside resort town of Hua Hin
. As part of an extensive expansion and refurbishment, a team of international designers, including renowned landscape architect Bill Bensley, transformed the pre-existing property into the first Anantara. The interior and exterior designs were modeled on a traditional Thai village. As part of its efforts to make Anantara Hua Hin an experience-based hotel, the resort included Thai cooking courses, a weekly onsite floating market and instruction in traditional Thai kickboxing, known as muay thai
, in its indigenous activity programme.
Using Anantara Hua Hin as the model, Anantaras were then created in the Golden Triangle area of northern Thailand to include interactive adventures at the resort’s on-site Elephant Camp and in Koh Samui - a Thai island in the Gulf of Siam. In 2006 Anantara opened Anantara Maldives, which later split into two resorts, Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli, both a 30-minute boat ride from the capital Male.
Anantara Seminyak in Bali debuted in April 2008 along the sought after Seminyak coastline. Late 2008 saw the opening of Anantara Phuket in Thailand, the all-villas resort situated along Mai Khao Beach on the island of Phuket, followed by Desert Islands on Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi to include rare wildlife encounter activities, and Anantara Si Kao on secluded Changlang Beach located an hour south of Krabi along the Andaman’s deserted shoreline.
Anantara Baan Rajprasong opened its doors in the heart of Bangkok just a one minute walk from the city’s sky train in April 2009 to become the first serviced suites property for the Anantara group, while Qasr Al Sarab opened in October 2009 in the legendary Liwa desert near Abu Dhabi. In November 2009 with the unveiling of Anantara Lawana, which nestles the island’s famously long north end of Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui to become Anantara’s second property on the island, the original Anantara Koh Samui became known as Anantara Bophut.
Kihavah Villas Maldives is due to open in July 2010, to be joined by Anantara Al Madina A'Zarqa in Oman and Anantara Sanya in China in early 2011.
In addition to these expansion plans, Anantara aims to develop at least 40 new resorts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe by 2011.
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, with a currently portfolio of 14 resorts operating across Asia Pacific and the Middle East, with its spa brand expanded into Africa .
The Anantara brand is part of Minor International Plc
Minor International
Minor International is a hospitality company operating over 1,000 restaurants and 30 hotels in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions and Africa...
; a hospitality and leisure company based in Thailand with approximately 30 properties in a portfolio also including the Four Seasons
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a Canadian-based international ultra-luxury, five-star hotel management company. Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey rank the hotel chain's 84 properties among the top luxury hotels worldwide...
, Marriott Resort & Spa, alongside the 4MSpa international spa brands - Mandara, Anantara, Aequalis and the individually Tailored Spa collection.
History
In the 21st century, the luxury travel industry experienced growing demand from travellers for experience-based travel as opposed to merely opulent travel, which had dominated the industry in the 20th century. Concurrently, a growing number of hoteliers sought to capture this market, including Minor International, which conceived brand as a result.Anantara’s brand symbol of two water jugs has roots in ancient Sanskrit. For hundreds of years throughout Thailand, people would leave a jar of water outside their house to provide refreshment and extend a welcome to the passing traveller. Anantara means 'without end', symbolising this hospitable sharing of water.
The first Anantara resort opened in 2001 in Thailand’s historic seaside resort town of Hua Hin
Hua Hin
Hua Hin is a famous beach resort town in Thailand, in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula, some 200 km south of Bangkok. It has a population of 84,883 in an area of 911 km², and is one of eight districts of the Prachuap Khiri Khan province.Hua Hin is closely associated with the...
. As part of an extensive expansion and refurbishment, a team of international designers, including renowned landscape architect Bill Bensley, transformed the pre-existing property into the first Anantara. The interior and exterior designs were modeled on a traditional Thai village. As part of its efforts to make Anantara Hua Hin an experience-based hotel, the resort included Thai cooking courses, a weekly onsite floating market and instruction in traditional Thai kickboxing, known as muay thai
Muay Thai
Muay Thai is a combat sport from Thailand that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. It is similar to other Indochinese kickboxing systems, namely pradal serey from Cambodia, tomoi from Malaysia, lethwei from Myanmar and muay Lao from Laos...
, in its indigenous activity programme.
Using Anantara Hua Hin as the model, Anantaras were then created in the Golden Triangle area of northern Thailand to include interactive adventures at the resort’s on-site Elephant Camp and in Koh Samui - a Thai island in the Gulf of Siam. In 2006 Anantara opened Anantara Maldives, which later split into two resorts, Anantara Dhigu and Anantara Veli, both a 30-minute boat ride from the capital Male.
Anantara Seminyak in Bali debuted in April 2008 along the sought after Seminyak coastline. Late 2008 saw the opening of Anantara Phuket in Thailand, the all-villas resort situated along Mai Khao Beach on the island of Phuket, followed by Desert Islands on Sir Bani Yas Island off the coast of Abu Dhabi to include rare wildlife encounter activities, and Anantara Si Kao on secluded Changlang Beach located an hour south of Krabi along the Andaman’s deserted shoreline.
Anantara Baan Rajprasong opened its doors in the heart of Bangkok just a one minute walk from the city’s sky train in April 2009 to become the first serviced suites property for the Anantara group, while Qasr Al Sarab opened in October 2009 in the legendary Liwa desert near Abu Dhabi. In November 2009 with the unveiling of Anantara Lawana, which nestles the island’s famously long north end of Chaweng Beach on Koh Samui to become Anantara’s second property on the island, the original Anantara Koh Samui became known as Anantara Bophut.
Kihavah Villas Maldives is due to open in July 2010, to be joined by Anantara Al Madina A'Zarqa in Oman and Anantara Sanya in China in early 2011.
In addition to these expansion plans, Anantara aims to develop at least 40 new resorts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe by 2011.
Property types
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas is geared towards the upscale traveler market segment. Each resort includes a range of accommodation types, several different food and beverage outlets, leisure facilities including the Anantara Spa, as well as experience-based activities, both on and off the resort’s property.Anantara Villas
While offering many of the same benefits and facilities as an Anantara Resort & Spa, each property’s accommodation only includes private villas.Anantara Residences
Anantara Residences are a series of residential real estate development projects in several international locations. Selected Anantara Residences are stand-alone developments, while others are linked with an Anantara hospitality project.Anantara Serviced Suites
These suite-style serviced apartments target business and leisure travellers for both short-term and long-term stays.Anantara Spa
These internationally acclaimed spas exist both within Anantara resorts and in partnership with other world-renowned hotel and resort brands.At the end of 2009 the Anantara Product Line was launched as a retail range available at all Anantara Spas worldwide.List of Locations
- China
- Anantara Spa Beijing
- Anantara Spa Shanghai
- Anantara Sanya, Hainan (2011)
- India
- Anantara Mahabalipuram (2011)
- Indonesia
- Anantara Seminyak, Bali
- Anantara Uluwatu, Bali (2011)
- Jordan
- Anantara Spa Dead Sea
- Maldives
- Anantara Dhigu
- Anantara Veli
- Anantara Kihavah (2010)
- Morocco
- Anantara Marrakech (2011)
- Anantara Mogador (2011)
- Oman
- Anantara Al Madina A’Zarqa (2010)
- Tanzania
- Anantara Spa Kilimanjaro
- Anantara Spa Zanzibar
- Anantara Spa Serengeti
- Thailand
- Anantara Baan Rajprasong, Bangkok
- Anantara Golden Triangle
- Anantara Hua Hin
- Anantara Bophut, Koh Samui
- Anantara Lawana, Koh Samui
- Anantara Phuket
- Anantara Si Kao, south of Krabi
- Turkey
- Anantara Spa Istanbul
- United Arab Emirates
- Desert Islands Resort & Spa by Anantara, Abu Dhabi
- Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara, Abu Dhabi
- Anantara Spa Abu Dhabi
- Vietnam
- Anantara Hoi An (2011)
Awards
Groups and organizations that have given Anantara properties’ awards include:- Condé Nast Traveller (UK)
- Travel + LeisureTravel + LeisureTravel + Leisure is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is put out by American Express Publishing Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by...
- Architectural DigestArchitectural DigestArchitectural Digest is an American monthly magazine. Its principal subject is interior design, not — as the name of the magazine might suggest — architecture more generally. The magazine is published by Condé Nast Publications and was founded in 1920, by the Knapp family, who sold it in 1993...
- Elite Traveler
- Wine SpectatorWine SpectatorWine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces...
- Thailand Tatler
Partnerships
Anantara is partnered with several hotel and resort associations, including:- SLH
- Kiwi
- The Leading Small Hotels of the World
- Virtuoso