Entrepreneurship and a mind for fashion runs within the Zannier household. Born in Saint-Chamond, France, Arnaud Zannier began his profession as worldwide enterprise developer for one in every of his father Roger’s footwear manufacturers after which launched his personal line of handmade footwear. His subsequent step, establishing Zannier Resorts in 2011, has taken him off the overwhelmed path to uniquely preserved locations with a want to do luxurious journey otherwise. We caught up with him to be taught extra about his philosophy and favorites.
Q
Your background is in vogue, what drove you to get into hospitality?
I’ve all the time appreciated structure, inside design and good meals, so hospitality was all the time near my coronary heart. After working in London for 5 years with Kickers and operating my very own enterprise, n.d.c. made by hand, my father requested me to come back again to the household enterprise. However I felt there was nothing I might do higher than what they had been already doing, and I had in thoughts some concepts for a brand new hospitality strategy. I recognized what was a distinct segment at the moment: the concept that the way forward for luxurious is extra about moments and experiences than gold faucets and marble. In 2011, I obtained a chance to buy the three-star Michelin restaurant La Ferme de mon Père in Megève, France, which saved its title however has been transformed right into a bistronomic restaurant and was lately revamped for its tenth anniversary. I made a decision to launch my hospitality model and the Zannier Resorts journey began.
Q
What do you search for when selecting a location for a Zannier Resorts property?
Each opening takes into consideration the placement, the native tradition and the expertise our company will be capable to reside, in addition to the emotion they may retain. However there isn’t any written technique on the placement choice standards. A lot of the earlier openings had been the results of lucky encounters. Encounters with enterprise alternatives, in fact, however above all, a spot. I give quite a lot of significance to the sensation one will get in a spot. I primarily based most of our institutions on the emotion that I felt when visiting these locations. I wish to share this with others and for this reason, at Zannier Resorts, we’re acutely aware of the purity of a web site. We search for a spot with an untouched and genuine attraction, so we will create a discrete cocoon the place we will soften into the environment of the place and provide a singular expertise. It all the time begins with the native setting and a seek for timelessness, so the standard of service that we will provide feels each homey and flawless.
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Naturally, you like all of your properties, however is there one nearest and dearest to your coronary heart?
That is such a tough query to reply. Like “which of your youngsters do you like?” I’m very pleased with all our inns, and I get pleasure from visiting them often. However I have to say I’m very excited by Zannier Resorts Bãi San Hô, the newest undertaking we opened in December 2020. It’s an unimaginable development, with 73 standalone villas inbuilt Vietnamese architectural kinds which can be discretely nestled inside 98 hectares of dense, endemic vegetation overlooking a protected coral bay. I’m all the time very excited to go to the property once more, and to expertise the deeply rooted Vietnamese tradition that’s genuinely mirrored. This was additionally the materialization of greater than 4 years of intense work, the biggest undertaking ever for Zannier Resorts, and undoubtedly a profitable milestone.
Q
There’s a lot to soak up when visiting a spot for the primary time; what are a number of the particulars or experiences at your properties that we’d not catch at first look however shouldn’t be missed?
The varied excursions we provide at our properties are undoubtedly one thing you must expertise. All of the actions are distinctive and primarily based on the placement and tradition of the place. They’re invites for a two-way encounter the place one learns from one other. A few of them are centered on wellness, others on nature, gastronomy, the local people, or cultural discovery. Our company might go, for instance, on a ski safari in Megève, a scorching air balloon safari with Champagne breakfast in Namibia, or a neighborhood fishing and craft village exploration in Vietnam. At Zannier Resorts, we put personalization and experiences on the coronary heart of every idea to encourage life’s biggest tales.
Q
You’ve talked about one in every of your favourite quotes is Cesare Pavese’s “We don’t bear in mind days; we bear in mind moments.” What was a vivid second you bear in mind from one in every of your latest travels?
Japan might be one in every of my greatest journey recollections, for the meals and the wonderful customer support finishing an entire unimaginable expertise. I’ve been there thrice, however I actually need to return with my youngsters and present them this excellent nation that I actually admire. I need them to find the unimaginable landscapes, tradition and gastronomy of Japan, and really feel the real simplicity and humbleness of the folks there.
Q
May you share any juicy particulars on what’s subsequent for the model?
We’ve a number of initiatives within the pipeline, with an exciting upcoming undertaking in Europe deliberate for 2026. Extra might be introduced in a number of weeks. The second Nonna Bazaar might be a part of it. We are able to’t say the place but, however I can let you know it’s positioned within the northern a part of the Mediterranean Sea and it is going to be gorgeous. This might be our greatest undertaking to this point, with practically 100 resort rooms and a number of other meals and beverage retailers. We’re additionally persevering with the growth of Zannier Personal Estates, with the opening on the finish of the 12 months of Le Campement, a five-bedroom villa positioned inside an impressive 5,000-hectare property in Mauritius. The model is often approached by buyers, and we stay open for brand new alternatives as resort operators.
To dive deeper into the model’s properties, learn our Zannier Resorts Highlight.
