When the first Aman resort in the US opened,
I talked my way in to the hotel just to get a look around its
rich stone and wood lobby, comfortable library and cozy
restaurant. I even got a tantalizing peak inside one of its 40
rooms. But I didn't get the chance to stay there. Five years
later, I'm standing in the soaring lobby of the Amangani once
again, but this time I'm here as a guest.
Check in starts with a quick tour of the
compact and tidy property, which is a good thing since the
three-level design is more disorienting than it appears. The
library is full of CDs and DVDs and a very chic collection of
books about travel, art, and architecture. Next, there's the
elegant spa and small but efficient gym (which can, of course,
all be reached without a trip through the lobby to spoil your
bliss). But it's hard to concentrate on the details my guide is
giving me since I'm distracted by the views.
This is not an accident. Built on East Gros
Venture Butte 7,000 feet above sea level and higher than most
surrounding land, the property is situated to distract. Walls of
windows face the rugged Wyoming scenery, as well as the hotel's
grounds which are carefully under-gardened to maintain a
symbiosis with the surrounding hills. You can also see a heated
outdoor pool and Jacuzzi and a huge welcoming patio.
In fact, very little is left to
chance at the Amangani which, like its sister Aman properties,
has mastered the art of making perfection seem effortless. One
morning I call for my truck at 4:30 in order to get into nearby
Grand Teton National Park in time to photograph sunrise (tip:
head to Schwabacher Road for great views). When I get downstairs,
I find my Silverado waiting for me right on time along with a
doorman offering to run into the hotel's kitchen and fill my
travel coffee mug with the life sustaining elixir.
As I pulled away that same doorman called
the housekeeping staff so they could clean my room while I was
out. Since General Manager Guy Heywood took over, he's made it a
cardinal rule that no guest should ever get a knock on their door
followed by a plaintive call of “housekeeping”¦.” Nor will you
ever see a housekeeping cart in the halls. Heywood banned them
(except one that carries heavy items). He, like many of his
guests, finds them a jarring, rude intrusion into your vacation
and the unwieldy things did a lot of damage to hallways and
doors, some of which is still visible.
These features just add to the sense that
there are invisible hands carefully and quietly crafting my stay
at the Amangani. I know the staff is there because
someone took away the used match I intentionally hid
behind the pillar candle on the edge of the addictive soaking tub
in my bathroom under a picture window looking out onto the
hotel's pond. But who?
Like the rest of the hotel, each room is
designed to be a reflection of the nature surrounding the hotel.
Earth tones, wood, leather, rock and windows that essentially
make up one entire wall of each room help bring the outdoors in.
The décor itself is minimalist””a low, sleekly made bed, simple
window seat, a foot rest/side table made from one polished piece
of wood. Want to get closer? Sliding glass doors let you out onto
your own private patio where I spent the better part of a morning
watching a bird fly in and out of a birdhouse in a tree just a
few feet from me.
There are no
clocks in the rooms (though you can request to have one added)
and temperature controls are smartly located directly behind the
pillows so you don't have to get out of bed in the middle of
night if you get too warm or too cool. The bathroom features
double sinks on opposite sides of the spacious room and a
separate bath and shower. The lighting, however, is too dramatic
and moody to be useful enough for shaving or applying makeup.
Various outdoor activities can be
organized by the Amangani throughout the year--from golf to
rafting to skiing to horseback riding””and if you do choose to
venture out for the day, there's a backpack waiting for you in
your room. A wonderful thought, unfortunately the thing is so
badly made (the zipper on mine broke within an hour) that you
wouldn't send your first grader to school toting it, let alone
take it along for a day of adventure.
Whether you work up an
appetite at the spa or on the trail, the hotel's 65 seat
restaurant, The Grill, is ready to re-fuel you at any time and in
any location in the hotel. There are no hours of operation,
allowing guests to order what they want when they want it. And no
bill will be presented at the end of your meal either (unless you
request to see one). Heywood says both measures are meant to make
guests feel like they're staying in a gracious friend's home.
I order scallops and The Grill's
version, on top of a bed of lobster risotto, go straight to the
top of my list of best dishes ever. And even if (like me) you're
not a dessert person, cap your meal off with the cookies and
biscotti plate. The cookies are baked to order and come to the
table warm and gooey.
While some hotels build their
reputations on thread count or gourmet food, the Amangani takes
those things as a given, then adds the one crucial ingredient
that too many hotels have lost sight of in their single minded
pursuit of the trappings of luxury: Service. Happily, I hear Aman
is currently looking at a site in Utah for its second American
hotel. I'll see you there.
Rates start at: $550
Amangani
1525 North East Butte Road
Jackson, Wyoming 83001
Phone: (307) 734-7333
www.amanresorts.com
Peripatetic journalist
Karen Catchpole recently left her job as deputy editor of
SHOP Etc. magazine in New York City to embark on the
Trans-Americas Journey, a three year, 70,000+ mile
road trip through North, Central and South America. When she's
not reviewing luxury hotels, she can be found enjoying the
nearest camp ground.
