Inside the Appeal of Aman's Japanese Hotels

For some travelers, finding the perfect place to stay can make for a lifelong relationship with a certain hospitality company. The appeal of the Aman Group’s properties around the world has been chronicled extensively; earlier this year, Jake Emen wrote about the bespoke allure of the company’s luggage tags. “[T]he property went the extra mile to deliver a lasting, memorable impression,” Emen observed — and it’s touches like this that have kept travelers returning for stay after stay.

In a recent essay for Air Mail, Pico Iyer focused on one particular group of Aman hotels: the company’s Japanese properties. Iyer alluded to a conversation he’d had with Aman founder Adrian Zecha, in which Zecha spoke of the inspiration of Japan’s ryokans on Aman’s overall aesthetic.

For Iyer, the appeal of staying at Aman’s properties is in the blend of aesthetics and locations. “His intimate, elegant villas on unmarked roads made one feel as if one were visiting a fashion-designer friend for the weekend,” Iyer wrote.

Iyer also pointed to another aspect of staying at multiple Aman properties in the same country: the ease of getting one’s luggage from place to place. “There’s a grace in getting to enjoy the same aesthetic at every stop — and not having to carry your luggage from town to town,” he writes.

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Iyer’s dispatch from Japan comes at a time when Aman is expanding its presence in the country. In 2030, the company is scheduled to open its fourth property in the country, this one in Hokkaido. Aman describes Aman Niseko as Japan’s “first destination wellness retreat,” and will include 31 distinct residences. For travelers looking to experience one of the country’s most striking regions, this looks like an ideal place to immerse oneself in the landscape.

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Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…