A Research-Led Case for Aman's First Property in South America

Presented to a senior executive at Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts. A direct read on whether the strategic framework holds across the hospitality houses navigating expansion right now.

Aman is one of the most disciplined hospitality brands in the world, built on exclusion, nature-embedded architecture, and destinations already legible as exotic before the property arrives. This project asked one question: where should Aman open its first property in South America?

Developed in SCAD’s LXMT 776 studio with Anushka Khale, Sanjana Sainath Rao, and Taylor Barcus.

Every Aman property sits at the intersection of three codes: exclusion, nature-embedded experience, and a destination already exotic in its own right. The strategic question was never whether Aman could open in South America. It was which geography would already be speaking Aman before the house arrived. Patagonia satisfied all three, which is why it became the recommendation.

• Exclusion: the region self-selects its visitors before a rate card does
• Nature-embedded: Torres del Paine is already the guest's reason for traveling; the property earns its place by not competing with the landscape
• Exotic legibility: a first Aman in South America establishes the brand on a new continent and becomes the platform for a regional portfolio

The property — Amanaïke — sits on the southeast bank of Lake Sarmiento near Torres del Paine. Every decision below was pressure-tested against one brief and backed by a full financial model (P&L, cost per key, OS&E) built alongside the brand case.

• Architecture — low-density in stone, wood, and glass; the building disappears into the landscape
• Scale — 40 suites, 80-guest capacity, Aman's 4:1 staff-to-guest ratio
• Programming — Chilean-led dining, Aman Spa with Patagonian treatments, artisan retail, curated itineraries
• Audience — the “Amanjunkie” UHNW traveler, price-inelastic, $3,000+ per night
• Promotion — loyalty pre-sell, Condé Nast / Elite Traveler print, podcast advertising over aggressive digital

A fully-specified Aman property — guest rooms, spa, arrival, and building envelope — rendered in AI-assisted visualization to translate the strategy into a form stakeholders could evaluate. Paired with a complete promotional plan and the financial model that proves it.

Patagonia is the answer because it was the geography where the brand codes, the customer expectation, and the business model lined up without forcing any of them. The best Aman extensions will always look like that.