Entrepreneurship and one eye on type 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 sneakers. His subsequent step, establishing Zannier Accommodations in 2011, has taken him off the overwhelmed path to uniquely preserved locations with a want to do luxurious journey in another way. 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 favored 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 working my very own enterprise, n.d.c. made by hand, my father requested me to return again to the household enterprise. However I felt there was nothing I may do higher than what they have been already doing, and I had in thoughts some concepts for a brand new hospitality method. 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 received a chance to buy the three-star Michelin restaurant La Ferme de mon Père in Megève, France, which stored 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 Accommodations journey began.
Q
What do you search for when selecting a location for a Zannier Accommodations property?
Each opening takes into consideration the situation, the native tradition and the expertise our visitors will be capable to reside, in addition to the emotion they are going to retain. However there is no such thing as a written technique on the situation choice standards. A lot of the earlier openings have been the results of lucky encounters. Encounters with enterprise alternatives, in fact, however above all, a spot. I give a number 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 that is why, at Zannier Accommodations, we’re acutely aware of the purity of a website. We search for a spot with an untouched and genuine attraction, so we are able to create a discrete cocoon the place we are able to soften into the ambiance of the place and provide a novel expertise. It all the time begins with the native atmosphere and a seek for timelessness, so the standard of service that we are able to 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 kids do you favor?” I’m very pleased with all our resorts, and I get pleasure from visiting them recurrently. However I have to say I’m very excited by Zannier Accommodations Bãi San Hô, the newest undertaking we opened in December 2020. It’s an unbelievable development, with 73 standalone villas in-built Vietnamese architectural types which are 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 Accommodations, and positively a profitable milestone.
Q
There’s a lot to absorb when visiting a spot for the primary time; what are a few of the particulars or experiences at your properties that we would not catch at first look however shouldn’t be missed?
The varied excursions we provide at our properties are positively one thing you need to expertise. All of the actions are distinctive and primarily based on the situation 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 visitors may 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 Accommodations, 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 current travels?
Japan might be one in every of my greatest journey recollections, for the meals and the wonderful customer support finishing an entire unbelievable expertise. I’ve been there thrice, however I actually need to return with my kids and present them this glorious nation that I actually admire. I would like them to find the unbelievable landscapes, tradition and gastronomy of Japan, and really feel the real simplicity and humbleness of the folks there.
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Might you share any juicy particulars on what’s subsequent for the model?
We now have a number of tasks within the pipeline, with an exciting upcoming undertaking in Europe deliberate for 2026. Extra might be introduced in just a few 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 will probably be beautiful. This might be our largest undertaking to date, with practically 100 lodge rooms and several other meals and beverage retailers. We’re additionally persevering with the enlargement of Zannier Personal Estates, with the opening on the finish of the yr of Le Campement, a five-bedroom villa positioned inside an impressive 5,000-hectare property in Mauritius. The model is recurrently approached by traders, and we stay open for brand spanking new alternatives as lodge operators.
To dive deeper into the model’s properties, learn our Zannier Accommodations Highlight.
