Azerai Founder Adrian Zecha Outlines His Vision for the Boutique Hotel Brand

 Adrian Zecha, one of the world’s most respected hoteliers and the founder of Azerai Resorts, recently visited the boutique hotel brand’s two properties in Vietnam ahead of the five-year anniversary of Azerai Ke Ga Bay’s grand opening.

Now 92, Zecha said people routinely ask him when he plans to retire. “I can’t sit there and do nothing,” he said. “I mean, come on, it’s crazy,” he added with a laugh.

“I feel that my new journey is just beginning. There’s so much to do,” Zecha said. “God gives you life, you should use it.”

Strolling through the ginger forest at Azerai Ke Ga Bay, the 56-key all-suites-and-villas beachfront resort in southern Vietnam, and gazing out over its 5-kilometer stretch of sand, Zecha said that embracing nature and local culture are two hallmarks of the Azerai brand.

“Nature brings me tranquility and peace, supporting my quest to explore new destinations,” he said.

Zecha, who previously founded the luxury hotel brand Aman Resorts in 1988, was joined at Azerai Ke Ga Bay by his longtime Australian-American business partner Jonathan Breene. The two co-founded Mahaman, which owns Azerai Resorts and develops other ultra-luxury residential and boutique hotel properties around Asia and beyond.

Breene, who first met Zecha in 1998, said he has long admired Zecha’s ability to identify elements of luxury hospitality or a site’s location that will most strongly resonate with guests. There’s no “set formula” for what defines an Azerai property, Breene said.

Azerai Ke Ga Bay, an elegant and secluded oceanfront escape, opened in 2020 as a counterpoint to the brand’s other property, the historic 122-room Azerai La Residence, Hue, set in the bustling former imperial capital of Vietnam.

“I found it nice, the difference between the two properties. I liked both. I thought: Why not do two?” Zecha said when asked about the genesis of Azerai Ke Ga Bay.

Julian Moore, the General Manager at Azerai Ke Ga Bay, said part of the resort’s unique charm lies in its cultural connections to its surroundings, with local fishermen, for example, who can be seen catching their breakfast in the mornings offshore.

“With Azerai, we want to make sure you feel Vietnam – you feel the people,” Moore said.

Earlier this year, Azerai Ke Ga Bay was voted the world’s second “Most Instagrammable Hotel” overall and the winner of the “Most Instagrammable Hotel in Asia, the Indian Ocean and South Pacific.” The contest was sponsored by the U.S. travel trade publication Luxury Travel Advisor. In April, The Times of London also named Azerai Ke Ga Bay one of Southeast Asia’s best boutique hotels.

Some 900 kilometers up the coast, Azerai La Residence, Hue is centered on a 1920s-built mansion that was once part of the residence of the colonial French governor. The hotel was featured on Time Magazine’s list of the “World’s 100 Greatest Places” in 2019, and The Times of London named Azerai La Residence, Hue one of Vietnam’s best 16 hotels this year.

As General Manager Minh Phan Trong escorted Zecha through the timeless lobby of Azerai La Residence, Hue, he explained how the “vibrant city life” in front of the hotel gives way to “a tranquil resort feel” in the garden courtyard that overlooks the fabled Perfume River. And Zecha enthusiastically agreed.

The hotel’s unique riverfront location, facing the city’s historic Citadel, allows guests to connect with Hue’s traditional lifestyle and slow-paced charms. Leisurely river cruises offered by Azerai take in Hue’s ancient pagodas, a revered mausoleum, and colorful temples and other sites.

Breene said Azerai La Residence, Hue is renowned for its stylish Art Deco design flourishes, along with its beautiful old French colonial design, right down to the furniture and floorboards, noting, “You really feel like you’ve stepped into another time.”

Zecha has long been praised as a visionary in international luxury hospitality, spotting trends early and executing his vision with passion. For his part, however, Zecha credits the people around him over the years, including those at Azerai, for helping to enable his success.

“I lead fantastic people who will continue these legacies, and I’m delighted to be working with them,” Zecha said.

For more information or to make a booking at Azerai Ke Ga Bay, call +84 (0) 252 3682 222, email reservations.kegabay@azerai.com or visit azerai.com/azerai-ke-ga-bay/.

For Azerai La Residence, Hue, call +84 (0) 234 3837 475, email reservations.laresidence.hue@azerai.com or visit azerai.com/azerai-la-residence-hue/.