Anantara to make debut in India this year with luxury Jaipur resort

India is set to welcome its first Anantara hotel before the end of this year.

The luxury hotel group — known for its Thai-inspired hospitality and hotels in distinctive surroundings — will debut in the Pink City with the launch of the Anantara Jaipur Hotel.

Anantara's first Indian property will include luxurious suites with private plunge pools, a full-service spa and a mammoth events venue capable of catering for thousands of guests under one roof.

Located in the capital of India's largest state of Rajasthan, Anantara Jaipur Hotel will combine Indian opulence with modern comforts.

Part of the Minor Hotels group, the new-build property will welcome guests via an impressive entryway that opens on to a double-height ceiling and grand staircase.

Anantara Jaipur Hotel will open in the fourth quarter of 2023. Photo: Anantara

The hotel's 150 rooms and suites will include four terrace suites, each with its own plunge pool.

The cuisine will be a highlight at Anantara Jaipur Hotel, with a speciality Indian fine-dining restaurant and terrace, an all-day dining restaurant with a show kitchen and a rooftop bar offering stunning views of the city.

The Anantara Spa will have five treatment rooms and a beauty salon, plus a fitness suite and outdoor pool. Extensive gardens will give guests a tropical hideaway, while children are looked after in the kids' club.

Striving to be the next big venue for Indian weddings in Jaipur, the hotel will cater to both intimate and large-scale celebrations. It will have a variety of indoor and outdoor venues available, including a ballroom, banquet room, pavilion and lawn, with the largest comfortably accommodating 2,500 guests.

“We are excited to expand our footprint in India with this important new project that will marry Anantara’s trademark take on authentic, indigenous luxury with outstanding wedding and event facilities. Jaipur is one of India’s most vibrant destinations, with a huge destination wedding potential, and I look forward to working with Ajay Gangwal [the owner of the property] and his team to launch our first Anantara in India, which is a significant strategic step for Minor Hotels,” said Dillip Rajakarier, group chief executive of Minor International.

Guests seeking an exclusive stay can book the hotel's 160-square-metre Royal Suite, which comes with a sweeping terrace, private pool and memorable vistas.

Part of India's Golden Triangle circuit and home to a number of Unesco World Heritage sites, Jaipur is a popular tourist destination and Anantara Jaipur Hotel will offer luxury travellers another place to stay in the city.

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The Travel Scientists are the organisers of the Balkan Ride and several other rallies around the world. The 2018 running of this particular adventure will take place from August 3-11, once again starting in Sarajevo and ending a week later in Thessaloniki. If you’re driving your own vehicle, then entry start from €880 (Dhs 3,900) per person including all accommodation along the route. Contact the Travel Scientists if you wish to hire one of their vehicles.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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