Amangiri’s General Manager Julien Surget talks to All Roads North

If Southern Utah’s seismic landscapes weren’t reason alone to visit, the striking modernist marvel that is Amangiri should seal the deal. We caught up with Julien Surget, Amangiri’s General Manager, to get his take on its unique appeal.

In contrast with other luxury hotels you’ve worked at, what was your first impression of Amangiri when you arrived?

“The first thing that strikes me about Amangiri is the visual contrast with nature. The environment is so vast, and the hotel emerging from the rock escarpment increases the sense of mystery that surrounds it. When you then open Amangiri’s doors you immediately feel the genuine care and warmth from the staff, and the general sense of being home.”

Design and architecture are clearly central to the Amangiri experience. Could you shine light on Amangiri’s unique design approach?

“Design is critical to Aman’s ethos and Amangiri is no exception. Built out of a one hundred and sixty-five million year old rock formation, the design of the hotel is meant to embrace the environment it sits in. It emulates the famous slot canyons that are so unique to the region, and was built in constant reference to the harmonious living with the land so important to native cultures. Amangiri’s design is a perpetually changing show of shadow and light, where every corner is an opportunity for vistas and reflection.”

What single lasting memory do you hope guests leave with?

“At Amangiri we are privileged to be on the door steps of some of the most significant cultural and historical resources in the world and we take great pride and humility in their stewardship. Aman’s mission is to connect people to a spirit of a place and all of our experiences are designed to fulfill that goal. We strive to give our guests an opportunity to reconnect with themselves through personal experience, challenging [them] and providing a general sense of balance and restoration so needed in today’s world of constant connectivity and high-paced expectations. Ultimately, I think that the single lasting impression our guests leave with is a sense of restored peace and having hopefully reconnected with a part of themselves they perhaps forgot was there.”

Thank you for your time Julien!