Offering a remote experience and ensuring guests' privacy are part of our brand DNA at Zannier Hotels. From the paddy fields to the Namib Desert, our rooms feature independent entrances. In our resorts, all the villas are stand-alone buildings, separated by dense vegetation to isolate guests and provide them the utmost comfort. We also relay on wood clusters or shutters to guarantee privacy and create cocoons. Finally, a careful attention is given since the initial stage of the project on where to display windows and how to orientate terraces to offer the best panoramic views with no vis-à-vis and increase the sense of space.

Arnaud Zannier, our founder and CEO, is known for being meticulous. From the land search, the first drawings to the final stone set up, Arnaud Zannier is involved in every step. And not only for the big milestones. He takes a point of honor to follow each project, in detail. He is the one travelling to see the possible new sites and to lead the preliminary researches. Once a project is confirmed, he takes care of the design development. With the (internal) design team he leads (it is pretty unique in the hospitality industry to have an integrated interior design team), he guides the architects, defines the concepts and validates up to the smallest decoration detail. Arnaud appoints himself the experts we need, and make sure the hotel opens with every element he had in mind. Finally, he keeps an eye on each picture and communication concerning his hotels.

At Zannier Hotels, we like beautiful stories. This is why all the elements used in our interior decoration have their own story. Most of our furniture are antiques that have been sourced manually by our team on flea markets. This allows us to convey the notions of timelessness and authenticity into our interiors. Zannier Sonop is probably the best example, with 486 unique antiques that have been sourced in Africa and Great Britain, and displayed throughout the camp. At Zannier Hotels, we also consider secondhand objects as potential treasures. At Zannier Bãi San Hô for instance (the upcoming resort in Central Vietnam opening in December 1^st 2020), some of the decoration elements hanged in the Beach Pool Villas have been created using textile losses or samples used during the construction, fixed on painted floated wood. Similarly, all signage at Zannier Phum Baitang has been designed and carved onsite on local wood essences, found nearby the resort.

In all of our properties, we are giving proper keys to our guests instead of a plastic card with a magnetic strip. Besides the nice gesture of being handed a key with a beautiful key hanger by the front desk clerk, we believe this makes it more personal. By turning the key in the locker, you will automatically feel at home – more than accessing your room via a smartphone app or a card.

From bed linen to decoration objects, including antiques, frames, glasses, stationery items, or any branded collateral… guests can purchase many items while staying in one of Zannier Hotels' property. In their room, they will find information on the items available for purchase and our Guests Assistants can assist them. Gifts cards can also be bought. Besides, guests can also buy through us some products from brands we discovered and collaborate with, such as candles or small diffusers from Fueguia, the organic tea from The Tea Artisans we offer in each property, or aluminum water bottles from Sigg. We are currently working on our e-shop, so stay tuned!

Zannier Hotels is known for offering a complete journey in which gastronomy plays a central role. In each property, guests can experience different concepts and cooking styles – often inspired by the local culinary cultures. Julien Burlat is the mastermind behind our F&B concepts. Previous Michelin starred chef, he currently owns two bakeries in Flanders. But Julien is also Arnaud Zannier’s oldest friend. They met at school 40 years ago near Saint-Etienne in France, and remained very close. It was hence natural for them to associate their talents. Both pay a great attention to the product selection, ensuring only the very best of local ingredients are used to create simple yet distinguished cuisine in each property.

Across the group, more than 95% of our staff is native (from the country where the hotel is implanted). We adopted this approach to offer the most authentic experience. At Zannier Hotels, we are convinced indeed that collaborating with and empowering local workforce was the best way to offer a fair, pleasant and genuine experience for everyone. From construction to exploitation, we try to learn from locals and share our know-how. This is why we not only permanently hire but also temporarily employ natives such as builders, carpenters, construction suppliers, local landscapers or architect consultants. Since the beginning, Zannier Hotels avoids working with big agencies, preferring to favor working with independents or freelance to associate often underestimated talents.

Arnaud Zannier is known to have a passion for craftsmanship and know-how. Before managing Zannier Hotels full time, he led for 18 years a luxury shoes company called n.d.c. made by hand. More recently, at the end of 2019, he imagined and launched a high-quality tea brand called the Tea Artisans. Besides, his family owns two vineyards under the brand Domaines Roger Zannier and Arnaud gladly takes part of the board.

The Zannier family always strived to highlight and improve the human and environmental levers in each of its activities. More than a philanthropic mindset, this is a concrete approach that is essentially based on the notion of transmission – whether it involves know-how exchange, cultural transmission or heritage preservation. This commitment is reflected in several projects, often carried out discreetly, which contribute in a sustainable way to promoting sharing and improving the living environment of local populations. The restauration of The Post Office in Ghent or the creation of the Zannier Reserve by Naankuse are two well-known examples. But in Cambodia – where the family has developed one of the country's most beautiful resort with Zannier Phum Baitang – the Zannier family durably helps two orphanages through the Zannier Holybaby Foundation. Besides, several schools and a university have been created under the impulsion of this same foundation, headed by Sophie Zannier (Arnaud’s sister).

Some might see luxury as a symbol of hyper consumerism with clean materials, impeccable surfaces and brand-new materials. At Zannier Hotels, we believe the real luxury is the possibility to escape our daily life and feel an emotion that will last long. This is why we value (material) imperfection, that gives a soul to the objects and create a unique atmosphere. Hence, we sometimes voluntarily age the elements or furniture we use in our hotels. This ensures a sense of timelessness and corresponds to an eternal sense of esthetic that we aim for. We often purchase floated wood or second-hand materials; we leave objects at the mercy of the elements to add character to them (such as pots and artifacts left under the rain, or furniture exposed under the harsh sun of Africa to crack the wood) and we reuse old materials or waste to create unique furniture (such as a dead tree from our Reserve in Namibia transformed into a bar table).