Having designed iconic hotels from the Swiss mountains to the Vietnam tropics, the architect’s architect sits down with Sleeper to talk inspiration and the influence of travel.
Up in his office with views high above the ever-changing skyline of Kuala Lumpur, the man acknowledged as the architect’s architect – creator of some of the world’s most luxurious hotels and resorts – explains his disdain for modern technology in the design process. “A computer? No, everything by hand. Every single drawing out of this office comes from my hand. I work 18 hours-a-day; last night it was three o’clock in the morning when I went to bed.”
A preference for pen over PC is a remarkable admission from anyone in the world of hospitality, but when you consider what Jean-Michel Gathy has achieved, it almost defies belief. Projects of such scale, innovation and daring have flowed from this pen, and the insatiably curious mind guiding it, for almost four decades.
As Principal Designer of Denniston, the company he founded in 1993, Gathy’s remarkable back catalogue includes iconic properties such as Cheval Blanc Randheli, The Chedi Andermatt, multiple Aman resorts including those in Venice, Turks & Caicos and Vietnam, as well as projects for Four Seasons, One & Only and Mandarin Oriental. If you’ve swam – or taken a selfie – in the famed rooftop infinity pool overlooking Singapore at Marina Bay Sands, or slept in any of the numerous luxury tented accommodations springing up, then you have Gathy to thank.
The Belgian maestro is now 64, but looks much younger than his years, despite a global travel schedule that would be punishing for someone three decades his junior. In many ways however, travel has defined Gathy’s life. He fell in love with atlases and globes as a youngster, planning his family’s holidays at the age of just nine. Today it remains his ultimate source of seemingly endless creative inspiration. “My bank of knowledge is from travel,” he says. “When you travel, you absorb unconsciously: proportions, songs, looks, colours – fields that your brain continuously assimilates. I need a constant discharge of adrenalin because I have that design-all-the-time switch.”
“I automatically and immediately want to know more. I’m extremely curious, and not just in terms of architecture, interiors and landscapes.”
He explains that his design philosophy is one inspired by the pioneering Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa, the man behind what we now recognise as tropical modernism. Beyond the tropics however, Gathy has designed in settings from the snowy mountains of Switzerland to the atolls of the Maldives, and hotel launches planned for 2020 span the globe.
There’s Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River, where 299 keys will blend into nine acres of prime riverfront property. It’s an apt location for a designer known for his love of working with water, with pools and cascades dotted across the site. Gathy is even curating the hotel’s art collection.
Mandarin Oriental Bali, meanwhile, sits atop a cliff in the southern part of the island, and is home to 88 luxury guestrooms with uninterrupted ocean views, while Jumeirah Bali – set next to New Kuta Golf Course – is slated to open in the summer. Then there’s Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otomachi, One & Only Portonovi and Aman New York. The latter will be located at the intersection of 57th Street and Fifth Avenue within the historic Crown Building, that according to Gathy has posed a series of challenges.
“Aman New York is a gorgeous building, a magnificent piece of architecture,” he explains. “But it’s also an office building, so when the architect designed it, he distributed the floor plate differently, to serve offices and give flexibility in the subdivision of space. A hotel is not the same, so we had to be creative. It’s a very difficult project in terms of planning, but that’s why we always get these jobs – because we are creative architects and know the hotel business like few others.”
He explains that the 83 guestrooms and suites are huge by New York standards, starting from around 800ft2, and that significant focus was given to the project’s 20 Aman Residences – a first for the group – and so too its public areas. “New York City is a place where people like to meet, so we have created a very large terrace on the 10th floor. The whole public area is created around that level, with a lounge, cigar bar, and dining.”
A presence in New York is a big deal for Aman, and for Gathy too, but he’s keen to point out that the focus is on the end product. “This hotel is a business, not a trophy hunt; we create a hotel because a developer wants to make money. It must look beautiful but it has to work, and that’s not easy. Hotels have to be efficient and look good at the same time, and they must be financially viable and stay so for 50 years.”
Gathy is also leading Denniston – in the capacity of masterplanner – at the recently announced, ultra-luxe Amaala’s The Island, located on Saudi Arabia’s north-western coastline. Billed as the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ it entails 2,500 keys, 800 homes and 200 high-end retail, dining, wellness and recreation establishments. While the design details are strictly under wraps, Gathy comments: “The Island development will be an immersive and interactive art-inspired jewel. Its lifestyle components, its landscaping, the museums, and art installations together with the art community will transform this island into the ‘Diamond of the Red Sea’. This is truly unique, nothing like it has ever been planned before.”
“I need that constant discharge of adrenaline because I have that design-all-the-time switch.”
Back in Gathy’s office, I ask how he juggles so many prestigious projects at once. “Most importantly, I have to credit all the people who work with me,” he says. “I have the best team a human being can have. Many, many people in this office have been here 18, 20, 25 years. I think this year I’ll actually have four celebrating two decades.”
Given his energy, creativity and extraordinary work ethic, it feels remiss to call any of his projects typical. However, he notes several clear differences between working on hotels and resorts. “When you design a resort over 100 hectares in the middle of the forest somewhere in Indonesia, it’s more difficult. There are logistical issues and political issues. You have to understand topography, the winds, the views; but there’s more room for creativity. When you design an urban hotel, you know the limits – the efficiency of your floor plates.”
As for the inspiration behind his design touches across hundreds of projects, in addition to his love of travel it’s an insatiable curiosity that continues to drive Gathy. “I analyse everything, I’m extremely curious, whether it is a medical, religious or historical fact,” he explains. “I automatically and immediately want to know more. I’m extremely curious, and not just in terms of architecture, interiors and landscapes.”
With our entertaining hour together coming to an end – one Gathy has peppered with anecdotes for another time about rubbing shoulders with the likes of George Clooney, David Beckham and Roger Federer – I ask him what lies ahead. “Basically, my intention is to continue,” he offers. “Until I’m unable, intellectually or physically, and then hopefully my colleagues will take over.”
Even then, one gets the impression that the architect’s architect will still be thinking, drawing and designing, producing visionary and beautiful ideas, pen firmly in hand.
