Hospitality Design - July 2015 - 155

1. A rendering of
the living room in a
one-bedroom villa at
Alila Villas Koh Russey
in Cambodia by
Studiogoto features a
private pool.
2. A rendering of the
wood clad library at the
Alila Anji in Zhejiang,
China, designed
by Shanghai TDI
Architectural Design &
Urban Planning Co.
3. A rendered twobedroom pool villa at
Alila Villas Bintan in
Indonesia by WOHA
comes complete with
a contemporary open
living area leading to a
private pool deck.

4
operated Mandara Spa in Bali, a company
that became one of the largest operators of
hotel spas in the world, eventually acquired
by Steiner Leisure in Miami. In 2001, he and
his Indonesian partners opened a city hotel
in central Jakarta that would become the
first Alila Hotels & Resorts property, after
GHM decided it wasn't a fit for the company.
Edleson parted ways with GHM in 2002,
splitting the assets and arming Edleson with
the beginnings of a new brand. "That gave
us a nice city hotel and two nice resorts,"
he says. One year later, he relocated Alila-
which means surprise in Sanskrit-from
Jakarta to Singapore because of its strategic
location within Southeast Asia.
Originally from Los Angeles, Edleson
has spent much of his life traveling (and
even backpacking) extensively throughout
Southeast Asia. In fact, he credits his love
for the continent to a post-college stint
with the Peace Corps in Malaysia and his
involvement with the anti-Vietnam War

5
6

movement as a student in the '60s. After
completing his graduate degree back in the
U.S., "I was desperate to return to Asia," he
says. "I joined Citibank as a way to do that."
Along with a design-driven focus
(he's worked with the likes of WOHA
and P49 Deesign to name a few), one of
Alila's core brand values is respect for the
environment-its resorts are in beautiful,
remote locations near traditional villages.
"Conserving the physical environment is
literally the sustainability of our business,"
Edleson points out. "If the site is too polluted
or defaced, its attraction diminishes." The
company also maintains close relationships
with the local community. "If we are seen
as profiting at their expense, it doesn't do us
much good. We hire and purchase from the
villages; guests visit the villages and spend
[time and money] there rather than within
the property. Having that natural, social
interaction is important to us."
Last year, Alila formed a partnership

with Commune Hotels + Resorts and
Edleson is currently developing Commune's
Thompson, tommie, and Joie de Vivre
brands across Asia Pacific, managed out
of Alila's Singapore office. "We wanted to
accelerate growth. This deal gives us more
resources, greater global distribution, and
more brands to work with," he says.
Alila will remain the group's high-end
offering (especially ultra-luxury Alila Villas
developments with residential components),
while Edleson sees Thompson working well
in gateway and capital cities. Meanwhile, the
first Joie de Vivre in Asia will open in the
next few years in Manila, and he anticipates
tommie easily segueing into developing
countries. Alila's pipeline is also robust,
with 20 properties planned throughout Asia,
more than half of which are in China. First
up: a resort will open later this year in Anji,
about 90 minutes outside Hangzhou, and a
Neri & Hu-designed Alila Villas is slated for
Hangzhou's old town in 2017. hd

4. One of the 56 suites
overlooking the Indian
Ocean at the WOHAdesigned Cliff, a new
development on the
grounds of Alila Villas
Uluwatu in Bali.
5. At Alila Diwa Goa in
India, crafted by Plum
Design, lounge chairs
are submerged in a
pool that's set amongst
paddy fields.
6. Designed by P49
Deesign & Associates,
Oman's Alila Jabal
Akhdar's Jabal suites,
boasting private
terraces and pools, are
clad in local stone.

hospitalitydesign.com July 2015

155
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