Known for legendary resorts and residences around the globe, Aman chooses Beverly Hills to make its West Coast debut. Here’s an exclusive look at what’s to come.
From its inception, Aman has always pursued the creation of dynamic resorts and residences in incomparable settings. Never compromising on location or architectural integrity, the brand portfolio now includes 35 hotels, resorts and residences across 20 countries, reaching storied destinations such as Bhutan and Marrakech and global metropolises including New York and Tokyo.
As the first Aman to be located on the West Coast, Aman Beverly Hills will combine the cherished brand’s ability to craft captivating retreats in an unparalleled setting. The project, designed by Kerry Hill Architects (KHA) from Singapore, will be the crown jewel of One Beverly Hills, a multibillion-dollar, 17.5-acre oasis set at the most iconic intersection in Los Angeles, where Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevards meet. Aman will join the preexisting Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills and the Beverly Hilton to create a unified development that will include 10 acres of public and private botanical gardens featuring more than 200 species of California native and water-wise plants and trees. Aman Beverly Hills will raise the bar of luxury in the area, offering a 78-key Aman hotel, two residential towers and a members-only Aman Club, all set on a private parcel with botanical gardens and secluded pathways reserved exclusively for the owners of Aman residences.
What is Aman?
Aman, the Sanskrit word for “peace,” has spent the last three decades cementing itself as a global leader in luxury hospitality. The first Aman Resort was created in Phuket in 1988 to replicate the feeling of being in a private home, with just a handful of rooms. Although the brand has since evolved, its main ethos of making guests always feel at home has long been the common thread running through the brand’s history.
“Our studio was founded in Singapore 45 years ago, and we’ve spent the last 35 of them working with Aman,” says Tanuj Goenka, Director of KHA. “Our brands started their journeys together, and we’ve been proud to complete 13 Amans around the world. Over that time, Aman has always valued an environment that sets the properties apart, but the brand is not static—it has had a tremendous ability to move with the times, but without ever losing its soul.”
The now Switzerland-based hospitality brand has always been synonymous with thoughtful design, peerless service and refined taste—qualities it will be bringing to Los Angeles, where it will introduce the city to a new level of luxury. At the recent World’s 50 Best Hotels awards, Aman was recognized as the first-ever winner of the “Most Admired Hotel Group Award,” where it was called out as a “pioneering purveyor of ultra-luxe, wellness-forward stays.” Indeed, Aman Tokyo, which was also designed by KHA, landed as the #7 hotel in the world, while Aman New York landed spot #37, wowing guests with its spacious suites, stunning three-story spa and peaceful atmosphere, all while being located in one of the busiest cities in the world. The New York property was the third U.S. project for the brand, following the landmark 2007 opening of Amangani in Jackson Hole, where the 40-key resort overlooks the Grand Tetons, and the spectacular 2009 debut of Amangiri in Utah, set among red-rock canyons and 900 acres of the Colorado Plateau. Also in North America, the brand features properties in the Dominican Republic (Amanera) and Turks and Caicos (Amanyara), where guests are just a stone’s throw from the U.S. but feel transported to a world away by the captivating environments Aman so thoughtfully designs.
RENDERINGS COURTESY OF KERRY HILL ARCHITECTS (KHA)
A Setting Like No Other
Beverly Hills may consist of just 5.71 square miles, but the tiny enclave has reached world-renowned status as one of the most elite and sought-after luxury destinations in the world. In the early 1800s, the city began as an agricultural community. By 1912, it was welcoming its first hotel, The Beverly Hills Hotel; by the 1920s, historic mansions as Pickfair (the home of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford) were being constructed; by the 1960s, Fred Hayman and Aldo Gucci were turning Rodeo Drive into a glamorous luxury retail destination with the openings of Giorgio Beverly Hills and Gucci; by the 1990s, the city’s zip code was immortalized by the series “Beverly Hills 90210”; and in 2027, the city will become even more elevated with the launch of Aman Beverly Hills.
“I’ve been to California many times and was already familiar with Beverly Hills before we came onto this project,” says Goenka. “[Another world-renowned architectural firm] Foster and Partners had already put plans in with the city and gained approval for a project that included a botanical garden that would drape around the master plan. The idea of living in a garden in the middle of a busy city, which is predominantly a car city, meant that the Aman resident would have the opportunity to live in a truly special space.” Goenka adds that as he and his colleagues visited private homes around the city, they always noted the generosity of the landscape and the vistas. “We observed how private homes in L.A. take in the natural landscapes, the views, the surrounding nature, the sky … it was important that we brought that all into this vertical project,” says the architect.
Now, the residences will occupy the two towers at Aman Beverly Hills, allowing for ample space to be dedicated to outdoor gardens that will make each unit feel like a private retreat that embraces the outdoors instead of hiding from them behind walls of glass and steel. But Aman Beverly Hills is not only a lush oasis for residents—its accompanying hotel will offer a new level of vertical luxury the city has never seen before. As the first new luxury hotel in the region in nearly a decade, it will raise the bar by offering guests a new way to experience Beverly Hills, complete with unparalleled design, top-tier service and exclusive amenities.
Incomparable Design
Deep overhangs, lush, verdant gardens on every level, an abundance of natural wood—there is nothing typical about Aman’s plan to bring vertical living to the heart of Beverly Hills. “This is not your ubiquitous glass-and-steel high-rise,” says Goenka. “We considered how the building would be viewed and lived in from every angle and at different times of the day.” To that end, the glazing of each floor is set back from the edges of the building, with space for plantings, private pools, and undersides of timber that allow both residents and passersby to feel as if they’re immersed in lush landscaping.
“We’ve created five Amans in Bhutan, which is one of the only carbon-negative countries in the world, and we created the Aman in Kyoto, which rests within a forest, near several UNESCO World Heritage Sites,” says Goenka. “We took the same propensity towards nature with this project, immersing the residents in a beautiful garden setting not on just the ground plane, but on every level.” Natural materials like limestone and natural woods will be used throughout, with the line between interiors and exteriors intentionally being blurred. “We only take on projects where we can be responsible for both the architecture and the interiors. We never want someone in one of our environments to distinguish where the architecture starts and stops. Instead, the indoors and outdoors should flow seamlessly,” he continues.
KHA is collaborating with Los Angeles–based RIOS for the landscape architecture, whose work can be seen at some of the city’s most prestigious private residences, as well as at larger corporate projects for clients like NBC Universal, Paramount Pictures and Larry Ellison. “We didn’t want the landscape to be secondary; we wanted it to be substantial,” says Goenka. “Trees and plants are set within and all around the buildings—not just in an isolated planter box—so it breaks the illusion that you’re even in a building and instead feels like you’re living within nature. There are also multiple swimming pools and water features, so you truly feel like you’re in an oasis.” Adding to the residential feel of the project, a series of walking paths throughout the property will allow both hotel guests and residents to feel like they’re in their own refined neighborhood, immersed in fresh air.
Units at Aman Beverly Hills start with two-bedroom homes of 3,100 square feet and extend to five-bedroom units that command 10,500 square feet. Penthouses will offer 25,000 square feet of private space, as well as bird’s-eye views across the city, taking in the ocean, the glittering city below and the verdant Los Angeles Country Club located just west of the site. Every residence of three bedrooms and up has a private pool, and even the smaller two-bedroom units have outdoor onsens.
“Almost 30 years ago, Aman was one of the first hotel brands to allocate as much space to their bathrooms as their bedrooms,” says Goenka. “We’ve been a pioneer in celebrating the bathing experience as a ritual, and the bathing and dressing areas we’ve created in the homes here are equal to if not larger than the sleeping areas.” In the primary bedrooms, wet areas in the bathrooms extend to the outdoor terrace and pool. The sleeping, bathing and dressing areas have the option of being opened as one free-flowing space or partitioned off at times, so as not to disturb a sleeping partner.
Each primary suite will contain a double vanity, a WC, a shower with steam option and a freestanding tub oriented to the views. “Typically, bathrooms are designed with lower ceilings than in the bedrooms, but we worked hard to make sure it was the same,” says Goenka. “Once everything is open and slid away, it will feel like one continuous open plan.”
KHA’s design draws inspiration from American mid-century culture, yet as an international hotel with bespoke solutions, the project incorporates the finest products from around the globe to create a contemporary, exclusive and state-of-the-art destination.
Life at Aman Beverly Hills
Much like one of the nearby exclusive estates, the approach to Aman Beverly Hills is considered the moment a resident crosses the property. Entry for the residents comes from either Santa Monica or Wilshire Boulevard along a private, secured drive. From there, residents can park in the thoughtfully designed subterranean garage or leave their car with the valet. As residents walk into the lobby, they’re met with a concierge team and staff to help assist with bags and groceries.
The ground floor includes common areas for residents to greet visitors or hold meetings. From there, three elevator banks host private lifts that take residents directly into their homes.
While the units at Aman Beverly Hills are truly a special opportunity, the Aman Club is another unique offering. As the social hub of the project, the space will include an entertainment zone, a screening room and jazz club, multiple food and beverage outlets, as well as wellness and fitness facilities. The members-only club is open to all residents of the Aman Beverly Hills, as well as other Aman aficionados who have applied for membership, creating a collective of like-minded individuals.
Indeed, a sense of community is important to Aman Beverly Hills, with the project feeling like its own master-planned neighborhood. “What we’ve seen in our other residential projects like Amanpuri in Thailand, is that the homeowners at Aman properties are quite compatible and enjoy getting to know each other,” says Goenka. “Especially around certain times of the year or around holidays, they’ll all be there and celebrate together.” With the Aman Club and generous outdoor spaces acting as central gathering spaces, residents are meant to meet, interact and build bonds over the prestigious community that they’re all now a part of.
“When you look at our other projects, there’s always a clear reference to the property reflecting its location. For instance, in Tokyo, in terms of materials and aesthetics, there’s a clear reference to it being in Japan, but it’s not inherently or too literally Japanese,” says Goenka. “Instead, we prefer subtle references to where the project is. We’re influenced and inspired by the local vernacular, but we aren’t copying it. We’re always looking to distill design to its most essential elements, allowing it to sit lightly within the setting.”
Upon its completion in 2027, Aman Beverly Hills won’t just wow guests and residents with its striking architecture; it will envelop its guests and homeowners with a sense of calm, peace, and an appreciation for the setting and environment never offered in Southern California.
