Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Azerai

Hotel chain

Azerai is a Singapore-based multinational hotel chain. The company currently operates three hotels in Vietnam. The company was founded by Indonesian-hotelier Adrian Zecha, and commenced operations in 2017 with the opening of the group's first hotel in Luang Prabang, Laos.

01History

After leaving Aman Resorts in 2014, Adrian Zecha founded Azerai to operate affordable-luxury lodging, competing in the 3-4 star hotel category. The brand operates small hotels, each typically having no more than 80 rooms, and targets the millennial demographic. The company's background is traced back to the Serai Hotel in Karangasem, founded by Zecha to offer various frills and design features reminiscent of an Aman Resort albeit competing at a lower, affordable price point. The Serai concept later served as the precursor of Azerai after The Serai was rebranded to create the first Alila hotel. The company's name originated from a portmanteau of Zecha's initials and the now-defunct Serai brand, the latter's name of which was derived from the suffix of the Persian word caravanserai.

In an interview with Hong Kong's Prestige magazine, Zecha stated that "Azerai resorts are designed in an elegant, refined and understated manner, and seek to embrace and blend into the locations in which they are set".

In 2017, the first Azerai opened in Luang Prabang, occupying the premises of the 53-room Phousi Hotel. The hotel closed in 2018 and reopened as an Avani Hotel operated by Thailand-based Minor International. Following its closure in Luang Prabang, the company opened Azerai Can Tho in Vietnam in 2018, which was followed by second hotel in Hue in 2019.

In 2019, Time magazine named Azerai La Residence in its list of the world's greatest places to stay.

02Properties

Azerai operates three hotels in Vietnam, with one hotel planned for Indonesia.

Vietnam

Indonesia

  • Azerai Ungasan, Bali (planned)
Watch videos about AzeraiExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Azerai, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.