In the heart of Point Canyon in southern Utah, on an area of approximately 3,700 acres, among the desert landscapes and rock formations of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and a short distance from Lake Powell, lies Amangiri, one of the iconic hotels of the Aman Group, identified with a quiet, precise and place-connected hospitality language.

The hotel, designed by Marwan Al-Sayed, Wendell Brent and Rick Joy, was built as a low and precise structure, with a quiet sculptural presence, integrating into the existing topography of the place rather than competing with it. The hospitality experience was later extended to Camp Sarika, a secluded luxury tented complex about a five-minute drive from the main hotel, with tented accommodations designed by Luxury Frontiers and public areas designed by Selldorf Architects.

Ofri Paz | STANNEL

The experience at Amangiri begins long before entering the room. The road to the hotel passes through an exposed, almost uninhabited landscape, where sandstone walls, soft dunes and wide desert plains dictate a different rhythm. The architecture does not try to create an alien icon within the landscape, but on the contrary, to assimilate into it. The light concrete walls, wide openings and horizontal lines correspond with the surrounding rock layers, and the entire structure looks as if it was cut from the desert itself. According to the hotel staff, the architects incorporated minerals and materials that reflect the shades of the local rock into the structure, as part of a concept that seeks to capture the changes in light throughout the day and make them part of the architectural experience.

At the center of the hotel is the main pool, one of the most recognizable elements. The pool is built as a sunken courtyard, clinging to the natural rock cliff and curving around it to the jacuzzi, so that the boundary between architecture and landscape almost disappears. Around the pool are wide lounging areas, large daybeds and shaded walkways, creating the feeling of a minimalist oasis.

The hotel’s 34 suites are spread out in two wings that branch off from the main building. Each suite has an entrance through a private courtyard, an outdoor terrace, a fireplace, a king bed, and an open view of the desert. Here too, the design is not based on a complete separation between inside and outside, but rather on a measured continuity between them: courtyards, private balconies, balconies open to the sky, and private pools in some suites make the view an integral part of the room. The suites range from about 93 square meters to extremely large suites, which extend over 340 square meters and include large private pools.

The hotel’s design language is based on restrained desert materials: concrete, wood, stone, glass, natural textiles and shades ranging from sand, hamra, gray and ocher. The public spaces are spacious but not ostentatious, and the design gives weight to light, shadow and the view outside. The hotel’s central lounge space, The Living Room, is located in the main building and serves as a quiet area to stay between meals, activities and going out to the view. It is divided into intimate seating alcoves around fireplaces, with wide openings that frame the desert and also make moments of rest part of the architectural experience of the place. The library, boutique and gallery continue the same concept: quiet, almost meditative spaces, where objects, books, works of art and local craftsmanship are given a place without burdening the experience.

The concept of hospitality at the hotel is built around slowing down and turning your attention to the desert: to the changing light, to the silence, to the topography that is millions of years old and to the sense of space. This is not a hotel that offers a disconnection from the outside, but a complex where the view is an integral part of the stay scenario. Along with meals, a spa and a pool, the experience includes guided hikes, independent hiking trails, wellness classes, horseback riding, boating on Lake Powell and also Via Ferrata, climbing routes secured with metal cables and ladders fixed to the rock. The culinary experience is also translated into the local language: the hotel’s dining room combines cuisine inspired by the American Southwest with global influences, an open kitchen, a wood-burning oven and indoor and outdoor dining areas. Alongside these, private hospitality experiences are also offered in isolated desert sites, such as an intimate meal between sandstone walls, or the Sunset Trail, a spot for watching the sunset in nature with a glass of wine. Thus, the hotel service does not focus only on comfort, but on creating a complete stay experience, connecting accommodation, nature, movement, food, silence and small rituals of contemplation.

One of the hotel’s main anchors is the spa, which covers approximately 2,322 square meters and includes treatment rooms, outdoor treatment terraces, a Water Pavilion with a sauna, a steam room, a cold plunge pool and a heated step pool, alongside a yoga and Pilates studio. Here too, the architecture is not just a functional envelope, but part of the experience itself: quiet spaces, views of the rock cliffs that surround the hotel, water, stone and soft light, which continue the sense of slowing down of the place.

A short distance from the main hotel isCamp Sarika, a more secluded and intimate extension of the Amangiri experience. The complex features ten tented suites, ranging from 175 to 262 square meters, offering generous indoor and outdoor space, large windows that directly face the landscape, a spacious terrace, a heated plunge pool, an outdoor seating area, a garden fire pit, and bathrooms with a bathtub, a rain shower, and a private outdoor shower.

Camp Sarika offers a more intimate and secluded interpretation of Aman’s hospitality language, almost like a desert safari. On the one hand, it allows for a high level of privacy and a sense of isolation among the rock formations; on the other, guests enjoy full access to the main hotel facilities via electric golf cart, along with their own restaurant, pool, jacuzzi, treatment rooms and spa within the complex. Camp Sarika’s central gathering area was designed by Selldorf Architects as two independent, low-rise buildings, one for the culinary and one for the spa, with a central entrance that frames the surrounding natural walls, cast concrete in a shade close to the local rock, natural wood partitions, burgundy shading and blackened steel. Here too, the hospitality is built around a direct encounter with the desert. The restaurant in the complex serves a changing menu inspired by the environment, and is flanked by intimate hospitality spaces such as an events area nestled within sandstone, a sunset trail around a campfire with panoramic views of the dunes and massifs, and a natural amphitheater for meetings, storytelling, and stargazing.

Architecture | Marwan Al-Sayed, Wendell Burnette Architects, Rick Joy Architects
Camp Sarika Tented Pavilions | Luxury Frontiers
Camp Sarika Public Areas / Commons | Selldorf Architects

Photography Architecture | Tanveer Badal, Courtesy of Aman

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