Aman has always existed slightly apart. Founded by Adrian Zecha in 1988, the brand grew from a deeply personal idea of hospitality—places conceived as private homes rather than commercial destinations, defined by architectural sensitivity, discretion and cultural immersion. For years, that philosophy extended to how the brand showed up in the world: bookings were taken by phone, marketing was minimal, and discovery felt earned. But as the portfolio expanded, ownership changed and expectations around digital experience sharpened, Aman faced a delicate challenge. How do you evolve a brand built on restraint without turning it into something performative or overexposed? The risk was not obsolescence, but dilution, particularly among a fiercely loyal audience protective of what they saw as a hidden world.
Matter Of Form was engaged to lead a long-term digital and content transformation across a decentralised organisation where each property had operated with near-independence. Our role was to listen first—auditing content, engaging general managers and understanding the anxieties around modernisation—before defining a strategic lens that could hold scale and subtlety in equal measure. That lens became The Destination Is In The Detail. The insight was clear: Aman is one of the few hospitality brands confident enough to lead with nuance rather than spectacle. Instead of defaulting to sweeping vistas and predictable luxury cues, we designed experiences that began with culturally specific details and editorial depth, gradually widening the frame as curiosity grew.
The transformation took shape as a careful re-architecture of Aman’s digital ecosystem. Fragmented platforms were unified into a centrally managed system capable of global growth while preserving the individuality of each destination. Booking infrastructure was introduced where none had existed, vast image and content libraries were rationalised, and new experience modules helped guests imagine themselves within a stay rather than observing from a distance. Twenty-seven sites were launched across six languages, including bespoke solutions for markets such as Japan and China, creating a future-ready foundation that translated Aman’s founding spirit into digital form without breaking the spell that made the brand matter.
