Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Alila

Alila hotels

Architecture follows the land, with local materials and environmental care shaping the resort stay.

Alila makes architecture part of the landscape, with small resorts and heritage hotels whose design draws on the places around them. Founded in Indonesia in 2001 and now part of Hyatt, the brand takes its name from the Sanskrit word for “surprise” and pairs that sense of discovery with local experiences, unhurried service, and a sustained commitment to environmental certification.

19 Alila hotels in 8 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.

• Owned by Hyatt Hotels Corporation
• Worldwide: 18 operating properties across 7 countries as of mid-2025, spanning the full range from Balinese cliff-top villa resorts to urban all-suite retreats, adults-only California coastal lodges, and a historic Rajasthani fort — per the brand's own global campaign materials. Pipeline additions will bring the total past 20 properties in the next two years.
• On the atlas: 3 Grand Luxury, 13 High Luxury, 2 Core Luxury, 1 Accessible Luxury

History

Alila’s Uluwatu resort made its approach tangible through locally sourced limestone, recycled railway sleepers, saltwater pools, and on-site water purification. Architecture and environmental care became parts of the same design idea. Uluwatu later became Indonesia’s first EarthCheck Platinum-certified resort, with that status reconfirmed in 2025.

Timeline

• 2001 — Alila Hotels and Resorts established in May 2001 in Indonesia by Mark Edleson and colleagues; the founding concept takes over two former GHM-managed Bali properties (The Serai and The Chedi), with early hotels opening in Jakarta, Manggis (as Alila Manggis), and Ubud (as Alila Ubud).
• 2004 — Corporate headquarters relocate from Bali to Singapore as the brand's footprint grows across Southeast Asia.
• 2009 — Alila Villas Uluwatu opens on 1 June, designed entirely by Singapore firm WOHA (Richard Hassell and Wong Mun Summ); the resort wins World Holiday Building of the Year at the 2010 World Architecture Festival and sets the template for the brand's villa-resort model.
• 2009 — Alila Diwa Goa opens in South Goa, designed by Rajiv Parekh of reD Architects around the site's existing trees; it wins the HICSA 2011 Critics Award for Best New Hotel in India.
• 2014 — Alila Jabal Akhdar opens at 2,000 metres on Oman's Green Mountain, establishing the brand's credentials in dramatic high-altitude resort settings.
• 2014 — Commune Hotels acquires 51% of Alila; the partnership links Alila with the Joie de Vivre and Thompson brands.
• 2015 — Alila Seminyak opens on Bali's Petitenget beachfront; Alila Solo opens in Surakarta, Central Java.
• 2016 — Commune Hotels merges with Destination Hotels to form Two Roads Hospitality; Alila enters the combined portfolio.
• 2017 — Alila Fort Bishangarh opens in Rajasthan after a three-year restoration of an 18th-century Aravalli hilltop fort; Ventana Inn & Spa on the California Big Sur coast is rebranded Ventana Big Sur, an Alila Resort.
• 2018 — Hyatt Hotels Corporation completes the acquisition of Two Roads Hospitality in November 2018, bringing Alila, along with Joie de Vivre, Thompson Hotels, and Destination Hotels, into the Hyatt family. The deal is estimated at close to half a billion dollars. Alila's loyalty integration into World of Hyatt follows over the course of 2019.
• 2019 — Alila SCBD Jakarta opens in the Sudirman Central Business District, anchored by Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Vong Kitchen.
• 2021 — Three U.S. properties join the portfolio in the same year: Alila Napa Valley (March, converted from Las Alcobas Napa Valley / formerly the Luxury Collection), Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas (March, the brand's first new-build in the Americas), and Ventana Big Sur is formally acquired by Hyatt from Geolo Capital and Wanxiang America Real Estate for $146–148 million, a record $2.5 million per key for a North American resort at the time.
• 2022 — Alila Kothaifaru Maldives opens in Raa Atoll, the brand's first property in the Maldives and a key step into the Indian Ocean ultra-luxury segment.
• 2024 — Alila Shanghai opens on 25 September 2024, the former Four Seasons Shanghai, following an extensive renovation, as the brand's first urban property in China's premier city (186 rooms, 94 suites, overlooking Zhangyuan in Jing'an).
• 2025 — Alila Dong'ao Island Zhuhai opens (spring 2025) as the brand's first island resort in Greater China, 104 all-suite property on Dong'ao Island, a short ferry ride from Zhuhai.
• 2025 — Alila Wuzhen (125 suites and villas in Jiaxing's historic canal town) and Alila Solo continue to anchor the China and Indonesia portfolios.
• 2025 — Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya suspends operations on 2 March 2025 for a transformative renovation; set to reopen as Alila Mayakoba, the brand's first property in Latin America and the Caribbean, in early 2026.

The houses to know

1. Alila Ventana Big Sur, Big Sur, United States — The adults-only, all-inclusive resort occupies 160 acres along the Big Sur coastline and holds Two Michelin Keys.
2. Alila Villas Uluwatu, Uluwatu, Indonesia — WOHA's limestone cliff-top statement: 84 keys constructed from site-quarried rock above Uluwatu, named World Holiday Building of the Year and the first EarthCheck Platinum resort in Indonesia.
3. Alila Kothaifaru Maldives, Kothaifaru, Maldives — The Maldives resort occupies a 27.6-acre island in an atoll known for manta rays and whale sharks.
4. Alila Jabal Akhdar, Al Jabal Al Akhdar, Oman — The all-suite resort stands on a clifftop at about 2,000 metres.
5. Alila Napa Valley, St. Helena, United States — Adults-only wine-country estate in a Georgian Revival farmhouse beside Beringer Vineyards, marked Hyatt's 1,000th hotel worldwide when it joined the portfolio in 2021.
6. Alila Fort Bishangarh, Bishangarh, India — A 236-year-old Aravalli hilltop fort, converted after three years of restoration into a 59-room heritage retreat with not a single ceramic tile on the property.
7. Alila Mayakoba, Playa del Carmen, Mexico — The hotel is in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
8. Alila Dong'ao Island Zhuhai, Zhuhai, China — The brand's first island resort in Greater China, 104 all-suites on a clifftop, each with a private courtyard, pool, or rooftop terrace, a short ferry from the mainland.
9. Alila Shanghai, Shanghai, China — The former Four Seasons Shanghai became an Alila with 186 rooms and 94 suites overlooking Zhangyuan.
10. Alila Wuzhen, Jiaxing, China — The hotel is in Jiaxing, China.

Newest openings

• Alila Dong'ao Island Zhuhai — Dong'ao Island, Zhuhai, China — opened spring 2025 — The brand's first island resort in Greater China: 104 all-suites on a cliffside above the sea, with private courtyards, pools or rooftop terraces in every unit, two restaurants (SEASALT for seafood; HOITONG for farm-to-table Cantonese), and a Spa Alila with a Himalayan salt room and hammam. A short ferry from Zhuhai makes it an accessible but distinctly removed retreat.
• Alila Shanghai — Jing'an, Shanghai, China — opened 25 September 2024 — The former Four Seasons Shanghai, transformed after extensive renovation into a 186-room, 94-suite urban Alila overlooking Zhangyuan. Restaurants include 500 Weihai Road, Garden Pavilion, Chayan @ 5th, and Secret Roof. The opening expanded the brand into China's most internationally prominent city for the first time.
• Alila Wuzhen — Wuzhen (Jiaxing), China — opened 2018, confirmed in current 2025 portfolio as operating — 125 suites and villas in the historic canal town on the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), inspired by classic Jiangnan village architecture reinterpreted in a modern minimalist register.

Opening next

• Alila Mayakoba — Riviera Maya, Mexico — expected early 2026 — confirmed; under active renovation. The former Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya suspended operations on 2 March 2025 for a transformative renovation under eco-friendly and locally sourced construction practices. The redesigned property sits within 148 acres of protected mangrove, will reduce total guestrooms while increasing suites to 40% of inventory, add a new Temazcal (traditional Mexican steam bath), renovated spa with outdoor hydrotherapy, three-meal restaurant with on-site organic garden, two signature restaurants, beachfront restaurant, and new beach club. Reservations open from 12 February 2026.
• Alila Dalit Bay — Sabah (Kota Kinabalu), Malaysia — expected date not yet announced — confirmed in Hyatt luxury pipeline planning materials; designed by Kenneth Tan Design Architect (KTDA); will expand the brand's Southeast Asian footprint into Borneo's coast.
• Alila Igatpuri — Igatpuri, Maharashtra, India — expected Q1 2027 — confirmed; 135 rooms; part of a three-Alila India expansion alongside Coorg and Lansdowne.
• Alila Coorg — Coorg, Karnataka, India — expected date not yet publicly confirmed — announced by Hyatt India as one of three new India Alila properties under construction.

Every Alila hotel on the atlas

Indonesia

• Alila Villas Uluwatu — Uluwatu · Grand Luxury
• Alila Manggis — Manggis · High Luxury
• Alila Seminyak — Seminyak · High Luxury
• Alila Solo — Surakarta · High Luxury
• Alila Ubud — Ubud · High Luxury
• Alila SCBD Jakarta — Jakarta · Accessible Luxury

China

• Alila Dong'ao Island Zhuhai — Zhuhai · High Luxury
• Alila Shanghai — Shanghai · High Luxury
• Alila Wuzhen — Jiaxing · High Luxury

United States

• Alila Ventana Big Sur — Big Sur · Grand Luxury
• Alila Napa Valley — St. Helena · High Luxury
• Alila Marea Beach Resort Encinitas — Encinitas · Core Luxury

India

• Alila Diwa Goa — Majorda · High Luxury
• Alila Fort Bishangarh — Bishangarh · High Luxury

Oman

• Alila Hinu Bay — Mirbat · High Luxury
• Alila Jabal Akhdar — Al Jabal Al Akhdar · High Luxury

Malaysia

• Alila Bangsar Kuala Lumpur — Kuala Lumpur · Core Luxury

Maldives

• Alila Kothaifaru Maldives — Kothaifaru · Grand Luxury

Mexico

• Alila Mayakoba — Playa del Carmen · High Luxury

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