Fah Thai Magazine Jan-Feb 2018

BILL BENSLEY
right then and there into a 6 by
1.5 metre drawing, for the Four
Seasons Chiang Mai renovation.”
Global trips might have given
Bensley aesthetic ideas, but it is
his strong desire to dream, have
fun and really immerse in novel
and inner journeys that make him
different, or ‘crazy and sane’ at
the same time. Lately, Bensley’s
resort blueprints create a new
realm – that of another world
or an “out of this world” kind of
vacation. A real escapism, if you
will, where guests are convinced
they are in a certain time and
place, yet everything has all
been created and built. He and
his team achieved that in grand
orchestration and indicative of
the high art of putting an entire
wholesome project together. Every
minute string of the story is tied
together within the designs and
with a strong and reality-based
timeline. The experience is made
real with facts complete with fine
and minuscule details required
to make everything flawlessly
function so guests can really escape
into this new world; a world
according to Bill Bensley.
But it is also the stark realities
existing in life that drove him to
sketch out a project closest to
his heart. Concerns on poverty,
the widespread encroachment
of natural environments and
uncontrolled wildlife poaching
are addressed in his latest project
Clockwise from Top
Yessir, they’ve got
lots of bananas at
the InterContinental
Danang Sun
Peninsula Resort,
Vietnam.
Jazzed up bar at
Deco Bar, The Siam
Bangkok.
An ode to Phuket’s
yesteryears at
The Slate Phuket.
– one that is most important to
him: the Shinta Mani Wild
in Cambodia.
“I bought a 99-year lease
to log in this land, but with no
intention to log,” explains the
architect who is known for doing
everything in his design to avoid
cutting even one single tree.
“Instead, we want this place to
be a sanctuary for all animals, big
and small, as well as the whole
entire forest. It will also be the
place where our guests can be
in (a) totally different but real
world; of the wild of Cambodia.”
Shinta Mani Wild will be the
fourth in the small cluster of
Bensley-owned and operated
hotels in Cambodia that generates
income to support the work of the
Shinta Mani Foundation, created
on the idea of responsible tourism
that benefits local communities.
The Shinta Mani Wild, scheduled
to launched in late 2018, will still
provide an out-of-this-world
experience to its guests and more
along the lines of luxury camping.
“I really like the outdoors,
the camping and being in tune
with nature, being exposed,”
says Bensley.
“So I would say that the Shinta
Mani Wild is everything I want
to see in a holiday. You can get
more adventure there than you
can imagine. Guests can go with
rangers and catch poachers,
do community work; or even
foraging in the forest for food.
We just found twelve new types
of edible mushrooms there. They
are delicious.”
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