d+a | Issue 126 • 2022

20 design and architecture #126 hospitality blueprint for better tourism Bensley worked closely with Thai interior designer Pakheenai Saenharn – one of the heads of interior design at Bensley’s Bangkok office – on the blueprint for the project, which began with the goal of understanding the topography and culture of the Mustang valley where the resort is located. “With a site that has this much character, the design DNA was just waiting to be explored by the Bensley team,” says Bensley who felt as if he had gone back in time when he first visited the site. “In the north part of Mustang valley, where our site is, there are hardly any TV antennas, few cars, and little electricity. Every day, livestock walk back from the fields into villages, and even down the stairs of some of the homes. The biggest town has just four streets, which wrap around the main fort,” he explains. His goal with Shinta Mani Mustang was to build a resort that would offer travellers all the comforts one expects of a Bensley Collection hotel – electricity, Internet, plush beds, sublime cocktails etcetera – but still respect the site’s heritage and its sense of remoteness. The resort is set within an existing local stone building. The Bensley team left the structure of this building unchanged, but significantly altered the layout of the interiors. Their main goal was to create suites and public areas that face the mountains, to make the best of the incredible views, which can be seen from almost every part of the hotel. The rest of the design incorporated aspects outlined in Bensley’s white paper. The floor plan includes a long central courtyard that leads to the lobby which, consists of a warm and convivial lounge area that extends to an outdoor terrace with fire pits and jaw-dropping views. The lobby is flanked on one side by the Nilgiri Restaurant, and by the Aara bar on the other. The back of house facilities and staff offices are tucked away behind the restaurant. Two wings run alongside the central courtyard location Mustang, Nepal year of completion 2023 architect/design firm Bensley lead architect/ designer Bill Bensley developer Mountain Lodges Of Nepal Group landscape architect Bensley designer furniture brands Custom designed by Bensley The lobby consists of a warm and convivial lounge area that extends to an outdoor terrace with fire pits and jaw-dropping views.