That is when the first eight villas of Amangiri Resort Spa and Villas at Lake Powell go on sale. They will be built as they are sold. The operator will be hotel-management company Amanresorts.
The only qualification is a fat wallet. The per-villa price: $6.5 million or more.
"We are giving Utahns first opportunity to purchase the villas," said Homi Vazifdar, managing director of Larkspur, Calif.-based Canyon Equity that is building the resort two miles southeast of the tiny Kane County community of Big Water, population 413.
Vazifdar was at the 600-acre site of the project Tuesday checking on progress of the 100,000-square-foot, 34-room hotel, also being built to accommodate customers willing to shell out $900 to $1,200 a night. That phase of the project is scheduled to be completed next October.
"It would be nice to have the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or Bono [of U2 fame] sing in the [natural] amphitheater on opening night," said Vazifdar.
He said he has already heard from one potential customer in Park City for one of the villas and expects more as word spreads. Ultimately, Amanresorts hopes to have 20 more villas available in different phases.
"Buyers can purchase a base, four-bedroom villa - all governed by Aman design standards," said Vazifdar. "Each will be like a Picasso. One of a kind, unique."
All construction materials for the project, including the concrete being produced on site, are colored to match the mellow browns, oranges and grays of the surrounding desert landscape.
Amangiri - developers say it means "peaceful rock" in Sanskrit - is adjacent to Lake Powell and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
The decision to build the affluent sanctuary was applauded by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. when he announced the project two years ago.
Huntsman became familiar with Amanresorts when he was ambassador to Singapore, the resort company's home base. Amanresorts operates several luxury getaways in the South Pacific in addition to out-of-the-way places in Thailand, France, India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. The only other resort in the United States is in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
The resorts have a loyal clientele, including 165,000 regulars known as "Aman junkies." About 35,000 are from the United States.
"We have a pretty incredible demographic," said Vazifdar. "Many are young titans of industry and the media with extraordinary wealth, but are low-key. There is a dearth of Amanresorts in the U.S., so Amangiri is what some are hungering for in America. These Aman junkies are recession proof. To them it is not a matter of money, but about security."
John Friedman, the resort's recreation coordinator, said in addition to exploring the natural wonders of the area, guests will spend time on resort-provided Lake Powell houseboats, or they'll fly-fish on the Colorado River.
"A lot of self-guided, low-impact hikes will be offered," said Friedman. "We will also work with commercial-permit holders in the area and federal agencies."
He said the archaeological digs on federal lands also could be incorporated into educational experiences for hotel guests and villa owners.
After a long day hiking in the desert, clients can relax with a massage at the spa that will be featured at the hotel then dine at a planned five-star restaurant.
Lynn Swensen, the project's general supervisor for Okland Construction of Salt Lake City, said the project has been a challenge: getting the right coloring in the concrete and building the necessary forms construction requires.
"It has also been a huge challenge getting people out here to work in such an isolated area, but we're getting a handle on it," Swensen said.
Ted Hallisey, director of the Kane County Office of Tourism and Film Commission, said the project will have a significant effect on the economy in increased transient room tax charged to every rented room.
"Our current average room rate is $80, so $1,200 a night should put us up by 25 to 30 percent," said Hallisey.
Tax revenue from stays on houseboats also will go into county coffers, along with a restaurant tax, he said.
mhavnes@sltrib.com
