You know an interview is going to be interesting when a person’s passion for what they do is evident from their very first sentence. This was one such conversation. Jimmy Patel's energy, his deep love for Aramness, and his conscious choices to give back to the environment, especially within an industry like hospitality, made it clear why his safari lodge, Aramness Gir National Park, stands exactly where it does. In this conversation, we delve into the vision behind building Aramness, the sustainability practices that truly set the property apart, and what lies ahead for him.
Jimmy Patel (JP): There are multiple things and activities that we do on a daily basis. It starts from our main effort, which is to coexist in harmony not only with nature and wildlife, but also with the community where we are located. It is an amalgamation of coexisting with wildlife, nature, and the local community.
Our core strength is our staff. We ensure that 60–65 per cent of our staff is local, and this has been the case since day one of our operations. We are actively working towards increasing this to 70 per cent. This involves regularly scouting local talent and training people, including those who may not have prior skills but are keen to work.
When we started building the lodge, we worked closely with the forest department to preserve the indigenous plantations and trees surrounding the property. The lodge is located within a reserve forest, with no neighbours—only forest around us. Along with planting trees on our property, we also take care of the buffer forest and surrounding areas.
Daily, our staff conducts cleaning drives along the roads leading to the lodge and forest gates. Since day one, we have opted to use only local safari vehicles, which required significant effort in training drivers, but it was important for us to give back to the community. We use 100 per cent local vehicles for guest safaris, accompanied by our naturalists.
Even during construction, we ensured that we did not bring in foreign materials. The lodge is completely made in India. While our architects are from South Africa, the design was inspired by local architecture. 60% of the materials used are resourced or recycled. Stones were sourced from over 19–20 surrounding villages. We repurposed clay roof tiles and provided villagers with proper tin roofs in exchange.
Post operations, we continue to engage deeply in community building—working with villages and authorities to improve schools, medical centres, and infrastructure. All of this contributes to coexistence rather than disruption.
JP: While there are standard sustainability practices across the industry, we approach sustainability very differently. It is not just about growing vegetables in our kitchen garden. Whatever we cannot grow, we source from the local market. We do not source anything beyond the local region.
Our grains come from five surrounding villages. We source directly from farmers on an yearly cycle, depending on what they grow, instead of buying from markets. This increases their profit margins and significantly reduces our carbon footprint. We do not travel more than two miles for grains, and our vegetables come from zero miles.
Our menus are designed in a way that nothing needs to come from beyond Talala, which is about 15 kilometres away. We do not import or fly anything in. For example, one of our dining experiences is a Gujarati thali, where every element comes from within the lodge itself.
Sustainability for us is about daily implementation in operations. We have an in-house bottling unit, which means zero plastic usage. We have a bio-gas plant that generates gas for 40–50 per cent of staff cooking. Waste management is a priority—we believe in zero food waste. We do not have buffets, only curated, preset menus, which helps minimise wastage.
JP: We do not see ourselves as only a wildlife property. Our approach is holistic—it includes wildlife, community building, and well-being. Guests come for a wildlife experience, but they leave with much more. The practices we follow, the communities we work with, and the guest experiences we offer are not centred solely on wildlife.
JP: From a larger industry perspective, sustainability will depend on accountability and intention. Guests today are more discerning and well-travelled. They are the real judges of what we do.
Sustainability must move towards long-term regeneration rather than just preservation. When engaging with guests, it is important to educate them not only about wildlife and nature, but also about the community—what it takes to uplift local people and why it matters. Unless the surrounding community benefits, it does not make sense to build or operate a property in that region.
JP: Today’s traveller is well-travelled and deeply interested in understanding where they are going, where they are staying, and where their money is going. They are keen to know how brands are using that money—whether it benefits local people or wildlife. Luxury is no longer about thread counts or excess. Post-COVID, privacy, discretion, and meaningful experiences matter more. Less is more, and intention has become central to luxury.
JP: Conscious luxury is about giving back to society. I am from Gujarat, and we built a lodge in Gujarat. We are a family-owned lodge, not a large corporation. A significant portion of our earnings goes back into the region to uplift the community and create meaningful impact, rather than ticking boxes through CSR. Today’s traveller wants to return not just relaxed, but educated, feeling that their travel contributed positively to the place they visited. That, to me, is conscious luxury.
JP: We have a couple of projects in the pipeline that will materialise in about a year. While we are not ready to disclose details yet, we are expanding to different parts of India, staying true to the Aramness ethos. With the learnings from the last four years, we are focusing on meaningful development across regions. You will hear more about this very soon.