Motivation for entering
American entrepreneur Chris Burch, 66, says his original motivation for entering the high-end resort business was more personal than monetary—he fell in love with Nihiwatu, a remote luxury resort on the island of Sumba in Indonesia, where he went to spend quality time with his three sons. After his visit there, he decided to buy the place in 2012 from the original founders Claude and Petra Graves. Now christened Nihi Sumba, he is turning the property into the flagship of what he hopes will become a global luxury hospitality brand, Nihi Resorts.
“It started as a small project, really for my children—that’s 100% why I bought it, to spend quality time with my sons,” says Burch. He also has three daughters with his first wife, Susan Cole, but Burch says they’re “not really beach people” and prefer to holiday with their dad at his property outside Paris. His boys are from his marriage to fashion designer and ex-wife Tory Burch. “My boys love Nihi, though. We try to go together twice a year, for two weeks each time.” Buying the property, Burch says, “came about just as a way to do something nice for my kids, and it turned into something that’s a special place for a lot of people.”
Indeed, the deepest satisfaction Burch gets today, he says, is not only from creating great memories at Nihi with his own children, but in seeing other families do the same. “As any parent knows, time goes by very fast. It gives me such pleasure to see families have a fantastic time at Nihi. It’s a luxury vacation, but it’s not just all about hanging out at the pool—there’s horse riding on the beach and hiking, a whole variety of cultural activities,” says Burch. “It’s really impactful.”
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