Set In Stone

Phuket’s Indigo Pearl is now The Slate. Hotelier Prakaikaew Na-Ranong, heir to Thailand’s tin-mining pioneers, reveals her vision for its design.

- Leona Liu

Perspective first travelled to Indigo Pearl, Phuket, in 2012 and found a delightful resort cleverly crafted by architect Bill Bensley. Its beautiful industrial chic interiors had been inspired by the history of the property’s owners, the Na-Ranong family, noted as pioneers of the island’s tin-mining industry. Five years on, the family plays a pivotal role in Phuket’s all-important tourism business and has plans for further growth.

The privately owned beach resort was recently renamed The Slate, after the stone often found alongside Phuket’s tin deposits. According to Prakaikaew Na-Ranong, who co-owns the hotel with her father Wichit Na-Ranong, Phuket’s Father of Tourism, the name is a nod to the past. “We decided to evolve and connect the brand name directly to the design and tin mining history of Phuket,” she says. “The new name goes deep into the root and soul of the island, while hospitality today is about creating unique guest experiences where design and business are moulded together as one element.”