LUX* was created in Mauritius in 2011, when the hotel business then led by Paul Jones recast an existing Indian Ocean resort portfolio around a new luxury identity rather than launching from a single new-build flagship. The brand's current proposition is 'Life Extraordinary': each hotel should use its setting, food, people and small moments to make a conventional resort holiday feel less scripted. The live LUX* consumer site reviewed in August 2026 shows 11 clearly operating and bookable hotels across Mauritius, Maldives, Réunion, Zanzibar, Rwanda and China, with a much larger signed pipeline.
The Brand
LUX* is the principal luxury brand of The Lux Collective, the Mauritian hotel management company separated from the property-holding structure in 2018–2019. The group now operates an asset-light model and develops LUX* alongside SALT and SOCIO. The current expansion is materially changing the brand's geography: from its Indian Ocean base toward China, East Africa, safari, the UAE and Vietnam. The portfolio is deliberately varied. Grand Baie is a contemporary Mauritius flagship; South Ari Atoll is an island resort; Marijani is a smaller Zanzibar beach hotel; Lake Kivu takes LUX* inland; and the Tea Horse Road properties use China's mountain and cultural landscapes. The common denominator is not architecture but a lighter, more celebratory interpretation of luxury.
Philosophy
The official purpose is helping people celebrate life. Under Paul Jones, LUX* became known for challenging resort conventions with informal service, unexpected experiences and a strong food-and-beverage culture. The Lux Collective now adds a more explicit sustainability framework: its 2025 annual report describes an asset-light growth model, luxury-and-lifestyle expansion and sustainability embedded across brands.
What Distinguishes it
Celebration, not ceremony LUX* is luxury without grand-hotel stiffness. The emotional register is pleasure, surprise and ease rather than visible hierarchy. Indian Ocean authority Mauritius, Maldives and Réunion remain the historical core. Few internationally expanding brands carry comparable operating depth in the Mascarenes. Experiences as product LUX* explicitly packages Extraordinary Experiences and uses food, wellness and local discovery to make the resort more than a room-and-beach proposition. Expansion beyond beach Lake Kivu, Tea Horse Road and announced safari projects in Botswana and Zimbabwe show a deliberate move from tropical-resort specialist toward a broader luxury hospitality brand.
Who it is Not For
LUX* is not for travellers who define luxury through extreme privacy, highly ceremonial service or a uniform ultra-luxury villa product. Many houses are full-service resorts with families, restaurants, activities and visible social life. Guests wanting Aman-like seclusion or a tiny owner-run lodge should judge individual properties carefully.
Signature Houses
2011-era · LUX* Le Morne · Mauritius A defining Mauritian resort beneath Le Morne Brabant and a clear expression of the brand's Indian Ocean roots. LUX* Grand Baie · Mauritius The contemporary flagship: more design-led, urbanised and fashion-conscious than the older island resorts. LUX* South Ari Atoll · Maldives The Maldivian reference house and the brand's strongest private-island expression. LUX* Chongzuo, Guangxi · China A small landscape-led resort that proves LUX* can travel beyond the Indian Ocean without relying on beach-resort codes. LUX* Marijani · Zanzibar A boutique East African beach expression and an important step in the brand's African expansion. LUX* Lake Kivu · Rwanda A lakeside five-star hotel that broadens LUX* into inland Africa and away from its historical resort-island formula.
Competitive Landscape
LHL-297 · Angsana Angsana is more upper-upscale, family- and activity-led; LUX* is more clearly luxury and more strongly authored around celebratio · Angsana Angsana is more upper-upscale, family- and activity-led; LUX* is more clearly luxury and more strongly authored around celebration and resort experience. LHL-287 · Tivoli Hotels & Resorts Tivoli brings Portuguese heritage and classic hotelkeeping; LUX* is younger, more resort-led and more playful · Tivoli Hotels & Resorts Tivoli brings Portuguese heritage and classic hotelkeeping; LUX* is younger, more resort-led and more playful. LHL-293 · SALT Its sister brand is smaller, adults-only at the founding house and radically local. LUX* is broader, more luxurious and more facilit · SALT Its sister brand is smaller, adults-only at the founding house and radically local. LUX* is broader, more luxurious and more facility-rich. LHL-200 · Nayara Resorts Nayara is more nature- and lodge-led with a smaller founder-authored portfolio; LUX* has greater resort scale and a strong · Nayara Resorts Nayara is more nature- and lodge-led with a smaller founder-authored portfolio; LUX* has greater resort scale and a stronger Indian Ocean base. LHL-197 · African Bush Camps African Bush Camps is guide-led safari hospitality. LUX* is only now entering safari and approaches it from a resort-a · African Bush Camps African Bush Camps is guide-led safari hospitality. LUX* is only now entering safari and approaches it from a resort-and-luxury management background. KEY PEOPLE defined / leads brand transformation — Paul Jones — 2010– — plain, priority LHL-P candidate current group leadership — Olivier Chavy, CEO, The Lux Collective — current — plain, monitoring layer ownership / investment layer — The Lux Collective Ltd and third-party hotel owners — current — plain
Booking With LVXVRY
No universal LVXVRY preferred-partner programme is confirmed across the LUX* portfolio. LVXVRY can reserve LUX* on request and quote the best suitable available or contracted rate for the requested dates; no amenity claim is made unless confirmed for the individual hotel and booking. LUX* Membership is the brand's own membership programme, and eligibility or member-rate treatment should be checked against the exact booking channel and rate.
Editorial Note
Founded and origin: official LUX* and The Lux Collective materials. Portfolio counted from the live LUX* consumer site in August 2026: 11 clearly operating / bookable hotels across six countries or territories; the group development site also references LUX* Benzilan, which is not presented as a current bookable house on the consumer portfolio and is therefore not added to the operating count. Pipeline is recorded separately.