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James McBride

@bapakjames

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CEO & Co Founder - NIHI Hotels @nihi @nihirote The hotelier who let luxury run wild ! 2026 Icon Award The World’s 50 Best Hotels .
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a month ago

The hotelier who let luxury run wild.

With more than three decades in luxury hospitality, James McBride has built a career spanning Ritz-Carlton, Rosewood and YTL Hotels. But his most defining project came in 2012, when he partnered with entrepreneur Christopher Burch to transform a remote surf retreat on the Indonesian island of Sumba into Nihi Sumba.

Rather than polish away the island’s rugged landscape, local culture and sense of remoteness, McBride made them central to the experience. The result is a resort where luxury is rooted in its surroundings, from horses galloping along the beach to experiences that connect guests with the island. For McBride, it’s about creating something that can’t be replicated anywhere else and memories that last long after guests leave.

At the recent edition of The 50 Best Hotels 2026, he took home the accolade of SevenRooms Icon Award winner.

@bapakjames @sevenrooms by @bapakjames

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6 days ago

Happy Birthday dearest Chloe ! Lots of love from Rote and your friends baby Boa 🐴 see you on the rollercoaster 🎢 in LA soon. Lots of love Papa & Karen xxx 🧡 🎥 @harriet.adams taken in NIHI Rote by @bapakjames

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10 days ago

Baya sees the new villa at Raja Puncak for the very first time, and his reaction says it all.

Baya is far more than a familiar face at NIHI. He is a beloved part of our family, woven into our story and deeply special to our entire team. To stand beside him as he took in this view, sharing his excitement and receiving his wholehearted approval, was a true honour.

These are the moments that remind us who we are. NIHI has always been about more than a place, it is about its people, the connections we share and the journey we continue together.

One of NIHI’s very first employees, Baya has been with us for 30 years. A tribal warrior and proud father, he has put all four of his children through college, an extraordinary legacy, and one we are deeply honoured to celebrate. taken in NIHI by @bapakjames

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A very special night for NIHI.

We are incredibly proud to celebrate two incredible honours at The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026.

James McBride @bapakjames has been named the 2026 SevenRooms Icon Award winner, recognising more than three decades spent reimagining hospitality and shaping NIHI into what it is today.

And NIHI Sumba has been named No. 35 in The World’s 50 Best Hotels 2026, once again standing among the very best hotels in the world.

A huge thank you to our incredible team in Sumba, our community, and everyone who has visited, supported and been part of NIHI’s story over the years. taken in NIHI by @bapakjames

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The most wonderful stay at @sunset_tower , somewhere I’d always wanted to experience.

I remember meeting @jeffreymklein during my Carlyle days, when he, Graydon and Jeremy King were working on the Monkey Bar. They would stay with us, and Jeff once told me that part of what drew him to Sunset Tower was how it evoked those great memories of The Carlyle.

Now I completely understand why.

Thank you Matthew and the entire team for such an amazing stay. The extraordinary Hollywood history, the people, the energy, the service and that increasingly rare sense of genuine hospitality have all been preserved so beautifully.

And Angel, pictured here, after more than 20 years still has that incredible passion, smile and dedication. That really says it all. Elegance ,eccentricity and perfect lighting . It’s just real 🧡

And of course, it’s all about the pens. You can never leave Sunset Tower with too many of the originals in your pocket.

Can’t wait to return. @sunset_tower thank you and Angel quickest burnt muffin , crispiest bacon 🥓 taken in Sunset Tower Hotel by @bapakjames

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Too special not to share 🧡 Diana Ross in celebration of @michaelbschwab & @dielunn . Thank you 🙏 taken in Los Angeles, California by @bapakjames

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a month ago

What a night ! Serenaded by the Queen of Diana Ross celebrating the beautiful union of @michaelbschwab & @dielunn . Thank you 🧡🙏 an extraordinary first night of celebration. This is the summer of weddings 🥰 taken in Los Angeles, California by @bapakjames

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a month ago

So wonderful to see NIHI Sumba featured on The Masoom Minawala Show. 🧡

A very special thank you to our dear friend @diviathani, Global Editorial Director of Condé Nast Traveller, who has been such an extraordinary friend and supporter of NIHI over the years. Not only of the hotel, but of our Foundation, our people and the whole philosophy and purpose behind what we have tried to create on Sumba.

Divia, your belief in NIHI and the way you continue to share our story with the world means more to us than you know. Deeply grateful, as always. ❤️ taken in NIHI by @bapakjames

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2 months ago

A New York moment. Full circle. 🎾🗽

In 2002, while at The Carlyle, I met Tony Godsick, Roger Federer’s extraordinary agent. The following year we convinced Tony that Roger and Mirka should make The Carlyle their New York home during the US Open — beginning a wonderful relationship with Roger, Mirka and his parents, Robbie and Lynette.

Roger went on to win five US Opens in a row, all during our years at The Carlyle. After his fifth, we surprised him by naming The Roger Federer Suite in his honor — a moment captured in photographs we’ve kept ever since.

There were so many memories. Roy constantly spoiling us with RF merchandise. Sitting with Lynette, a fellow South African, in Roger’s box when he won his only French Open. And Roger arriving back at The Carlyle at 2 a.m. after winning Olympic gold and putting his medal around a young Sterling’s neck — a story Roger and I found ourselves laughing about again this week.

I last saw Roger in Shanghai in 2010, where we arranged a Mandarin lesson so he could surprise everyone with a few words in Chinese.

Then, on Monday, after all these years, I happened to text Tony just to say hello. Days later, Karen and I were at Arthur Ashe for this extraordinary celebration of Roger during a week that also marks his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Perhaps the greatest full-circle moment was meeting Roger and Mirka’s twin daughters and showing them those old photographs of their dad being surprised with his suite at The Carlyle, long before they were born.

And with Robbie, it was straight back to South Africa and rugby — including his dismay over Saturday’s All Blacks loss!

Twenty-three years of memories somehow came together in one New York evening.

Tony, thank you deeply for making it happen. We missed having Sterling there to share it with us.

Next stop has to be NIHI Sumba, Roger — the new court is waiting. ❤️🎾 taken in New York City by @bapakjames

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2 months ago

Swing sick is not a thing ! Oh yes it is Chloe taken in Water Mill, New York by @bapakjames

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2 months ago

Congratulations Gracie & Ben for most fabulous wedding weekend in Boston 🧡 taken in Boston, Massachusetts, USA by @bapakjames

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