Paras

Paras emerged not as a founded entity, but as a discourse that began along Bali’s Sanur coastline in 2020, during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. The conversations encompassed a broad spectrum, ranging from conventional topics like hotel architecture, artist residencies, hospitality, leisure, tourism, cultural identity, and exchange, to more specialised areas such as bioregionalism and regenerative farming. The term ‘paras’ was selected to encapsulate these discussions, carrying multiple meanings in Bahasa Indonesia: ‘face’ or ‘surface,’ ‘decorative stone’ or ‘limestone,’ and ‘even’ or ‘balanced.’ Paras seeks to observe and celebrate Balinese wisdom and the natural transformations that surround it, with the intent to preserve the essence of Balinese hospitality culture for present and future generations. Ultimately, Paras emphasises that ‘hospitality’ is fundamentally about human connection—hosting family, friends, and even strangers—and extending this care to cultural and natural environments, rather than merely focusing on hotels.