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| Baillie Lodges |
Luxperience spoke with founder James Baillie about the merger, the continuing success of Baillie Lodges and what they have planned for the future.
Q: Baillie Lodges is celebrating 15 successful years in business. What will the new partnership with VC firm KSL bring to the luxury lodge landscape in Australia and how will it benefit luxury lodge fans?
A: Our new joint venture with KSL is really a chance for us to further develop the luxury lodges sector in Australia, which has grown so significantly over the past decade, both for domestic and international travellers. It’s also a chance for us to build the Baillie Lodges brand and ultimately – as new lodges are brought into the portfolio - offer our guests a more diverse range of experiences in Australia, in a format that is both familiar and unique to each remarkable destination.
Q: Why have Baillie Lodges remained at the forefront of the Australian and global luxury market? What makes the product so special?
We like to say it’s about attention to detail, and this really flows right through from the architectural and interior design in the development phase to the small surprises that continue to make our in-house guests feel special – like placing in book mark in a guest’s book on turndown, planning a personalised menu around a dietary need, or staff remembering a preference for still or sparkling water. Our ‘first name’ service ensures guests feel more like friends, and this mean they return to the lodges year after year, just as they would their own holiday house. It’s about providing an experience of genuine warmth and unpretentious ‘barefoot’ luxury.
Q: What is the single most important factor in keeping guests coming back time and time again to Baillie Lodges?
A: It’s hard to put a finger on a single factor. There are so many elements that go into the planning and successful operations of the lodges: mesmerising views, world-class local food and wine, clever contemporary design, luxurious interiors, first-name service and the learning that comes from personally guided adventures. But if I had to nominate the one factor that keeps our guests coming back, it’s the sense of home-coming, of being comfortable in one’s surrounds and at ease among naturally friendly ‘staff’ and like-minded fellow guests. Our guests come back time and again to spend time with their loved ones and reconnect with each other - and even with themselves - away from the busyness of everyday life.
Q: How will Remarkable Lodge compare to other Baillie Lodges and other luxury lodge product in Tasmania?
A: We’re very excited about Remarkable Lodge on the Tasman Peninsula. We’ve been thinking about this project for almost as long as Southern Ocean Lodge has been open, and it’s a similar project in that we are designing it from scratch, and learning about the exciting destination experiences, gourmet food and wines our guest will be able to enjoy. We think it will make a great complement to the lodges and destinations in the existing Baillie Lodges portfolio, and give guests another reason to explore the best of Australia with us.
PC: Longitude 131, Ayres Rock, Uluru
Luxury Lodges of Australia
Luxperience
Luxperience launched in 2012 as an annual three and a half day luxury travel business exchange event with the aim to provide delegates inspirational ideas and create long term meaningful connections.
We provide you with a personalised pre-scheduled appointment diary to meet with your preferred and suitably qualified buyers or suppliers within the luxury experiential travel and corporate events and incentives space, that best suits your business needs. In addition, our program includes several networking events, tour options and inspiring business sessions from innovative and thought provoking visionaries. Think of us as your personal introduction agent, business coach and social planner.
Each delegate is individually selected and pre-qualified to attend Luxperience on a by-invitation basis, giving all delegates the assurity that every delegate is thoroughly vetted against our strict criteria.
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