REID STEERS ‘ ROADSTER ’ AUBERGE
PERSONALITIES
By JEFF WEINSTEIN , EDITOR IN CHIEF
Auberge Resorts Collection CEO Craig Reid says he feels bruised by the year that just ended . He lost a very close friend , as well as an amazing hotel in Calistoga Ranch in Napa Valley , California , that burned to the ground in September during the region ’ s Glass Fire .
Of course , more than anything , he has had to deal with the ebb and flow and all of the painful decisions associated with the coronavirus . But Reid unequivocally adds that he hasn ’ t allowed the hurt of the year to take away from his sense of where he and Auberge are heading .
The Mill Valley , California-based boutique luxury brand known for its resorts and heartfelt service captured a 30 % increase in marketshare during the more buoyant summer and fall months of 2020 , according to Reid . To further the momentum , the group has six properties set to open in 2021 , adding to the 20-hotel , mostly domestic U . S . portfolio .
Since joining the group in January 2014 after a 30-year career with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts , Reid , under the ownership of Houston-based automobile distribution tycoon Dan Friedkin , has been able to write his own chapter at Auberge . He is taking some of the many learnings from Four Seasons legend Issy Sharpe to create hotels that he says have deeper sincerity to their locales and are more intimate , more colorful and expressive of the environment .
An avid sportsman with a “ let ’ s go beat ’ em ” mentality , Reid says today he is acting as more of a facilitator and teacher for the mix of artisans and veteran hoteliers on the team , pushing decision-making further down the command chain as opposed to acting as a patriarchal CEO .
To match the company ’ s ethos , he wants the artisans to have a louder voice than the traditional hotelkeepers . “ What you don ’ t want to do is drown the creative voices ,” Reid says . “ Our hotels have to be very expressive . They must have more of a theatrical approach to the delivery of