service , and the more you institutionalize , the more you suffocate that .”
The 60-year-old Reid , who was born in Peru , went to high school in the U . K . and moved to the U . S . after college , has been working out of his Dallas home since last spring . The crisis has afforded him more time to take neighborhood walks with his wife , Marybeth , and dote on his grandchildren . But he has also been venturing out to spend time with his teams and oversee development projects .
“ I was actually comfortable with the idea of flying all along , but some of my colleagues were not ,” Reid says . “ Rather than tell people what to do , I just jumped into my car and drove across the country , twice , to underscore the fact that where there is a will , there is a way .”
EARLY BENEFICIARIES The new year at hand will be a breakout one for Auberge , opening six , hopefully well-timed , properties , which has also allowed Reid to keep his leadership team intact during the downturn . A mix of new-builds and conversions include Bishop ’ s Lodge in Santa Fe , New Mexico , scheduled to open this spring ; Stanly Ranch in Napa Valley , California , opens this summer ; The Inn at Mattei ’ s Tavern , in Los Olivos , California ( outside Santa Barbara ) will open in the autumn , as will Etéreo in Riviera Maya , Mexico , and Hacienda AltaGracia in San Ysidro , Costa Rica . This winter , Susurros del Corazón is set to open in Punta de Mita , Mexico .
Reid says the group will soon announce new developments in San Francisco , South Carolina and the Hudson Valley in New York , as well as second and third properties in Europe , including Italy . Africa is also on Auberge ’ s radar . Auberge ’ s objective is to exceed 40 properties in the next five years , with growing emphasis on urban , club-like properties , which would potentially make it the largest boutique luxury operator in the world .
Grounds of the recently opened Commodore Perry Estate in Austin , Texas
I EQUATE IT TO HAVING SPENT ALL MY LIFE DRIVING MERCEDES SEDANS AND NOW I HAVE A LITTLE CONVERTIBLE , A MORGAN ROADSTER , AND I ’ M ON THE ISLAND OF CAPRI . – CRAIG REID
The most recent opening was the 50- room Commodore Perry Estate in Austin , Texas , which Reid says has a 400 % RevPAR index , and gives some initial credence to Auberge ’ s urban aspirations .
Bigger picture , Reid believes Auberge can match 2019 revenue numbers by Q4 2021 and thinks 2022 will exceed 2019 performance .
“ We ’ re predominantly resort , domestic , small and outdoorsy ,” he says . “ Group will be slower to manifest itself , or group like we knew it … Of people wanting to rent a residence in Cabo or Telluride next summer , I think they are desperate to do that and will do that . We will be the early beneficiaries .”
INTERNAL RALLIES Early on during the COVID crisis , Reid reached out to his team to create strategies that would help the company emerge stronger and create an even deeper commitment . Among the new plans : introduce a new orientation program . There will be no message from the CEO ; rather , it will come from colleagues to help create a greater sense of community .
To keep better tabs on everyone ’ s well-being , Monday “ weekly rally ” calls that used to be more about sharing information about visiting owners , upcoming openings and issues of the moment are now more about everybody sharing stories about their lives .
Because those casual , idea-generating meetings around the coffee machine have disappeared , Reid is also scheduling little off-site gatherings to brainstorm . One is coming up this month at the Chileno Bay property in Cabo San Lucas , Mexico . About 12 leaders will gather , mostly outdoors , for “ what do you think about this idea ” sessions . “ That ’ s the one piece I feel has been missing from our repertoire in terms of frequency ,” Reid adds .
And once COVID is under control and gathering safely is more acceptable , Reid
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