THE INTERVIEW : MARK HARMON
AUBERGE RESORTS ’ PRINCIPAL AND CEO IS AT THE REINS OF THE FAMILY BUSINESS , BUT HIS VISION FOR THE COMPANY IS ANYTHING BUT SMALL . OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS , MARK HARMON PLANS TO TAKE THE AUBERGE SHOW ON THE ROAD — TO EUROPE , THE CARIBBEAN AND INTERNATIONAL URBAN GATEWAYS .
Mark Harmon had plenty of advantages when he launched Auberge Resorts in 1998 . His father , Robert Harmon , had shown him the ropes of the real estate world as he built out Moana Corp . into a noted developer of resort properties in the western United States and Hawaii . Harmon Senior also gave his son an insider ’ s guide to hospitality industry best practices when he and Claude Rouas opened their Mill Valley , California , restaurant , Auberge du Soleil , in 1981 and , in 1985 , when they expanded it into its namesake resort .
While his father may have given him the building blocks , Harmon set out to be the architect of a much bigger brand concept . Over the last 14 years as principal and CEO of Auberge Resorts , he has extended the company ’ s portfolio to include seven world-famous resorts and two residences in the United States and Mexico , and grown not only its management activities but also its participation in resort development , its real estate arm and residence clubs .
Not bad for a teenage company . But Harmon is ready to engineer a growth spurt . The most pressing item on his to-do list these days is taking the Auberge label into new markets like New York and planting the flag internationally into gateways in Europe and resort locations in the Caribbean . HOTELS recently caught up with Harmon to talk expansion , the evershifting definition of luxury travel and the future of the resort hotel .
HOTELS : Where do you see luxury trending right now ?
Mark Harmon : A lot of what guests expect has to do with a sense of space and quality of material . We ’ ve thrown out the idea of marble , fine linen , etc . as luxury . We see luxury as creating an engaging , fun experience . Design-wise , it ’ s about being careful with dimension . Guests walk into a room and “ proportionality ” creates things that make them feel good on a subconscious level . Great lighting goes farther than patterns and colors . We aren ’ t trying to shock with edgy design .
H : How is the guest perception of a luxury experience changing ?
MH : Guests are more health-conscious than they were five years ago . People still veg out , but most people want to continue with healthy habits . Most of our guests are very successful at work , and they apply the same effort to fitness and training . It ’ s about staying fit and staying on top of the game . We offer Pilates , yoga and boot camp classes . Our view is that it ’ s about performance , not wellness — fitness offerings for guests looking for healthy living in line with their priorities . H : What are the trends you ’ ve embraced ? MH : We look at the hot trends out there all the time , but mostly don ’ t pay much attention to them . We do listen carefully when we feel those trends are an honest expression of what our guests are looking for . A good example is that we are offering many options for our guests for a healthy lifestyle :
Solbar at Solage Calistoga , California
THE MARK HARMON FILE
Age : 56
Experience : CEO and principal of Auberge Resorts since he created it in 1998 to consolidate the management and financial expertise of the company his father co-founded . He is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California , Hastings Law School .
Auberge Resorts : The boutique luxury brand currently has seven hotels and two residence clubs in the United States and Mexico . In 2014 , Auberge will open Auberge Residences at the Aspen Club in Aspen , Colorado . A property in the Dominican Republic , Casa Tropicalia , is scheduled to open in 2015 . The company is also poised to take over a golf resort in the U . S . Pacific Northwest .
www . hotelsmag . com May 2012 HOTELS 29