Who We Are

The faces behind Tranquilbirchkeep

A private resort and casino along the Mediterranean coast. Opened in 1990 with six rooms and a single conviction — that true hospitality never needs to announce itself.

Our story in three paragraphs

In the summer of 1990, two friends — an ex-hotelier and a chef — purchased a strip of shoreline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no investor pitch, no marketing roadmap and no social feed. There was a notebook holding two principles: host fewer guests better than anyone else; and never settle for anything that is merely "industry standard".

36 years later we have 160 keys, four restaurants, a Michelin star, two private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that steadily fills with the same families returning, season after season. The notebook is still here. Those two principles remain untouched.

We remain owned by the same two families that founded the property. We have never sold into a chain, never franchised the name, and never launched a second address — though we have been invited, often. Our reply is always the same: do one place well.

What we believe

Hospitality without theatre

The blooms are fresh because they ought to be. The robe is weighty because it ought to be. The labour that counts is the labour you never see.

Continuity over churn

The bellman who greets you at the entrance has been here longer than most of our suites. The head sommelier has stayed with us for many years. We recruit carefully and we keep people for a lifetime.

Local over global

Our kitchen draws on what the coast provides, our cellar favours growers within four hours of the grounds, and our spa line is crafted by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.

Quiet by design

Adult-only, screen-free public rooms, gentle light at every hour and a music plan shaped to dissolve into the space. Loud is simple. Calm takes work.

The team

Six of the people who steer the property day to day. Their paths differ; their devotion to the standard does not. Behind them stands a 280-person team across operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.

Henrik Fairholm
Managing Director

Decades inside luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has guided the property since the early days and calmly defines the bar the rest of the team upholds.

Joined 1990
Theo Weiss
Founding Partner

Guides food, beverage and the guest journey. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the source of the resort's unhurried service outlook.

Joined 1990
Anais Marchetti
Executive Chef

Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, with stages in some of Europe's finest kitchens. Brought the property its Michelin recognition.

Joined 2012
Julien Sterling
Head Sommelier

Court of Master Sommeliers-certified, shaping a cellar of several thousand bottles with a particular affection for old Burgundy and small-grower Champagne.

Joined 1997
Freya Larsen
Spa & Wellness Director

Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, and shaped the spa programme around the notion that rest is a craft, not an indulgence.

Joined 1996
Nadia Ashford
Gaming Director

Years on the floors of Europe's private salons. Built ours around discretion, fair play, and a personal-host approach that other houses now emulate.

Joined 1999

By the numbers

— Return to Tranquilbirchkeep