Who We Are

The faces behind Harbourlagoontowers

A private resort and casino along the Mediterranean coast. Opened in 1977 with six rooms and a single conviction — that true hospitality is the sort you never need to announce.

Our story in three paragraphs

In the summer of 1977, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — acquired a stretch of shoreline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no investor pitch, no marketing roadmap and no Instagram feed. There was a notebook holding two principles: host fewer guests better than anyone else; and decline anything that is merely "industry standard".

49 years later we have 80 keys, two restaurants, a Michelin star, one private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that quietly fills with the same families returning, year after year. The notebook is still here. Those two principles have not shifted.

We remain owned by the same two families that founded the property. We have never sold to a chain, never franchised the name, and never opened a second location — though we have been asked, 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 substantial because it ought to be. The work that counts is the work you scarcely notice.

Continuity over churn

The bellman who greets you at the entrance has been here longer than most of our suites have stood. The head sommelier has stayed with us for many years. We hire 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 estate, and our spa formulas are crafted by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.

Quiet by design

Adult-only, screen-free public areas, soft light at every hour and a music programme chosen to dissolve into the room. Noise is simple. Calm takes effort.

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 spanning operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.

Ines Merrick
Managing Director

Long experience in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has guided the property since the early days and quietly defines the bar the rest of the team upholds.

Joined 1977
Theo Calloway
Founding Partner

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

Joined 1977
Clara Larsen
Executive Chef

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

Joined 1987
Elise Bernard
Head Sommelier

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

Joined 1982
Lena Laurent
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 1984
Anais Sterling
Gaming Director

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

Joined 1995

By the numbers

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