Our Story

The team behind Emeraldtropic

A private resort and casino on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in 1984 with six rooms and a single conviction — that outstanding hospitality never needs announcing.

How it began, in brief

In the summer of 1984, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — acquired a strip of shoreline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no pitch deck, no marketing strategy and no social media. There was a notebook holding two principles: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and never settle for what passes as "industry standard".

42 years on we count 60 keys, four restaurants, a Michelin star, two private gaming salons, a full spa, and a guest book that quietly fills with the same families returning, year after year. The notebook remains. The two principles have not shifted.

We remain owned by the same two families who founded the property. We have never sold to a chain, never franchised the name, and never opened a second site — though the question has been raised, repeatedly. Our reply is always the same: excel in one place.

What guides us

Hospitality without performance

Flowers are fresh because they ought to be. Robes are weighty because they ought to be. The work that counts is the work you never see.

Continuity over turnover

The bellman at the door has been here longer than most of our suites. The head sommelier has served us for many years. We recruit carefully and retain people for life.

Local before global

Our menu draws on what the coast provides, our cellar favours growers within four hours of the estate, and our spa products come from a chemist forty minutes away.

Quiet by intention

Adult-only, screen-free public areas, gentle lighting throughout and a music programme meant to blend into the room. Noise is simple. Serenity takes effort.

The leadership

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

Ines Amaro
Managing Director

Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has led the property since the early days and quietly sets the bar the rest of the team upholds.

Joined 1984
Elise Sterling
Founding Partner

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

Joined 1984
Henrik Whitmore
Executive Chef

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

Joined 1992
Julien Weiss
Head Sommelier

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

Joined 1992
Freya Bernard
Spa & Wellness Director

Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, shaping the spa programme around the belief that rest is a skill, not a luxury.

Joined 1997
Nadia Castellan
Gaming Director

Years on the floors of Europe's private salons. Built ours around discretion, fair play, and a personal-host model rivals now imitate.

Joined 1994

By the numbers

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