California-based Auberge Resorts Collection’s New CEO Is Ready to Take on Europe

MILAN — Auberge Resorts Collection, which was born in 1981 in what once was a quiet California wine producing area, is gearing up to open the latest jewel of its collection: Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection, nestled in the foothills of Le Cure neighborhood just steps from Florence’s city center.

Part of the Friedkin Group, the company has 30 one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts around the world. To fuel a new phase of European expansion, the company recently brought on a new president and chief executive officer, former Four Seasons Hotels executive Christian Clerc, who told WWD the Collegio alla Querce location is just the start.

With Collegio alla Querce, Auberge Resorts Collection will have a total of four open resorts in Europe, in addition to locations in Switzerland on Lake Geneva; Santorini, Greece, and one in France, a château set on 2,500 forested acres (1,000 hectares) called Domaine des Etangs. The storybook castle was built more than 700 years ago by the knights of Chasteignier de la Roche-Posay.

Later this year, Auberge will cut the ribbon on another property steeped in heritage and history — London’s Cambridge House. The Georgian property located on 94 Piccadilly was once home to the Duke of Cambridge and Lord Cholmondeley and it is now owned by Reuben Brothers, a London-based group involved in real estate and private equity.

“Europe is the next logical frontier for us,” said Clerc, adding that the regional team has been placed in London to support the group’s European operation. “We have ambitious plans for Europe. America has a long love story with Europe, specifically with Italy, but also France and other parts of Southern Europe,” he continued, adding that the company is eyeing locations in Switzerland, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Mediterranean islands.

Collegio alla Querce is a testament to that strategy of building experiences and attracting visitors to locations entrenched in storytelling. “One of the greatest things about living in this era is the ability we have to travel everywhere and to discover and how integral core travel is to our personal growth. And that’s why I love this space,” he said.

Owned by Analjit Singh, owner and founder of fellow hospitality firm Leeu Collection, Collegio alla Querce was a centuries-old private, all-boys school that educated the city’s upper class. The 16th-century property has a view of the rooftops of the Renaissance capital. In total, it boasts 83 rooms and suites, a library, theater and chapel and expansive gardens. Award-winning Esteva I Esteva, a Spanish, father-son architectural firm, spearheaded the redesign of the property (including gym and spa spaces) while local Florentine interior designers ArchFlorence brought the hotel’s public spaces, guest rooms and suites to life. 

The venue contains a spa and four dining venues, including the Bar Bertelli in the former principal’s office where headshots of “top boys” will be arranged throughout the space, a salute to its past. The Florence resort opens Sunday.

Auberge Resorts Collection also has a peculiar history. It was started in Napa Valley, a few years after Moet & Chandon bought vineyards there and began producing sparkling wine and opened a restaurant. In 1981, Auberge du Soleil restaurant opened in Napa Valley, and later expanded into cottages for guests, becoming a pioneer in dining and hospitality in the region.

Clerc, a native of Switzerland who studied at Lausanne Hotel Management School, joined the firm in September 2024. Prior to that he was at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts as president of operations from 2000 to 2022, during an extraordinary phase of growth.

“I joined Auberge due to its compelling vision and unique approach to hospitality, focusing on luxury travel and personalized experiences,” he said.

Regarding 2025, Clerc said Auberge Resorts experienced a “strong” first quarter, despite market challenges worldwide, such as the real estate slowdown and tightened consumer spending in China.

Earlier this month, Rich Robinson, head of hospitality and leisure at Barclay’s Corporate Banking divisions, said sentiment might be improving as “greater business confidence across the sector is, as ever, a reflection of broader consumer spending power and sentiment.”

Global commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE seems to agree with Clerc about the opportunities in the European market. In its 2025 outlook, the firm said while other markets like the U.S. slow, Europe is projected to see higher international tourist arrivals and overnight stays in 2025 and will remain an important source of demand.

For Clerc, there are still opportunities in Europe.

“It’s about finding the right location in the right market with the right partner and do something that is unique that cannot be replicated. It’s not about quantity, it’s about quality,” he said.