About Us

The team behind Palacekeyshome

A private Mediterranean resort and casino. Since 1981, with six rooms and a single conviction — that true hospitality never needs announcing.

Our story in brief

In the summer of 1981, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — acquired a strip of coastline and turned a private villa into a six-room inn. No investor deck, no marketing plan, no Instagram account. Just a notebook holding two principles: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and never settle for what passes as "industry standard".

Forty-five years on we hold 80 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 are still 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 the question has been raised, often. Our answer is always the same: do one place well.

What we stand for

Hospitality without performance

The flowers are fresh because they ought to be. The robe is heavy because it ought to be. The work that counts is the work you never notice.

Continuity over turnover

The bellman who greets you at the door has been here longer than most of our suites have stood. The head sommelier has served for many years. We hire slowly and we keep people for life.

Local before global

Our menu draws on what the coast provides, our wine cellar favours growers within four hours of the property, and our spa products are made by a chemist who lives forty minutes away.

Quiet by intention

Adult-only, screen-free public spaces, soft lighting at all hours and a music programme designed to blend into the room. Loud is easy. Calm is hard.

The team

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

Nadia Whitmore
Managing Director

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

Joined 1981
Sofia Sinclair
Founding Partner

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

Joined 1981
Adrian Amaro
Executive Chef

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

Joined 1987
Marta Albright
Head Sommelier

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

Joined 1985
Marco Vaughn
Spa & Wellness Director

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

Joined 1988
Freya Larsen
Gaming Director

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

Joined 2001

By the numbers

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