Sofia Rousseau
Managing Director
Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. She has run the property since the early years and quietly sets the standard the rest of the team keeps.
Joined 1994
About Us
The team behind Majesticgroveshores
A private resort and casino on the Mediterranean shore. Opened in 1994 with six rooms and one principle — that the finest hospitality should never need to announce itself.
Our story in three paragraphs
In the summer of 1994, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — purchased a stretch of coastline and transformed a private villa into a six-room inn. There was no investor deck, no marketing plan, and no Instagram account. There was only a notebook with two ideas: serve fewer guests better than anyone else; and avoid anything that is merely "industry standard".
32 years later we have 180 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 still exists. The two ideas are unchanged.
We are still owned by the same two families who started the property. We have never sold to a chain, never franchised the name, and never opened a second location — though we have often been asked. Our answer is always the same: do one place well.
What we believe
Hospitality without theatre
The flowers are fresh because they should be. The robe is weighty because it should be. The work that matters most is usually the work you never notice.
Continuity over churn
The bellman who greets you at the door has worked here longer than most of our suites have existed. Our head sommelier has been with us for years. We hire slowly and keep people for a lifetime.
Local over global
Our menu follows what the coast gives us, 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 design
Adult-only, screen-free public spaces, soft lighting at every hour, and a music programme curated to disappear into the room. Loud is easy. Calm is difficult.
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 is a 280-person team across operations, food, beverage, wellness, gaming, and concierge.
Henrik Ashford
Founding Partner
Oversees food, beverage, and the guest experience. A former Relais et Chateaux board member and the source of the resort's no-rush service philosophy.
Joined 1994
Ines Weiss
Executive Chef
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, with stages in some of Europe's finest kitchens. She earned the property its Michelin recognition.
Joined 1999
Lucas Holloway
Head Sommelier
Court of Master Sommeliers-certified, curating a cellar of several thousand bottles with a particular love for old Burgundy and small-grower Champagne.
Joined 2009
Elise Fontaine
Spa & Wellness Director
Trained in Kyoto and Marrakech, and built the spa programme around the idea that rest is a skill rather than a luxury.
Joined 1997
Marco Fairholm
Gaming Director
Years on the floors of Europe's private salons. He built ours around discretion, fair play, and a personal-host model that other houses now copy.
Joined 2010
By the numbers
- 1994 — year founded
- 180+ suites, villas and bungalows
- Four restaurants, including one Michelin-starred
- Two private casino salons
- 280 staff across all departments
- 4.9 / 5 guest rating across 2,400+ reviews
- 65%+ of reservations from returning guests
- 9 languages spoken by our concierge team