A new experiential luxury hospitality brand, Beckons, has launched, combining the portfolios of Baillie Lodges and Tierra Hotels under a single global platform.
The brand debuts with nine lodges across four continents, each offering an average of about 25 suites, and says it will focus on small-scale luxury travel experiences designed around deeper engagement with landscapes, culture and local communities.
Beckons will be led by Chief Executive Officer Michael Crawford, formerly of Four Seasons and The Walt Disney Company.
The brand brings together two established luxury travel operators, each with more than two decades of experience. Baillie Lodges, founded in Australia, operates properties in destinations of significant natural or cultural value, including several locations within World Heritage-listed environments. Chile-based Tierra Hotels runs a collection of architecturally distinctive wilderness lodges across remote regions of the country.
The combined portfolio includes properties in Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Canada, with the company positioning the brand around experiential and nature-based luxury travel.
Crawford said the concept is built around providing guests with deeper cultural and environmental engagement.
“Our portfolio is a platform for travellers to experience the world more deeply through genuine cultural exchange,” he said. “We believe meaningful travel should benefit guests, staff and the destinations themselves.”
The launch follows an investment of around US$100 million across the portfolio in recent years, including renovations and upgrades to several properties.
These include the reopening of Huka Lodge in New Zealand and Tierra Atacama in Chile in early 2025, following refurbishment projects, and the reconstruction of Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, which reopened in late 2023 after being destroyed in the 2019–20 Australian bushfires.
Further developments are scheduled through 2026, including new wellness facilities at Silky Oaks Lodge in Queensland and The Louise in South Australia, as well as additional premium suites at Tierra Patagonia.
In Australia and New Zealand, the portfolio includes Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island, Longitude 131° overlooking Uluṟu, Silky Oaks Lodge in the Daintree Rainforest, The Louise in the Barossa Valley, Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island, and Huka Lodge near Taupō.
In the Americas, the group operates Tierra Patagonia on the edge of Torres del Paine National Park, Tierra Atacama in the Atacama Desert, and Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island, Canada.
Several properties in the portfolio hold international hospitality awards and ratings, including MICHELIN Keys and rankings in lists compiled by publications such as Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler.
Beckons said it plans to expand the portfolio with additional lodges in the coming years while maintaining a small-scale development model focused on remote and environmentally significant destinations.
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