Travel editor for The Australian Financial Review, Fiona Carruthers reports on the birthplace of Luxury Lodges of Australia and how a business weekend 11 years ago has come to its full fruition with Baillie Lodges taking ownership of the beloved gem in the Barossa Valley, The Louise. The new legacy is set to uphold extraordinary guest experiences that owners Jim and Helen Carreker instilled and their distinct professional hospitality.

“Given many a well-heeled international tourist has bedded down at both The Louise and the Baillies’ Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island when holidaying in South Australia, the respective property teams are used to working together. Southern Ocean Lodge sadly burnt to the ground in the bushfires of January last year, and is in the midst of a rebuild. “Our teams are already great mates, and our lodges’ hospitality DNA is profoundly matched,” says James Baillie, whose other hotels include Lord Howe’s Capella Lodge and Uluru’s Longitude 131º. The formal handover of keys happens in September; The Louise’s longtime general manager, Kylie Mansfield, will remain in situ.” – Fiona Carruthers, Australian Financial Review.

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