Marta Fontaine
Managing Director
Decades in luxury hospitality across Europe's grandest houses. Has led the property since the early days and quietly sets the bar the rest of the team maintains.
Joined 2002
About Us
The faces behind Ivoryrainforestplaza
A secluded resort and casino along the Mediterranean coast. Since 2002, with six rooms and a single conviction — that outstanding hospitality never needs announcing.
Our story in brief
In the summer of 2002, two friends — a former hotelier and a chef — acquired a strip of shoreline 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 refuse anything that is merely "industry standard".
Twenty-four years on we count 140 keys, two restaurants, a Michelin star, three 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 we have been asked, often. We answer the same way every time: do one place well.
What guides us
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 many years. We hire slowly and we keep people for a lifetime.
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 come from 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 steer 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.
Adrian Sterling
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 2002
Anais Merrick
Executive Chef
Trained at Le Cordon Bleu, with stages at some of Europe's finest kitchens. Secured the property its Michelin recognition.
Joined 2009
Freya Delacroix
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 2022
Lucas Laurent
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 2023
Ines Castellan
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 2023
By the numbers
- 2002 — year founded
- 140+ suites, villas and bungalows
- Two restaurants, including one Michelin-starred
- Three private casino salons
- 280 staff across all departments
- 4.9 / 5 guest rating across 2,400+ reviews
- 62%+ of reservations from returning guests
- 9 languages spoken by our concierge team