Have you been to the Faraway on Nantucket? How about Rochambeau? If so, we bet you were pretty impressed with the design, decor, and service. Meet the even more impressive team behind these gorgeous properties and read about their up-and-coming project that will have Nantucketers simply giddy!
1. We know Blue Flag Partners is responsible for some pretty cool real estate projects, such as Faraway on Nantucket and the hip Boston bistro Rochambeau. What is Blue Flag’s mission statement behind the creation of these avant-garde projects?
B.F. – Although we were originally founded as a real estate development firm, we have rapidly evolved our scope of work over the past few years. We now encompass development, capital/investment management, construction, design, and branding.
As such, our new mission is simply to be “stewards of profound experiences”. We closely examine every touchpoint of our work – from pre-development, our relationship with people we work with, to the environments we create and our guest’s interactions with these environments. It truly is the sum of the parts that make the experience. When our goal is to deliver profound experiences, all the details are important.
2. Tell us a bit about yourselves and how you founded Blue Flag Partners.
B.F. – Blue Flag was founded in early 2016. We started with four homes on the island of Nantucket and quickly grew our residential side of the business with the debut of Hawthorne Park, a 17-home community with hotel-style amenities right outside of town. Within a few years, we had several communities on the island and our residential footprint was firmly printed. Admittedly, it was terrifying in the beginning – we gave up our previously established careers rather late in the game – married with families to support – to found a start-up with no backup plan. There were many sleepless nights during the first couple of years, but eventually, we gained traction and momentum built. We realized that several of our projects were crossing over into hospitality – something that always excited us. We partnered with the Lyons Group and opened Rochambeau in downtown Boston, and then our first major hospitality acquisition was the Roberts House, which re-opened this past summer as Faraway Nantucket, with Life House out of New York as our white label operating partner on that asset. We also recently opened the first AutoCamp on the east coast in Cape Cod this past year – it was a huge undertaking but it is something that we are really proud of.
3. What has been your favorite hospitality project so far, and why?
B.F. – Faraway Nantucket was truly a labor of love. It truly exemplifies all things Blue Flag. We love how people walk into the courtyard and can’t believe that they are in downtown Nantucket. People rave about the interiors, the music, and even the scent. Most importantly, people love everyone working at Faraway – our crew this year who we opened Faraway with has truly given the hotel a true soul. The brand has really intrigued people and it has connected with them on an emotional level. It is just the right amount of mystery, fun, and intrigue.
4. Blue Flag also creates residential properties. How does knowing these projects will eventually become someone’s home influence how you approach the project differently than a restaurant or hotel?
B.F. – We make different decisions when we create residential environments. We allow a bit more fantasy to guide our decision-making process when creating hotel or restaurant projects than when creating a home. A home is a reflection of the homeowner while a hotel is experienced via a moment in time. Although we push creativity on both fronts, we look through these different types of projects through a different lens – of course, a home has to be a bit more practical for everyday living and exemplify the family living there.
5. Can you give us a sneak peek into future projects? Are there any cool restaurants or hotels we should put on our radar?
B.F. – We have so many incredible projects right now that we are working on, but one on the immediate horizon is the reopening of the Pearl on Nantucket. The Pearl was founded by Seth and Angela Raynor 30 years ago and they truly created magic on the island. When they were looking for a group that could steward the Pearl into its next chapter, Blue Flag was a natural fit. We are honored to take on this challenge and are excited to debut the re-imagining of the Pearl for summer 2022. And don’t worry, all the favorites will still be on the menu.
Photo Credit: Matt Kisiday
This article originally appeared in The Mazer Group’s Luxury Listings Newsletter. For more stories like this and great real estate eye candy, subscribe to mazergroup@compass.co
