Laurent Gardinier

The Path

A career in the French navy gave Laurent Gardinier a first grounding in structure, responsibility, and composure before he moved into hospitality. That background matters in a field where timing, order, and judgment shape both guest experience and operations. The shift from naval service to hotels and restaurants placed him in a trade that asks for precision as much as instinct, and for constant attention to the details that keep a house functioning. He is now co-owner of Domaine Les Crayères and Le Taillevent, and since 2023 has served as president of Relais & Châteaux, where the work is tied to standards, craft, and the upkeep of a shared culture of welcome.

The Work Today

Since 2023, Laurent Gardinier has served as president of Relais & Châteaux, a role defined by stewardship across a global network. The job is not only administrative; it requires reading a hotel as a complete organism, where gastronomy, design, estate, management, and atmosphere all carry equal pressure. His language for the sector is architectural as much as operational: a 360-degree business, built through balance rather than single-focus thinking. He keeps the emphasis on service and continuity, and his own words stay direct—he is there “in the service of its members.” That position places him between individual properties and the wider collective, tasked with supporting both without flattening either.

In Their Words “I love all aspects of a hotel. It’s gastronomy. It’s real estate. It’s design. It’s management. It’s a special 360-degree business.” “I work in the service of its members.”