James Baillie is a 20-year veteran of high profile Australian luxury lodge properties.
Having (almost) grown up on Heron Island, James became the founding managing director for P&O Resorts in the 1998 and steered Australia’s first portfolio of premium experiential properties including Lizard, Bedarra & Wilson Islands and Silky Oaks Lodge.
When P&O sold to Voyages in the 2003, James began planning an intimate collection of new Australian luxury.
In 2004, James and wife Hayley opened Capella Lodge on Lord Howe Island and in 2008 they launched the much lauded Southern Ocean Lodge on Kangaroo Island.
In early 2009, British travel magazine Tatler named Southern Ocean Lodge as Hotel of the Year, confirming SOL’s many accolades.
Throughout his career, James has actively promoted Australia as an up-market global destination for discerning travelers and is personally known to media and travel trade in major markets such as the US, UK and Europe.