Chris Nader and Noelle Homsy, Co-Founders of ENVI Lodges

In the third of our new series of hotelier interviews, Ana Blanquart spoke with Chris Nader and Noelle Homsy, Co-Founders of ENVI Lodges.

ENVI Lodges was born from a belief that the most powerful hospitality experiences are rooted in nature and discovery, a vision Chris Nader helped bring to life as Co-Founder. Through the brand, he brings together his background in global hotel development and his passion for adventure to create intimate, design-driven retreats that foster deeper connections between travellers, nature and local culture.

Born into a family of hoteliers, Chris began working at his family’s Yacht Club at a young age, learning the trade hands-on while developing a lifelong passion for extreme sports. In his early twenties he experienced the powerful synergy between travel and adventure during a three day kayaking expedition alongside whales in Canada. That transformative journey shaped his vision of hospitality as something deeply experiential, rooted in nature, emotion, and discovery.

Following an MBA from École Hôtelière de Lausanne in 2008, Chris joined the founding team behind Shaza Hotels in Geneva before relocating to Dubai to lead the company’s international growth. From 2014 to 2017 he served as Vice President of Development for Kempinski Hotels, overseeing expansion across Africa and the Middle East.

While living in Switzerland, Chris discovered the world of experiential lodging at an eco-luxury camp in the Swiss Alps, a defining moment that planted the seed for what would later become ENVI Lodges. A decade later, he launched the brand to combine his love for adventure, his passion for creating meaningful guest experiences and his commitment to responsible hospitality.

Under his leadership, ENVI Lodges continues to shape the future of experiential hospitality, expanding its presence across key destinations in the Middle East and Africa and building a portfolio of distinctive retreats rooted in nature. The brand remains focused on operational excellence, meaningful community engagement and long-term, strategic growth.

Noelle Homsy co-founded ENVI Lodges and is driven by a long-held ambition to create places that feel deeply personal, purposeful and connected to their surroundings. Trained as an architect and shaped by a career spanning design, engineering and strategic advisory, she brings a rare blend of creative vision and commercial rigor to the brand.

Originally imagining she would one day design her own boutique hotel and retire on a Greek island, Noelle began her career in architectural design and construction project management before moving into claims, risk management and arbitration for large-scale real estate developments across the Middle East. A natural multitasker, she earned a Master’s in Engineering Management from the American University of Beirut, followed by a certificate in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Harvard University, all while searching for her path into hospitality.

In 2017, Noelle relocated to Singapore to pursue her MBA at INSEAD, travelling extensively across Southeast Asia and discovering a collection of eco-lodges and experiential camps that would later influence her thinking. After graduating, she transitioned into luxury hotel development with a focus on experiential lodging, successfully signing four lodges in the UAE. She later went on to lead the Hospitality and Tourism practice at Grant Thornton UAE, advising developers and operators across the region.

Chris, walk us through the idea behind ENVI Lodges and the story of its making.

“The idea behind ENVI Lodges came from a moment of reflection on the hotel industry as a whole, and how standardisation was affecting innovation. Noelle and I felt that many hotels offered the same products, just presented in different variations. That led to us questioning where we would want to go on holidays, what we would choose for our families, and the type of experiences we’d like them to have on these holidays. Themes of wellbeing, adventure and nature immersion were essential elements shaping the purpose of each stay and influencing the experiences people seek, yet they felt underserved by the industry.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to partake in truly unique travel experiences in the last decade, from adventures in the fjords of Canada and winter stays in the Swiss Alps, to safari experiences in Africa and desert nights in the UAE. This is where ENVI Lodges was born from, we want to bring a sense of discovery, nature immersion and meaningful experiences into one hospitality concept.”

Noelle, what are the most important elements for you when choosing the locations for your properties?

“We always prioritise selecting locations that are nature immersive with minimal visual disturbance. Expansive plots that allow for low-density development are extremely important, and we try to select sites with a sense of uniqueness to them, whether through stunning views, a flowing river, a cultural element or areas with rich vegetation and diverse wildlife. We want to provide guests with a peaceful sense of arrival that allows them to fully disconnect from the outside world the moment they step onto the property.”

Chris, how has your personal upbringing in a family of hoteliers shaped your career choice?

“I’ve been drawn to the hospitality industry since I was 10 years old. I would spend my summers at the family yacht club moving between departments and taking on various roles. These included checking in guests, coordinating kitchen orders, helping the cashiers, running water sports rentals and sunbed allocation and even learning about marina operations. The early exposure gave me a deep appreciation for the guest journey, and being in that resort environment has been my happy place ever since. That passion stayed with me until adulthood, although I didn’t expect that I would one day be launching a hospitality brand like ENVI. It has felt like a full-circle moment and still takes me back to those fond early family memories.”

Chris, what is the most important thing you have learnt about running lodges?

“One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is how vital sales and marketing is for small boutique properties. Big operators have large distribution power and strong loyalty programs that drive visibility and bookings. Small independent brands don’t have that. You can build a unique lodge, invest in a well-trained team, offer the best food and create truly memorable experiences, but if no one shows up at the door, then all of that would’ve been for nothing. The idea of “build it and they will come” is often a dangerous mindset. Funding a lodge should not be limited to construction costs alone. It’s equally important to invest in sales structures, marketing tools and strategies, advertising and public relations, which need to be sustained over three to four years until the property reaches a point of stabilisation.”

Noelle, the travel industry has been growing significantly in the past few years but so has the number of new destinations and hotels. What do you do to stand out with ENVI Lodges?

“One of the most important aspects for us is the location, and that’s where we start first. We are very particular about selecting unique sites that allow guests to fully immerse themselves in nature. From there we focus on crafting an experiential journey with careful attention to every touchpoint.

“One of our key differentiators is how we embed our holistic wellbeing philosophy into the entire guest journey. Whether the anchor experience of the lodge is adventure, environmental, agricultural or wellness, we ensure that the philosophy is woven throughout. This is also reflected in everything else at the property, from the design of the lodge facilities and guest amenities to the activities and culinary offerings, and overall service.

“Sustainability is also essential and we implement a set of guidelines that cover seven core pillars, ranging from respecting the land to being mindful of resources and supporting the local communities, while encouraging our guests to engage in our initiatives.

“These key aspects ensure that every ENVI Lodges property is unique, each shaped by the nature and culture that surrounds it. No two lodges are the same, neither in design nor in experience.”

Chris, what are the biggest travel trends that will continue to prevail in the next few years?

“Looking ahead, I believe luxury travel will continue to evolve into more meaningful experience-led journeys. There’s a clear focus on holistic wellbeing, exclusivity, transformational travel and personalised programmes that cater to each guest’s needs and preferences. Advanced wellness, such as longevity, biohacking and preventative health is also growing significantly and becoming more mainstream rather than being limited to a niche group of travellers. Along with this shift, luxury boutique properties will continue to gain market share from traditional largescale branded hotels.”

Noelle, tourism as an industry often faces criticism for its lack of sustainability. How challenging has it been to create and run a sustainable brand?

“It has been more challenging than we initially anticipated. Every location comes with its own set of constraints, from remoteness and limited access to supply sources to dealing with climates that require higher energy consumption, particularly for cooling. We learned early on that our approach needs to strike a careful balance between environmental responsibility and operational and guest realities.

“One of the key misconceptions in the industry is that sustainability is often seen as a fixed end goal or achievement – you’re either sustainable or not. In reality, it’s far more complex than that. Sustainability is an ongoing journey that is embedded in how we operate on a daily basis, from measuring our results to setting new targets and working towards them. As we grow as a brand, we are constantly refining and improving our sustainability practices, learning from different destinations and property scales.”

Noelle, who are the guests who will enjoy a stay at the ENVI Lodges?

“First and foremost, ENVI Lodges’ guests are those typically not looking for a traditional hotel stay but rather something more meaningful. They are curious, experience-driven and conscious travellers who value genuine connection to a place. They seek experiences that feel truly personal, rooted in the destination, with a strong appreciation for sustainability and local culture.

“Travellers who are looking for more than conventional spa offerings will appreciate our approach to holistic wellness and wellbeing programmes that are tailored to each destination. Some of these experiences include wellbeing through nature, mindfulness, movement, arts and crafts, nutrition and meaningful connection.”

Noelle, what would you like your guests to take home with them after their holidays in one of ENVI properties?

“We want our guests to leave feeling re-energised and refuelled. More importantly, we’d like them to take away something more meaningful from their stay, having the sense that they’ve learned or discovered something new. This could be a new craft, how to cook a local dish, a deeper understanding of what helps them reconnect with themselves or even becoming more empathetic to other cultures through their interaction with the local communities.”

Noelle and Chris, if you had to choose one place to spend you holidays in, what would it be?

Noelle:

“As we live in a city with very little opportunities to connect with the land, I would choose a farm in Italy or Greece, away from overstimulation. I want a place where my kids can run barefoot, play in the soil, pick fruits and vegetables and interact with animals to experience a more grounded way of living.”

Chris:

“I live in Dubai, so I miss snow. I would choose a ski resort in France or Switzerland – somewhere where my kids are able to experience skiing while reliable snow still exists. It’s concerning to see how consistently snowfall levels are declining. I also love the mountains in summer. They offer the kind of fresh air and outdoor activities we all need to disconnect from busy lives.”

Noelle, there is a lot of talk about AI facilitating customer experiences and operations. Do you feel going back to nature and human contact will matter more or less?

“AI is a powerful enabler, particularly in enhancing operations and reducing friction from the guest journey, provided it is used wisely. I feel it should remain a tool rather than replacing human contact. The more digital and AI driven our world becomes, the more people seek out real human experiences and a return to nature.”

Chris, how do you see the development of ENVI Lodges in the coming years?

“We are aiming to have eight to 10 properties open in the next 24 months. In our next phase we are focusing on taking over and enhancing existing lodges rather than building new ones from the ground up. Many owners of boutique independent properties are looking for operational support and stronger sales and marketing structures, areas where we can add significant value. We also offer financing solutions to support renovations of lodges in some of our target locations.

“Geographically, we are focusing on key destinations across Africa, the Indian Ocean and South Asia. We have also started laying groundwork for expansion into Europe, in select markets that blend wellness and agritourism, such as Portugal, Italy, France and Greece.”

For more information on Envi Lodges, please visit: www.envilodges.com.

Author Bio:

Ana Blanquart is the Lead Anchor of Saudi-based FII Institute TV. Previously, she was the London Correspondent for Jutarnji list, the leading national daily paper in her native Croatia and worked as a journalist for various titles including Forbes, Bloomberg, FIFA + and BBC World.

Photographs courtesy of Chris Nader and Noelle Homsy / ENVI Lodges