210: Six Months at the Waldorf
Josh Kremer is the co-founder of Paradero Hotels, a Baja-born luxury brand blending boutique resorts with destination management to create immersive, off-grid experiences. A classically trained chef who pivoted into real estate private equity, Josh brings both palate and P&L to building small-scale, high-touch hospitality. Susan and Josh talk about remote resorts, resourceful resourcing, and refined service.
What You'll Learn About:
• From chef whites to term sheets: Josh Kremer’s zigzag from kitchens to Blackstone to founding Paradero Hotels.
• Why “experiential luxury” beats “bikinis + margaritas," and how Paradero designs trips that spill far beyond the property line.
• Off-beach on purpose: picking a site framed by five ecosystems to unlock creative freedom (and way better adventures).
• Oasis IRL: how Baja’s mountains create desert lagoons—and a top birdwatching haven—without cartoon mirages.
• The unsexy backbone of remote hospitality: fiber pulls, buried power lines, backup gen, daily procurement runs, and a fleet of guide-led vehicles.
• Scale by listening: adults-only → groups/events → families → homes; growing to 92 keys while keeping density low.
• Where guests are pointing next: Riviera Maya (not in Cancun), Riviera Nayarit, plus eyes on Oaxaca, San Miguel, and Valle de Guadalupe.
• Hiring where others won’t: local-first, import managers when needed, and invest in great staff housing for a “soft landing.”
• The 10x Rule: whatever effort you think it’ll take, multiply by ten (site selection alone jumped from ~20 to 800!).
• A perfect Paradero day: sunrise views → surf coaching → chef-driven breakfast → pool + temazcal → farm tasting → cliffside sunset → stargazing net.
Our Top Three Takeaways:
1. Expect 10x More Work Than You Think
Josh stresses what he calls the “10x rule”: however much effort you think a project will take, multiply it by ten. From evaluating 800 sites before selecting one to interviewing 20 architects before choosing a partner, the reality of launching a hospitality venture is far more demanding than anyone could have anticipated. The lesson applies broadly: if you’re starting something ambitious, prepare for an order of magnitude more persistence, patience, and problem-solving than your first instinct suggests.
2. Culture Shapes Business—and Guest Experience
Having lived in both Mexico and the U.S., Josh highlights how family-centric culture in Mexico contrasts with the U.S.’s emphasis on individualism. Understanding and respecting those differences helps him build both teams and guest experiences. The broader takeaway: Leaders who work across borders, or even within different communities, need to tune in to local cultural values. This can guide not only how you manage staff but also how you design meaningful customer experiences.
3. Operating in Remote or Nontraditional Locations Requires Creative Infrastructure
Running a semi-remote property is as much about mastering logistics as it is delivering luxury. Josh described pulling fiber from a distant city, burying power lines to protect the guest experience, and organizing daily supply runs. The big lesson is that unconventional opportunities often require unconventional solutions. If you’re drawn to an out-of-the-box idea, success may depend on investing early and heavily in the unglamorous operational backbone.
Paradero Hotels
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