Bobby Berk enters his hotelier era with a stunning new property portfolio
“Launching a hospitality brand has always been a dream of mine and I’m literally in tears as I write this.”
Mark
Queer Eye alum Bobby Berk recently unveiled a new career pivot. He’s founded a new “private-estate hospitality brand”, called the Camena Collective.
It’s launching with two beautiful retreats in California’s Palm Desert. Casa Tierra and Casa Mallorca are close to one another in the Cahuilla Hills region.
Both are designed for wellness retreats, group gatherings, weddings, and full-estate buyouts. According to a press release, “They offer the privacy of a personal residence with the amenities and services of a boutique resort.”
Berk’s hope is to take the brand global.
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Unsurprisingly, the interior design wizard oversaw the look of each property.
“I’ve always believed that the spaces around us affect how we feel,” says Berk. “Camena Collective is really the next evolution of that idea. I wanted to create places where people could come together, have everything they need around them, and still have the freedom to disappear for a little while. You shouldn’t have to choose between connection and privacy.”
Casa Tierra and Casa Mallorca
Berk first came across the smaller property, Casa Tierra in 2021. It can accommodate up to 17 guests.
Berk has introduced custom furnishings, and spaces designed around gathering and restoration. This includes a 1,800-square-foot yoga and event deck, pickleball and bocce courts, a Kohler Wellness sauna and cold plunge, a fire pit, and outdoor dining courtyards. There’s also a theater, pool, and terraced gardens.
The nearby Casa Mallorca can accommodate up to 22 overnight guests. Again, it now incorporates a spa, pickleball and bocce court, theater, sauna and cold plunge, and pool. It also has a professional chef’s kitchen and dining space for up to 30 guests indoors and 100 outdoors.
“I’m not interested in designing a beautiful space just for the sake of looking at it,” Berk says. “The design has to work. It has to support the people who are there, how they move, how they gather, how they rest and how they feel.”
Post-Queer Eye career
Berk co-hosted the first eight seasons of the rebooted Queer Eye on Netflix. He was replaced by Jeremiah Brent for the last two seasons. He has subsequently hinted at friction with some of the other cast members during his time on the show. Brent and Karamo Brown are the only two he still follows on Instagram.
Besides his ongoing design work, Berk also hosted the HGVT show, Junk or Jackpot?, earlier this year.
On social media, Berk has posted videos of his new properties hosting their first yoga retreats.
“At 45 I’m starting a new career,” he posted last month. “This week we welcomed our first guests to my new hospitality brand, @camenacollective.
“Launching a hospitality brand has always been a dream of mine and I’m literally in tears as I write this. It’s a dream come true to share Camena Collective with the world. Please go follow it for more! Follow my journey as a little kid who always dreamed of being a hotelier 
“
In a post a couple of days ago, Berk said, “I left home at 15. For years, I didn’t have anywhere that felt safe to land.
“Maybe that’s why I’ve spent my whole career helping other people feel at home. On Queer Eye. In my book. In every house I’ve ever touched. But I always dreamed of going further. Of building a place where people could actually stay, slow down, and come back to themselves. That place is Camena Collective.”
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