Bobby Berk Checks In: Explore the Designer’s New Luxury Hospitality Venture

From transforming homes on Netflix’s Queer Eye to creating extraordinary places for people to escape, designer Bobby Berk is bringing his signature style to the world of luxury travel.

As one of the original stars of Netflix’s Queer Eye, the Emmy-winning designer became known for his ability to transform ordinary living spaces into beautiful, highly personal environments that could genuinely improve the way people live. Now, he is taking that philosophy a step further, inviting travelers to experience his vision of hospitality firsthand.

His new venture, Camena Collective, makes its debut with two spectacular private estates in California’s Palm Desert, promising a fresh approach to group getaways, wellness retreats and destination celebrations.

Introducing Camena Collective, Berk’s new private-estate hospitality brand, which launched in November 2026 with two distinctive properties in Palm Desert, California. Combining the privacy of an exclusive vacation home with the amenities and services of a boutique luxury resort, the concept is designed for people who want to travel together without sacrificing personal space, comfort or a little indulgence.

Think family celebrations, friends’ reunions, corporate retreats, wellness escapes and destination weddings, all with an entire beautifully designed estate to call your own.

For Berk, the move into hospitality feels like a natural next step in his design career. His philosophy has always been that a home should do more than look good; it should make people feel good, too. He also explores that thinking in his book, Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind, which examines the relationship between our surroundings and our emotional well-being.

“I’ve always believed that the spaces around us affect how we feel,” Berk explains. “You shouldn’t have to choose between connection and privacy.”

A Different Kind of Luxury Escape

Rather than building another conventional hotel brand, Berk is concentrating on private estates that offer guests the freedom and flexibility of a residential setting, with the services and facilities normally associated with a luxury resort.

The initial collection comprises Casa Tierra and Casa Mallorca, two properties situated in the Cahuilla Hills area of Palm Desert. Although close to one another, each has its own personality, architectural character and approach to entertaining.

The concept is particularly appealing for groups who want to spend quality time together while having room to retreat when they need it. Guests can gather around the dining table, spend an afternoon by the pool, enjoy a wellness treatment or simply disappear into a quiet corner with a book.

There is no rigid hotel schedule or predetermined retreat itinerary. Instead, Camena Collective works with each group to create a stay that reflects its interests and priorities. Guests can book the property alone, arrange private culinary services or opt for a fully programmed experience that might include yoga, meditation, breathwork, sound healing, massage and other restorative activities.

It is a flexible approach to luxury travel that puts the guest, rather than the hotel timetable, at the center of the experience.

Casa Tierra: Where It All Began

The story of Camena Collective began with Casa Tierra, a Spanish-style estate that Berk discovered in Palm Desert in 2021. Originally conceived as a vacation home, the property eventually inspired a much bigger hospitality ambition.

Rather than stripping away its original character, Berk retained architectural details and layered them with contemporary furnishings, collected objects and thoughtful design touches. The result is a relaxed but sophisticated desert retreat that feels personal rather than overly polished.

Accommodating up to 17 guests across a main hacienda and two casitas, Casa Tierra is particularly well suited to smaller group getaways and intimate wellness retreats.

Its facilities include a swimming pool, theater, terraced gardens, outdoor dining courtyards and a fire pit. Wellness and outdoor activities are also central to the experience, with an impressive 1,800-square-foot yoga and meditation deck, tennis, pickleball and bocce courts, plus a Kohler Wellness sauna and cold plunge.

It is the sort of place where a group can spend the morning practicing yoga, the afternoon playing pickleball and the evening enjoying dinner beneath the desert sky.

Casa Mallorca: A Mediterranean-Inspired Hideaway

The second property, Casa Mallorca, takes the concept to another level. With 10 bedrooms and accommodation for up to 22 overnight guests, it is designed for larger gatherings, celebrations and more elaborate retreats.

As its name suggests, the estate draws inspiration from Mediterranean architecture and the relaxed sophistication of the Balearic Islands. Natural materials, stone, tactile tiles and custom cabinetry help create a warm, contemporary aesthetic, while the landscaping connects the property to its desert surroundings.

The facilities are impressive. Guests have access to a resort-sized swimming pool, theater, indoor movement studio, freestanding spa, sauna and cold plunge, pickleball and bocce courts, and an outdoor bar. There are also expansive indoor and outdoor entertaining areas.

For those who take their food seriously, the professional chef’s kitchen is a standout feature, equipped with four ovens, two dishwashers and industrial-sized refrigeration. Dining arrangements can accommodate up to 30 guests indoors, with generous outdoor entertaining space for larger celebrations.

Casa Mallorca also has an interesting sustainability story. The estate is essentially off-grid electrically, with substantial solar power and battery storage, while its landscaping incorporates native and climate-appropriate plants supported by low-use drip irrigation.

Both properties feature Flamingo Estate toiletries and Quince bed, bath and kitchen linens, adding another layer of considered design to the guest experience.

Wellness, Food and the Freedom to Personalize

One of Camena Collective’s most interesting features is its approach to programming. Rather than offering a fixed retreat schedule that guests must fit into, the team creates experiences around each group. There are three principal booking formats: Venue Only, Venue + Culinary, and Fully Programmed.

The Venue Only option gives groups the freedom to bring their own retreat leaders, facilitators and culinary teams. Venue + Culinary adds private chef services, while Fully Programmed allows the Camena Collective team to help coordinate the entire experience, from wellness practitioners to meals and activities.

Potential programming includes yoga and movement, meditation, breathwork, sound healing, massage and bodywork, sauna and cold plunge sessions, and time spent outdoors.

Food is another important component. The culinary program works with a hand-selected roster of chefs and artisan producers, with menus tailored to each group’s preferences. Berk has also placed an emphasis on collaborating with female chefs and female-owned businesses.

For weddings and special celebrations, the estates can be booked exclusively, allowing everything from welcome drinks and rehearsal dinners to the ceremony, reception and morning-after brunch to take place in one private setting.

Corporate groups and leadership teams are also catered to, with facilities designed to accommodate meetings, presentations, team gatherings and brand events.

Why Palm Desert?

Palm Desert is a fitting destination for Berk’s first hospitality venture. Located in California’s Coachella Valley, it offers a distinctive combination of sunshine, desert scenery, outdoor adventure, wellness and sophisticated resort living.

The surrounding region is known for its dramatic mountain landscapes, golf courses, spas, shopping, art and architecture. Nearby Palm Springs adds its celebrated mid-century modern design heritage, restaurants, galleries and lively desert social scene.

For travelers looking to combine a private retreat with a little exploration, there is plenty to discover beyond the estates. The wider desert region offers hiking, outdoor activities, design-focused sightseeing and opportunities to enjoy the spectacular landscapes of Southern California.

Yet one of the attractions of Camena Collective is that guests may find very little reason to leave. With pools, wellness facilities, private dining and ample entertaining space, the properties are designed to make staying in feel like the ultimate luxury.

From Queer Eye to a New Hospitality Chapter

Berk’s transition into hospitality is about more than simply putting his name on a collection of luxury vacation rentals. It represents a personal extension of the work that made him famous. For eight seasons of Queer Eye, he helped people rethink their relationship with their homes, demonstrating how thoughtful design could create a sense of belonging, confidence, and comfort. Through Camena Collective, he is applying those same principles to places where people can escape their everyday routines and reconnect with themselves and one another.

The name Camena is inspired by the Camenae, Roman goddesses associated with freshwater, poetry, song and inspiration. In Roman mythology, they were connected to a sacred spring outside the city, making the name particularly appropriate for a brand built around restoration and renewal.

And this is only the beginning. Berk envisions Camena Collective becoming a global collection of private estates, with future properties selected for their distinctive locations and individual character rather than following a standardized hotel design.

Find out more, visit the Camena Collective.