Relais & Chateaux luxury hotels name Richard Gere as 2011 ambassador

Richard Gere, the popular Hollywood actor, has been named 2011 ambassador of Relais & Chateaux group of luxury hotels and restaurants, which has also added Gere-owned Bedford Post, an eight-room luxury inn located north of New York City, to the Relais & Chateaux group.

Gere, who is best known for his roles in ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Chicago’, is also an acclaimed innkeeper and this is the reason why Relais & Chateaux chose him 2011 ambassador. Gere follows author Douglas Kennedy, who was named the ambassador in 2009, and the wine grower and actress Carole Bouquet, who was the 2010 ambassador.

It is an absolute honor to welcome Mr. Gere as the new 2011 Relais & Châteaux ambassador. Not only is he one of Hollywood?s most admired actors, he is the quintessential innkeeper whose personal journey to revive and maintain a historic property is an exceptional example of the passion that binds Relais & Châteaux together, Jaume Tapiès, International President of Relais & Châteaux said in a press statement.

The France-based Relais & Châteaux is a chain of 500 luxury hotels and restaurants present in 60 countries. The association with Richard Gere gives the group Bedford Post, which is yet another retreat owned by the actor and his wife Carey Lowell.

The fact that Richard Gere has been in hospitality business for long, his association with the Relais & Châteaux will be beneficial for both, feel industry experts.