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“We are thrilled to announce the opening of Trailborn Highlands, our newest addition to the brand’s portfolio. Nestled in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains town of Highlands, North Carolina, Trailborn Highlands is set to become a beacon for outdoor enthusiasts,” said Mike Weiss, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Castle Peak Holdings and Trailborn. “This marks an exciting evolution for the Trailborn brand, following the successful launch of our first properties at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. With Trailborn Highlands, we continue our mission to create design-forward boutique accommodations and unparalleled hospitality experiences in the heart of our country’s most iconic destinations.”
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In time for fall, the property will also soon welcome the opening of a Nordic spa complete with a sauna, cold plunge showers, and fire pit, as well as the property’s crown jewel, The Highlands Supper Club, which will serve as a destination restaurant and a welcoming bar serving Southern fare in a historic log cabin setting. Originally built as a residence for a local family in 1924 by regionally renowned carpenter, Joe Webb, using local materials and hand tools, the historic structure will be reimagined as a hub for locals and travelers offering warmly lit evening gatherings and indulgent weekend brunches with a menu comprised of regionally-sourced ingredients, rich smoky flavors, hearty dishes and a beverage program celebrating spirit-forward cocktails, unpretentious wines, and local beers.

Inspired by the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, New York-based design studio, LOVEISENOUGH, worked closely with the Trailborn team to reimagine the existing property to amplify the hotel’s public spaces and guest rooms. Decorative elements were brought in to highlight the region’s abundance of talented artists with references to quilting, printmaking, and pottery. The hotel’s lobby and lounge seamlessly flow together and draw guests to take in the panoramic views of the surrounding forest that encapsulates the property. The lounge features numerous communal and intimate seating areas, complete with board games and a central gas fireplace, serving as a perfect place to enjoy morning coffee or relax from the day’s adventures. The guest rooms at Trailborn Highlands are thoughtfully designed as spaces to recharge, and include a variety of King and Double Queen layouts. Select rooms offer garden patios, gas fireplaces, and balconies with lounge chairs. Within the rooms, cherry wood adds warmth alongside fresh cream walls, and in-room amenities include quilted tapestries of the Blue Ridge Mountains through a collaboration with Haptic Labs, custom Parachute robes, Grown Alchemist bath products, Fellow kettles, portable Trailborn coolers, a curated mini bar with cold beverages and dry goods, Tivoli Bluetooth Radios, 50? Smart TVs with streaming capabilities and Hi-speed WiFi.

Trailborn’s highly-curated approach to programming offers guests a variety of on-site culinary events, live music, and craft classes, as well as off-site excursions, such as guided hikes and fly fishing, in partnership with local experts. As a nod to the abundance of wildflowers located throughout Highlands and the property grounds, guests are gifted locally-inspired flower seed packets to take home and can also take part in floral design workshops. A staple across all Trailborn properties, guests are provided the essentials needed to enjoy the great outdoors, including bespoke Field Guides, bicycles for exploring the property grounds and town, branded coolers, and a savvy staff of committed team members that can help guests personalize their stays. Part of the brand’s “Keep Extraordinary” initiative and commitment to protecting the country’s most incredible destinations, a portion of proceeds from every room booking made on Trailborn’s website will go to the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, which focuses on conserving forests, wetlands, and vistas and protecting rare and endemic plants and animals in the Southern Appalachians.

“Our third property to open in a year, Trailborn Highlands is a significant milestone and a point of pride in our brand’s expansion, reinforcing our dedication to introducing Trailborn’s unique hospitality concept to incredible destinations all over the country,” said Ben Weinberg, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Castle Peak Holdings and Trailborn. “We are privileged to join the Highlands community, and establish a new gathering place in town for both locals and visitors to adopt a fresh perspective on one of the nation’s most breathtaking regions.”

Trailborn Highlands is within walking distance to the town’s main street lined with charming restaurants and shops, a short drive away from the region’s must-see waterfalls, hiking trails, water sports, and golf courses, and is within driving distance to The Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the two most visited national parks in the country. The hotel is only a two hour drive from Atlanta and Greenville, one and a half hours from Asheville, and three and a half hours from Charlotte, serving as a great weekend escape in the mountains.

Visit www.StayTrailborn.com for more information or to book a hotel reservation and to sign up for emails and follow Trailborn on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn to keep up with the brand’s latest news. Also follow Trailborn on Spotify to listen to the brand’s latest curated playlists.

About Trailborn
Trailborn is a new hospitality brand, rooted in and inspired by the great American outdoors. Each Trailborn hotel puts guests at the heart of the country’s most extraordinary outdoor destinations – from national parks to coastal cliffs, and snow-capped mountains to sun-soaked beaches — to combine elevated, thoughtful design with local experiences and create a memorable stay for outdoors enthusiasts. Founded by two friends and entrepreneurs with decades of combined experience in real estate and hospitality, Mike Weiss and Ben Weinberg saw a lack of thoughtfully designed accommodations in proximity to the country’s natural wonders. Trailborn is the first of its kind, introducing a new standard of hospitality to these markets – with design-forward accommodations, experience-driven programming, thoughtful food & beverage offerings, and an insightful onsite team to help visitors chart their exploration. Trailborn takes a long-term approach to hospitality, reinvesting in the communities and natural environments surrounding each hotel. The “Keep Extraordinary” initiative donates a percentage of every reservation to support local land conservation and preserve the great American outdoors. Trailborn’s debut properties launched at the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park in December 2023. This year the brand opened its third hotel in Highlands, North Carolina with additional hotels to follow in the Grand Canyon; Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina and Mendocino, California.

About Castle Peak Holdings
Castle Peak Holdings is the investment and development company behind the hospitality brand Trailborn, founded by two friends and entrepreneurs Ben Weinberg and Mike Weiss. With decades of combined investing and operating experience working at leading investment firms and building industry-defining businesses in real estate and hospitality, Ben and Mike created Castle Peak Holdings, a thesis-driven real estate and hospitality investment platform. They focus on differentiated, scalable opportunities in growing, high-barrier-to-entry, non-institutional markets. In 2020, they launched a platform focused on acquiring, renovating and repositioning hotels in iconic outdoor destinations across the country. Each of Castle Peak’s fully renovated hotels will operate under the company’s proprietary hotel brand and management company, Trailborn.

Media Inquiries:
press@castlepeakholdings.com