We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Walker recently and have shared our conversation below.

Natalie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It was always a dream to open a boutique hotel. Once we became empty nesters I realized it was time to realize the dream! My husband and I were “flipping homes” before it was a “thing”. We looked for the ugliest house in the best neighborhood, and took it on! Most times, our friends and family thought we were crazy but shocked after they saw what we created.
When we started searching for our next (and possibly final phase), we got a call from a broker in Paso Robles, we drove up from LA the next day to find this total wreck of an abandoned farm. Uninhabitable, with no running water, but it was perfect! The 42 acre, oak filled hills around the property sighed, the homestead was 5100 sq ft of mixed eras, 2 large barns clinched the deal… it literally felt like heaven on earth. We said, ‘we’ll take it’!

I designed the renovation on a 3D design program and we started in. With Glen as the builder, and me as the designer, we created this magical place. I created 3 separate guest residences, all unique: a 1 bed/1bath with a full kitchen and laundry, a 2 bed/2bath with full kitchen and laundry, and the Barn became a glamping in style experience with 2 bed, 1 bath and a full kitchen. I created spaces I would want to live in with beautiful antiques, super comfy beds, unique decorations and quality everything.
I spoil our guests from the minute they book. Cultivating relationships with near by wineries, our guests are privy to complimentary tastings at some fabulous wineries! EBikes can be delivered for their stay, I get a sense of their intentions and help them plan the ultimate visit. They are met with a beautiful bottle of wine, surprised with fresh eggs (from our chickens) as well as a fresh baked goodie for breakfast, point the way for hikes on our property, and guide them to great food and experiences in the area! Our guests rate Glen and myself as one of the best parts of their stay.
What we have found most rewarding in this whole endeavor is how fun it is to meet amazing people from all over the world, share this amazing slice of heaven, and spoil them silly so they cannot help but become new friends and return to spend more time with us! (many are planning their next visit before they depart!)
To think this all came from a dream of having a boutique hotel……. I tell my kids all the time, dream big and don’t give up. Dreams do come true!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I was a swimwear designer, lucky enough to travel the world in style. I designed fabrics, styles and catered to an array of different customers. My husband and I always loved architecture and real estate. We desperately wanted to live in a nice neighborhood. Because he can fix anything, we looked for the worst homes in the best neighborhoods and fixed them up. Imagination, hard work, and guts is what it took. Enough to renovate 8 homes which got bigger and bigger as the years went on.
When Glen and I were ready for our next phase after careers and raising 2 amazing children, we felt ready to take on my dream of a boutique hotel in a special place. We both have loved wine since we met and thus wine country, well who wouldn’t want to live here amongst great wine and vines?

My mother is French and I grew up speaking it, living the cultures as well as traveling to France extensively. The French essence is part of the experience. We are called FarmBlancEtRouge- White and Red as in wine varieties and the house is white and the barns are red. I liked the idea of introducing the language to our guests! I text each prior to arrival- first to break the ice, so they will feel comfortable arriving, 2nd so they can find their way here handy on their cell, and lastly I ask if they would like a welcome bottle of Blanc or Rouge. (wine). Only once have they not understood what that meant….but its fun to share your culture and introduce something new to people.
Guests are WOW’D once they arrive. I have hired 5 photographers to try capture the essence here…its impossible to do on a photo- the quiet, the birds, the soft breezes……. everyone senses the peace here. So besides a beautiful guest retreat, on a beautiful property, we are in a prime location- 10 minutes to everything in Paso. We just love sharing this place.
To do this, first you have to love people. Meeting people, helping people and spoiling people. I think that is special secret to what we have created. That and being excited about living your dream. We keep adding things to the property. The newest is a small orchard which will be fresh fruit our guests can pick! Our guests so enjoy the fresh eggs we surprise them with in the morning! I had never had a fresh egg directly from the chicken I could see! Guests love that! Simple things can make all the difference.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Resilience- when you really, really, really want something, you can make it happen. We bought this giant place with 3 giant structures and 42 acres of total madness. It was totally overwhelming. When we would drive up from LA to work on it, we would actually say to each other, “what have you gotten us into now?” We were in so deep and sometimes it didn’t feel like we would ever get it finished.

The tendency is to rush through it….after many renovations, I will say the thing I learned is do it correctly the first time. It is much easier than going back to redo. It definitely helps if you have a partner- going it alone is much more difficult. Because we had rehabbed so many homes prior, we had a system and each other. But tenacity and vision got us through this.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Customer service is the key to this hospitality business. Communication and taking care of every need for our customers is what keeps them coming back and referring us to their friends and family.

I will do anything for our guests. I keep my phone handy and respond asap! People love that. If they want to get away, they reach out and I respond immediately with availability. We are working on a new auto booking system so they can check availability, but response is key.

Meticulously clean guest residences and perfection everywhere also keeps them coming back! I pre clean, the cleaners come, and I post clean! It has to feel like they are the first guests to stay. Exactly as I would expect!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.FarmBlancEtRouge.com
• Instagram: @farmblancetrouge
• Linkedin: Natalie Walker
• Yelp: FarmBlancEtRouge