Drift Details: Minna Goods | History of Drift Hotels

Our philosophy at Drift is simple: curated, contemporary, classic, and cool. But not in an obvious way, obviously. Everything you see at one of our hotels has been intentionally sourced to create a vibe that can’t be replicated and bring our guests an experience that truly is one of a kind. We go to great lengths to make sure everything in the hotel - from the bed sheets to the coffee cups - are unique, authentic, and artisanal, which is why we knew Minna Goods was a dream partner to Drift with. 

Founded in Brooklyn, New York in 2013 by Sara Berks, Minna Goods is a luxury home goods brand that celebrates local craftsmanship and customs. The Hudson, NY-based team works with artisans in Central and South America to curate and create multipurpose products rooted in tradition, with a touch of modern. Their range of products - from textiles to artwork - are meant to be intentionally mixed and matched throughout any space to create an eclectic, elevated aesthetic.   

Berks recently sat down with our founder, Philip Bates, to chat all things decor, mindset, and more. Take a peek behind the brand and find out more about our ethos, inspo, and overall approach to design in our first installation of Drift Details.

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BERKS: What’s a day in the life of the Drift CEO? 

BATES: I spend most of the time making sure our amazing team has everything they need to do what they do best which is create soulful hotels in some of the most charming places on earth.

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BERKS: What’s the Drift origin story? What inspires your aesthetic?

BATES: Drift started in San Jose del Cabo. We purchased a gorgeous Airbnb and converted it into a boutique hotel. As we were redesigning it we became enchanted with the many exquisite elements of Mexico’s creative culture. Those elements then informed our architecture, landscape, interior design, textiles and food and beverage - essentially every element of our hotel.

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BERKS: How do you bring the Drift ethos and values to life in your hotels? 

BATES: There are many values that we try to adhere to and live out on a daily basis and one of our key values that influences the spaces we create is respect. We place a great deal of emphasis on this and it influences every aspect of what we do including the sites we select, the designers we hire, the materials we build with, the food we prepare and the people we employ. We have found that when we approach our creative process by respecting the environment and those who help create it we are generally in harmony with all the key stakeholders that surround us.

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BERKS: What are your thoughts on slowing down and the concept of “rest” in general? 

BATES: I think rest is an extremely important part of our lives and well being, and in many an environment in which to rest is at the heart of what we create a Drift. We all need rest physically and psychologically to be able to fulfill our potential and we hope that everyone who stays at Drift will experience that.

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BERKS: Let’s talk about “handcrafted with heart” – can you tell us more about why handmade goods are important to you and your brand? 

BATES: We live in a world today where everything is about scale, time, money, mass production, etc. To slow down and handcraft a product with heart is a strong departure from the broader tide in hospitality right now. We believe that when a hotel and every detail within it are handcrafted in such a manner, there is an indiscernible and soulful quality that people notice. It grabs their attention and warms their heart because they may not know how that specific element was created, but they sense it was made with them in mind.

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BERKS: Community is a huge part of the Drift experience - why is this a non-negotiable at your hotels? 

BATES: Community is everything and is one of the most special elements of our job. We do our best to integrate and become one with the communities that our hotels inhabit and in so doing we always find we make a lot of friends along the way and do our best to contribute positively to the local community we find ourselves in.