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Richard Gere and Carey Lowell have a boutique hotel in upstate New York.
The movie star couple's 'luxury inn' includes a yoga studio, bar, restaurant and cafe
Lowell says the hotel was designed to create an intimate, relaxed experience
When Hollywood star Richard Gere selected the decor for the Bedford Post – the boutique hotel he co-owns with his wife and fellow actor Carey Lowell – there was one thing above all else that he wanted to embody in the design.
“Sex – every choice in here was about sex,” joked Gere, as he took CNN’s Richard Quest on a tour of the eight-bedroom luxury inn.
This amorous sentiment was echoed in a slightly less forward fashion by Lowell, who said “romance” and “intimacy” were key inspirations behind the hotel’s design. She said they had tried to create an open atmosphere where guests feel at home and comfortable to be themselves.
“It’s just a relaxed place,” she said, adding that each room had been designed to exude a “serene” aura – reflected in the muted palette and earthy tones used throughout the inn.
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Situated on the outskirts of the sleepy town of Bedford, in upstate New York, the Bedford Post is a renovated old country home that dates back to the 18th century. The movie-star couple bought the house after spotting it whilst horse riding in the area. At the time it was derelict, on the point of collapse, but they have renovated it to meet the specifications of a luxury retreat.
Both were keen to highlight, however, that they have been careful to remain true to the site’s rustic charms.
“All the stone walls are from rocks that were here,” Lowell told Quest, with Gere adding that many of its wood beams date back to the original building.
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Among its amenities, a yoga room provides communal space for exercise and meditation, while a restaurant, bar and cafe serve up gourmet food for hotel guests and Bedford residents alike.
It was this opportunity to create a gathering point for the residents of Bedford that Gere, the star of hit films Pretty Woman and An Officer and a Gentleman, says inspired him to open the hotel.
“This is an area with some extremely successful people and many different (types) of human experience,” said Gere.
“I thought this could be the center of this village … (a) place where people could come and discuss the world and how we can affect it in a positive way,” he added.