Tablet’s co-founder and former CEO is back to talk about wine, his worst hotel stay, where “Tablet” came from, what he couldn’t say when he was in charge, and what he’s been up to since he left.
By Mark Fedeli
Director of Marketing & Editorial, Tablet Hotels
Tablet fans can enjoy a special offer from MVA.wine, Laurent’s new wine club and subscription service. Click here for $50 off your first collection of six bottles.
The end of 2020 was the end of Laurent Vernhes’ time at Tablet. He’d co-founded the company 20 years earlier, and after guiding it through a pandemic that decimated the travel industry, he knew it was time to take a break. He toyed with the idea of moving to a remote location — maybe the wilds of Big Sur or maybe somewhere far more difficult to reach — before realizing that what he really needed was a new challenge.
That new challenge is MVA.wine, for which Laurent took the skill that made Tablet so successful, curation, and applied it to another of his passions: wine. In simple terms, MVA.wine is a wine club and subscription service that features small-batch cuvées from independent, artisanal winemakers. Each MVA bottle has survived a rigorous blind tasting by Laurent and his team of experts.
Five years after he exited our offices for the final time, we thought we’d bring him back for a discussion about wine, hotels, and hangovers.
So, where the hell have you been?
Ha! I still live in New York, still deepening my connection with the city, still playing in my punk rock dads’ band. But I’ve been spending a lot more time in Val d’Orcia, a gorgeous corner of Tuscany. I bought a farmhouse there that actually used to be a beloved Tablet hotel. Now it’s Maison Vernhes, the home of MVA.wine and where we conduct our blind tastings.
If it’s anything like your relationship with hotels, I assume you have strong thoughts about wine?
Correct. A vast majority of what’s on the shelves is not an honest representation of the grapes that are harvested. That’s a shame. A lot of additives are being used to correct the “flaws” of the grapes because of shortcuts taken in the vineyard, or to match the perceived taste profile of a given region. There’s no reason why any two wines should taste more or less the same. MVA is a way to navigate past that “industrial” side of the wine industry.
“No need to add a layer of lecturing. I think men are more guilty of that than women. It seems easier for women to simply trust their own taste.”
Does that mean most of the wines you select are organic?
Taste is the only thing that matters. In fact, I try to avoid using terms like “organic,” “biodynamic,” or “natural.” Those labels are not always indicative of taste. That said, all the wines we pick fall into at least one of those categories.
How would you like people to think differently about wine?
I wish people who enjoy wine would refrain from making it a status thing. Gratitude from others for introducing them to a great wine should be enough reward. No need to add a layer of lecturing. I think men are more guilty of that than women. It seems easier for women to simply trust their own taste.
Is that part of MVA’s mission?
Absolutely. Wine is meant to be shared, and good wine doesn’t have to be expensive. The core mission of MVA.wine is to create affordable conditions for curious people to come together and discover themselves through curated wine experiences. It’s not much different from Tablet, which I always viewed as not just a website, but a community of connoisseurs who believe travel should be a shared cultural experience.
You always used to talk about the importance of meeting strangers.
I wanted to do something with Tablet where we created situations that brought members together while traveling. We didn’t quite get there during my time, but it looks like Tablet Trips will be a great opportunity to meet people with similar tastes.
Maybe we’ll do a Tablet Trip where people can meet you?
A Tuscan wine adventure with some time at Maison Vernhes. I like it.
“It was mid-August and it was hot and the hotel was so bad we didn’t sleep. That’s the most I’ve ever looked forward to a super-early flight.”
This is where I plug your MVA offer for Tablet fans…
Thank you! Yes, the first 50 Tablet fans to sign up are welcome to enjoy $50 off their first collection of six bottles from MVA.wine. (Click here to activate the offer.)
On to hotels. You’ve stayed in enough of them to fill a few lifetimes. What are your most lasting memories, good and bad?
The good: Benesse House in Naoshima, Japan. Specifically, the oval building that was designed by Tadao Ando, on top of the hill. I woke up at 4am to watch the sunrise through floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the Inland Sea.
The bad: Ibis Budget at Orly airport. I always made sure to mix up hotels so my kids wouldn’t become entitled. But it was mid-August and it was hot and the hotel was so bad we didn’t sleep. That’s the most I’ve ever looked forward to a super-early flight.
Of all the hotels you added to the Tablet selection over the years, which ones epitomized what you were looking for?
When I used to live in Asia (last century) and the first Aman resorts were more affordable, they were amongst the hotels that inspired me to start Tablet. Later, when Tablet was up and running in the aughts, Claska in Tokyo pioneered what has since become a trend: a hotel in a multipurpose building where guests mingle with creative locals and there are regular events to attend. It was the coolest hotel in the world for a while.
“With very few exceptions, the top 3 hotels in any major city are not part of chains.”
Is there something you couldn’t say while you were the CEO of Tablet that you’d like to say now?
There have been plenty of big luxury chain hotels in the Tablet selection. They can easily attract star creative talent, and sometimes that works out wonderfully. But with very few exceptions, the top 3 hotels in any major city are not part of chains. Independent hotels aren’t all great, but they do have an individual point-of-view and a connection with their location that no multinational chain hotel can match.
You can be more controversial. We’ll print it.
Alright, then. I think hotel pricing is out of control. Listen, hotels love Tablet guests, so we’ve always been able to secure a lot of exclusively low rates. I’m grateful for that. But generally, I think travelers should favor hotels that maintain consistent prices across all booking platforms. It’s a reliable sign that they’re focused on their product and services rather than contributing to the prevailing price confusion — which is time-consuming for everyone, the hotels included.
And then the guest is free to simply choose the booking and customer service experience they like best. Which, hopefully, is Tablet.
As a segue back to wine, what are your five favorite Tablet hotels in wine regions?
This is so hard. There are so many. These immediately come to mind:
— Loire Valley Lodges in Loire Valley, France
— Akademie Street in Franschhoek, South Africa
— Mystique in Santorini, Greece (famous for its Assyrtiko grapes)
— Reschio Hotel in Umbria, Italy
— Marques de Riscal in Rioja, Spain
How about three of your favorite winemakers?
Another impossible challenge. There are a few wineries that have had more than one wine picked for MVA collections. Pretty much everything they produce is exceptional:
— Christophe Bousquet
— Sandra & Matej Bizjak (SANTEI)
— Pierre Talayrach
What separates MVA.wine from other wine clubs and subscription boxes?
The existing wine clubs are either dependent on commercial relationships with importers or they’re importers themselves. Neither is great for variety or objectivity. We have the ability to import wines directly from any producer that survives our blind tasting in Tuscany. But while our scouting universe is unlimited, these are artisanal wines, so our supply is limited. That’s why MVA.wine is capped at 600 members.
Do members get an invite to Tuscany?
Maybe! Members are invited to participate in the scouting and the selection process. If a member recommends a wine that makes it into a collection, they’ll be invited to a tasting.
Any tips for how to pick a great wine at the store?
Your best chance is a relationship with an owner whose taste you can trust. I don’t know any shortcut, just people. I can tell you what not to pick: the commercial brands — they’re literally industrial products. The only certainty is that you’re not going to be enchanted, you’re just capping your upside. A wine store has a commercial obligation to carry some of them. MVA doesn’t.
Any tips for how not to get too drunk or hungover when drinking wine? Asking for a friend.
Great question. For me, it comes down to this:
1. Do not drink wine you don’t actually like, or at least stop after the first glass if you’re a guest. Trust your taste to keep you safe!
2. Avoid overly oaky wines. Not only does it mask the quality of the grapes, but it also signals heavy intervention.
The FDA should force labels to indicate everything that goes into the process, from synthetic pesticides to phosphates, enzymes, acidity adjustments, aromatic yeasts, etc. You’d then know that one of these causes your headache. Ironically, the only thing mentioned on the label is sulfites, which occur naturally during winemaking. Although, some vineyards add too much, so knowing the amount would be helpful.
“There’s no need to romanticize handpicked grapes.”
“Oaky” reminds me of a unique question in the FAQ on your site.
Yes! “I love big cabs and oaky chardonnays. Will you send me some?”
Exactly. And the answer is essentially “no.”
Basically. Oak isn’t all bad. If you can distinctly taste it, though, it’s a problem.
To wrap things up, what are some common misconceptions about wine?
I could go on and on. I’ll start with cheese and red wine. Most cheeses pair better with white wines. Aged cheeses and blue cheeses pair better with sweet wines.
Another is that the “Appellation” is no guarantee of quality. It really comes down to individual vineyards. Many wines from well-known appellations have become so market-driven and interventionist that little of the terroir’s originality remains.
Here’s one you might not expect from me: there’s no need to romanticize handpicked grapes. When the time is right, harvest must happen fast. Whether mechanical or by hand, the key is having experts sort the grapes when they reach the cellar. The right thing to romanticize is the year-round work in the vineyard to grow healthy, ripe grapes.
Final question: what’s the real story behind the name Tablet Hotels?
Michael (the other co-founder) and I had our backs against the wall to decide on a name for the company to register it. The lawyer essentially told us to stop wasting his time. We didn’t want anything descriptive. We both agreed that the substance of what a brand does is what gives meaning to its name. So, we pulled a page from a magazine and committed that the name would be a word found on that page. We each independently picked a few words, and we both had “Tablet.”
Tablet fans are welcome to enjoy a special offer from MVA.wine, Laurent’s new wine club and subscription service. Click here for $50 off your first collection of six bottles.
Mark Fedeli is the marketing and editorial director for Tablet Hotels. He’s been with the company since 2006, and thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.