Mike Hampson · Co-Founder & Development Lead
Mike grew up around hospitality — his family developed and operated the award-winning
Mere Court Hotel, where he learned early that the best stays are the ones that leave you
genuinely changed. After two decades building homes, he started Nook & Key with Simon
to make the kind of escapes he wished existed himself: small, considered, slow places to
come back to oneself. He believes most of us live in a world that quietly asks too much
of us, and that good architecture, time outdoors, an unhurried supper, and a fire to
gather around can put a lot of that right. Mike leads site acquisition, design, and
development across the collection.
Simon Smethurst · Co-Founder & Investment Lead
Simon spent years looking for the design-led, considered retreats he wanted within two
hours of his Manchester home — and never quite found them. After enough disappointing
weekends, he started Nook & Key with Mike in 2020 to build the collection he wished
existed. He believes hospitality at its best is restorative rather than performative,
and that the right place to stay should feel like coming home to a quieter version of
yourself — close to nature, close to good food, close to the people you love. Simon
leads partnerships and the long view of where Nook & Key is going.
Luciana Hampson · Creative Lead
Luciana arrived at Nook & Key by way of creative direction in Brazil — and brought
with her a conviction that what guests see in a brand’s marketing should also be what
they feel when they walk through the door. She has been central to the brand since its
conception. She believes beauty, slowness, and time spent close to nature are not
luxuries but quietly essential — that the right room can hold space for a kind of
stillness most of us forget we need, and that the small things (the way the linen feels,
the light at a threshold, the quiet of a well-chosen object) are what guests carry home
with them. Luciana leads creative direction, brand voice, and interior design across
the collection.
