Vestige Collection has opened bookings for Vestige Xaudum, which will welcome its first guests from 15 March 2027. The opening marks a strategic step for the Spanish hospitality group, which until now has operated solely in its domestic market, through properties such as Son Ermità in Menorca. Vestige Xaudum thus becomes the group’s first international property and the first of four lodges that will make up the new Vestige Namibia circuit.
A first address outside Spain, at the heart of a Namibian sanctuary
Perched atop a Kalahari dune overlooking the bed of a dry fossil river, the lodge will be the only property within Khaudum National Park, one of Namibia’s least-visited regions, with fewer than 3,000 visitors a year. The park covers more than 3,800 km2 and forms part of the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA), a wildlife corridor linking Namibia to neighbouring Botswana.
Khaudum is home to migratory elephant herds and a significant population of African wild dogs, a species classified as endangered. Lions, leopards, cheetahs, roan antelope and more than 300 bird species complete this wild ecosystem, still largely untouched by mass tourism.
Architecture by Vestige Estudio, designed for privacy
The architecture and interiors of Vestige Xaudum were designed by Vestige Estudio, the group’s in-house studio, already responsible for Spanish properties such as Binidufà. The suites have been entirely reimagined and reduced to just six units to increase the space and privacy of each stay, while a new main building has been constructed.
The five one-bedroom suites each offer 200 sqm of indoor and outdoor living space, while the two-bedroom suite, the largest at 390 sqm, has four private terraces and its own plunge pool. Indoor and outdoor showers further strengthen the connection to the site’s natural surroundings.
The thatch used in construction was sourced from surrounding villages, and craftspeople from neighbouring communities took part in the build, contributing their traditional techniques. Communal spaces include a spa, an open-air fitness area and a 78 sqm pool overlooking the landscape.
Cuisine and an experience programme rooted in the territory
Vestige Xaudum’s cuisine will draw heavily on Namibian meats and fresh produce, with dishes prepared using the spit-braai technique, a traditional method of spit-roasting over coals. Dinner, served across six courses, will combine individual plates with a main course to share, indoors or on the terraces, according to guests’ preference.
Safaris will be led in 4×4 vehicles by private guides, with no fixed route, allowing itineraries to adapt to recent wildlife movements. Bush breakfasts, guided walks outside the park on request, and stargazing sessions complete an offering designed to showcase the territory’s natural rhythm rather than a fixed programme.
Sébastien Styger, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer of Vestige Collection, notes that Khaudum National Park offers something increasingly rare: extraordinary spaces and genuinely wild nature. At Vestige Xaudum, he adds, guests are given the freedom to discover it without a fixed programme.
Local recruitment and conservation priorities
The majority of Vestige Xaudum‘s staff have been recruited from the neighbouring Muduva Nyangana and George Mukoya conservancies. New recruits will undergo three months of residential hospitality training ahead of the opening, followed by ongoing mentoring and further specialist training once the lodge is operational.
Vestige Namibia will work alongside Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, as well as park management teams and local conservancies, on conservation priorities defined on the ground. Wildlife monitoring will be a priority focus from the outset.
Operationally, the lodge has been designed to limit its environmental footprint in this remote setting, with solar power generation paired with battery storage and careful management of borehole water.
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Vestige Namibia, a four-lodge circuit in development
Vestige Xaudum will be followed by three further properties, Vestige Sorris Sorris, Vestige Omatendeka and Vestige Sheya Shuushona, with openings staggered as the circuit takes shape. Each will feature a distinctive architecture, designed in response to its own particular setting.
This positioning comes amid a buoyant period for Namibian tourism, as several major market players, among them O&L Leisure, strengthen their presence in the country’s high-end travel segment.
Stays at Vestige Xaudum will start from €1,600 per person per night on an all-inclusive basis, covering meals, safari experiences, spa treatments and a selection of wines, spirits and non-alcoholic drinks, including several premium labels.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Vestige Collection opens its first lodge outside Spain
Vestige Xaudum opens March 15, 2027, in Khaudum National Park, Namibia
First of four lodges forming the new Vestige Namibia circuit
Six suites only – five 200 sqm one-bedroom units, one 390 sqm two-bedroom suite
Rates from €1,600 per person per night, all-inclusive
Staff recruited from neighboring conservancies, with three months of residential training
