Patrick J. Smith

Patrick J. Smith is founder and President of BeautifulPlaces, Inc. Mr. Smith is responsible for both the strategic vision and daily operations of the company. With BeautifulPlaces, Patrick has parlayed 25 years experience in marketing, brand building and Internet technology into a unique concept in luxury lodging for the epicurean lifestyle travel market.

Prior to founding BeautifulPlaces, Mr. Smith was CEO of Internet technology start-up Dream Logic and prior to that, he served as Executive Vice President of Bright & Associates, a Los Angeles based brand and marketing consulting firm, and former subsidiary of Chiat/Day Advertising (now TBWA). Earlier in his career, Mr. Smith worked for the Boeing Airplane Company where he served in numerous management positions of increased importance in marketing and business development and assisted in the sale of billions of dollars of commercial aircraft.

Patrick’s ability to push the envelope when it comes to solving problems or exceeding expectations has been a hallmark of his career and has resulted in major successes for the companies and clients he has served ranging from Radio City Music Hall to Intel, and Aviateca Airlines to the government of Taiwan. As lead consultant on positioning and brand development for his consultancy’s assignment with Intel, Patrick’s recommendations were instrumental in persuading Intel to adopt a strong, consumer-oriented branding strategy, leading to the birth of the “Intel Inside” campaign. Mr. Smith was responsible for conceiving, developing and presenting Bright & Associates successful strategy for creating a worldwide brand strategy and marketing program for the island of Taiwan. The contract, valued at more than $110 million dollars, was the firm’s largest ever. Deemed by the Taiwan government to be a success, the program has been renewed for two subsequent five-year periods.

Along the way, Mr. Smith has traveled the world extensively, lived in Europe and Asia, immersed himself in international cultures and developed a keen appreciation for the travel and hospitality industries, and what he affectionately calls, “the epicurean lifestyle.” Borrowing a phrase from his craft, Mr. Smith says, “BeautifulPlaces was created to provide the first “organizing principle” for food and wine lifestyle traveler. Starting with our Napa and Sonoma operations, and extending soon to the major food and wine destinations of the world, Epicurean adventurers now have a go-to resource for luxury accommodations and memorable epicurean experiences.”

Mr. Smith graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s degree in history. He earned his Master of Science degree in International economics and politics from The London School of Economics.