Today we’d like to introduce you to Franklin Dusserre.
Hi Franklin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Dylan Petrich, my business partner, and I were both born in the same hospital in Paris 1 year apart, two French dads and two American moms, but we didn’t actually meet until college in Philadelphia. After graduating, we both pursued careers in finance and private equity, working long hours on deals that didn’t necessarily reflect the kind of life or purpose we wanted.
In early 2021, we decided to take a leap. We bought our first property in Wimberley that February (right in the middle of the Texas winter storm) and that became the start of our company: French Cowboys Hospitality.
Since then, we’ve grown from that single project into a collection of seven boutique hotels located across Austin, Comfort, Fredericksburg, New Braunfels, and Canyon Lake. Along the way, we also built a short-term rental management company that expanded to more than 150 properties.
Today, French Cowboys is a vertically integrated boutique hotel company, meaning we handle everything in-house: design, construction, operations, food & beverage, marketing etc. By owning every step of the process, we’re able to craft experiences that are cohesive, personal, and deeply rooted in the character of each place.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Definitely not.
We bought our first property during that 2021 snowstorm, and on the day of closing we couldn’t even reach the bank or the sellers. When we finally took over, the building was full of frozen pipes, leaks, and chaos, and in retrospect, we have no idea what we were doing.
Since then, we’ve faced just about every challenge possible: rising interest rates, soaring property taxes and insurance costs, permit delays, construction overages and issues, contractor setbacks, and most recently, the catastrophic Hill Country floods that affected several of our properties.
We’ve been impressed with French Cowboys, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
French Cowboys specializes in boutique hotels, both for our owned portfolio and for third-party owners across Texas.
Our goal is simple: to become the best operator of boutique hotels in Texas. To do that, we’ve built a world-class team spanning design, construction, F&B, hospitality, and marketing, people who understand not only how to create beautiful spaces, but how to make them run seamlessly and to help guests create memorable experiences.
A big part of what defines us is our focus on reviving neglected hotels in historic Texas towns. We love finding properties with character and history (places that have been forgotten or fallen into disrepair) and bringing them back to life with new energy, design, and purpose. Every renovation is a chance to reinvigorate local economies, create jobs, and give these towns something to be proud of again.
Our brand is centered around accessible escapes: places where people can disconnect and recharge without breaking the bank. We also believe in democratizing design: making great design approachable, warm, and attainable. You don’t have to stay in a five-star resort or settle for a cookie-cutter chain hotel, we’re the middle ground between the two.
In short, French Cowboys is about thoughtful design, authentic experiences, and community revival: creating places that feel good to be in and good to be part of.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to us is creating meaningful experiences for our guests and the communities we operate in. We also love seeing the potential in something worn down, bringing it back to life through thoughtful design, and turning it into a place people are proud of again.
Every hotel we restore brings new energy into these small towns: jobs, tourism, and a renewed sense of pride. We make a point to engage with local makers, artists, and businesses, because when we succeed, the town should succeed too.
At its core, French Cowboys is about breathing life back into places — and giving both guests and locals something to connect with.
Pricing:
- We aim to define a new category of affordable luxury bringing the boutique hotel experience to guests who have typically stayed in traditional, branded hotels. Our goal is to make design-driven, character-rich stays accessible to a broader audience by offering unique, high-quality experiences at approachable price points.
- We achieve this by streamlining operations and removing aspects of the hotel experience that add cost without meaningfully improving the guest’s stay. This allows us to deliver authentic, elevated experiences that feel personal and memorable without the unnecessary overhead that often drives room rates up.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://frenchcowboys.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/frenchcowboyshospitality/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/frenchcowboyshospitality/
- Other: sales@frenchcowboys.com
Image Credits
Matty Chatburn
