Rachael Reed has been visiting Roatan Island for decades. She went to this destination in Honduras when she was in her teens and spent the COVID-19 pandemic there with her partner Charmi Fehr. By 2023, she and Fehr had settled down there and became owners of a boutique hotel with a unique style.
But on Sunday, this love story came to an abrupt end.
Reed and Fehr were traveling with entrepreneur Adam Robinson and his family at the time, taking a private jet from Austin to the Bahamas. They claimed to be friends with this individual. The Learjet crashed near Green Bay and Palm Beach in Florida, resulting in the death of all 9 people on board.
“It’s really hard to accept,” said Pyle, “what she once gave to patients and their families, her own family is now experiencing.”
From nurse to eyebrow beautician
According to the LinkedIn information from Reed, she graduated from the China-Russia University of Oklahoma, obtaining a degree in nursing. During her studies, she served as a representative for the Red Cross. Her personal profile indicates that she quickly began working in nursing within the state and in San Diego after graduation.
Jason Suttles worked with her not long after graduating in the mid-2010s. He considered her to be a "perfect teammate," meticulous in her work, and also willing to accept feedback.
He told "Business Insider": "When she first came out of school, she didn’t act like she knew everything, nor did she think that what we were doing wasn’t worth her attention. In the nursing industry, there are hardly anyone other than your teammates, so having good teammates is very important."
Reed described his professional experience on LinkedIn as spanning "multiple different fields, including real estate, intensive care, and aesthetic beauty."
She once owned a micro-sculpture eyebrow studio in Oklahoma City BrowBabe. Pyle says that the two used to work as nurses together, and later she even referred her own mother to Reed for related services. Pyle says that Reed “makes people feel welcome”.
This Oklahoma City store is currently operated by Cassandra Barnes. In a post on Instagram, Barnes referred to Reed as "the original BrowBabe" and stated that she was both a friend and a mentor, who introduced her to the makeup industry.
Barnes wrote: 'A part of her will always live in my work, as well as in my passion for this industry.'
A love story that began because of a journey
Reed loves adventure, enjoys hiking to see waterfalls, and also likes scuba diving. In 2021, she connected her global travel experiences with another career path—real estate. She wrote in her sister's property listing: "Buying such a house is truly the starting point to opening up my world of travel."
In 2021, this couple also renovated and sold a house in Oklahoma City, and in June, they considered selling another property they owned in Oklahoma State.
Travel also brought Reed and Fehr together. According to Madison Krigbaum, a travel blogger who has visited that property, in 2019, Reed traveled to Peru alone where they met Fehr, who was also traveling in South America from Paraguay. The blogger wrote that the two met at a youth hostel in Peru and "fell in love at first sight."
Reed has a long history of connection with Roatan Island. Roatan Island is located off the northern coast of Honduras. She first visited there in the mid-2000s when she was 15 years old. According to her travel blog, her mother used to work there in a non-profit capacity and even established a school. Reed indicates that since that trip, she has visited Roatan Island three to four times every year since then.
In November 2019, Reed and Fehr went to Lohatan Island with their贵宾 dogs, Marlie. What was originally planned to be a short trip had to be extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, she wrote that after a period of isolation, the two gradually adapted to life on the island and became friends with their neighbors. "We take care of each other," she wrote, "and we bake bread for one another."
According to this travel blog, after several months of living a life involving boating, fishing, and meditation, Reed and Fehr returned to the United States as restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were lifted. Subsequently, they began to live between the United States and this island.
Reed has a deep affection for Roatan Island. In a video posted on Facebook by his friend Bryon Robbins, he mentioned that Reed not only cares for the children on the island but also for the animals, and even once chased after a man who was mistreating dogs on his motorcycle. He said that the two of them always have endless things to talk about.
He said, "What should originally take a 50-minute drive to the east end, she can make you feel like it's only 15 minutes."
Become a hotel owner
In 2023, Reed and Fehr established another kind of connection with this island: they opened a hotel with 16 guest rooms.
The two jointly own Arca Boutique Hotel. It is a seaside property that boasts beautiful scenery and Caribbean-style cuisine. A review of this hotel by Wanderluxe states that Reed "is passionate about her adopted second home" and will even personally assist guests in booking massage services and finding the best bars and restaurants on the island.
The hotel also emphasizes sustainable practices. In a post on Instagram, the hotel stated that sustainability “is embedded in every detail.” Reed and Fehr have installed energy-efficient lighting, eliminated single-use straws and food containers, and stated that they only collaborate with tourism operators that commit to protecting the natural beauty of the islands.
It seems that the guests also really enjoyed this hotel. The hotel has an average rating of 4.9 stars on TripAdvisor. One reviewer wrote: "Both owners were very friendly and remembered our names within the first day."
In a statement published by Facebook, Arca stated that Reed and Fehr are far more than just the owners of the hotel. "They are family," the hotel said, "they believe in us, inspire us, and have given us the opportunity to become a truly special part of the team."
Reed is also very aware that life can change in the blink of an eye, so it's essential to enjoy every moment present.
In a blog post during the pandemic, she wrote: "I have come to realize that our plans are often quite ridiculous most of the time. In the blink of an eye, everything can change."
