Collecting cigars can be an expensive hobby. Collecting cars, even more so. Michael Weil, chief executive officer of AR Global Investments, does both. And he’s as passionate about tobacco as he is about high-end automobiles, but the draw of collecting for him doesn’t stem from vanity or obsession. It’s more the idea that cars and cigars can bring people together, which is why he’s invested so much time and so many resources into building the ultimate cigar room. A cigar-smoking Xanadu, his impressive, high-end man cave is its own separate structure sitting adjacent to his home in Newport, Rhode Island.
“My wife has a yoga studio right above my cigar room, so ventilation is key,” says the silver-haired 55-year-old with a chuckle. “She doesn’t smell cigars, so thankfully it’s working.”
Construction of the home started six years ago and a separate cigar room was always part of the plan. Weil jokes that his seaside residence was actually built around his cigar room, which he always envisioned as a splendid comfort zone of design and function. Now finished, the space is close to 800 square feet and affords every amenity required to fully enjoy a cigar in style, including humidors, a fireplace, a dry bar, proper ventilation and even a picturesque view of Newport Harbor.
“It’s what I think of as a traditional smoking room,” Weil says. “The thing that’s most important is that I have a remote office set up, so I do quite a bit of work in my cigar room. Lots of conference calls, because it’s a part of my every day. I love to collect ashtrays and lighters and all kinds of cigar memorabilia. My humidors hold about 2,000 cigars.”
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