Industrie Hoteliere

🏦 Extendam and Sohoma acquired the Best Western Pont Wilson hotel in Lyon's third arrondissement on December 11. The four-star, 54-room hotel, catering to both leisure and business clients, features coworking space and two seminar rooms. The Green Key labeled hotel aims to update its revenue management and operational strategy while maintaining its four-star rating. This acquisition adds to the duo’s portfolio, which already includes around twenty hotels in Lyon, a strategic city located between Paris, Geneva, and Marseille. Extendam's Bertrand Pullès, Maxime Durand, and Victoria Fabre, along with Sohoma's Félix Putatti and Timothée Hainguerlot, state the purchase aligns with their investment and asset management strategy.

🏡 "Jardin de Verre by Locke", the first French establishment of the apart-hotel brand Locke, is set to open in February 2025 in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, Latin Quarter. It features 145 rooms housed within two 16th-century private mansions merged with a 19th-century industrial factory. Amenities include a gym, yoga studio, café, an interior courtyard, and multiple dining spaces. Design studio Fettle emphasized lush greenery and natural light. Locke, since 2016, operates 16 venues across the UK and Europe, offering hotel services with apartment freedom.

🍴 Chef Alexandre Willaume, known for Etika (64), has been the executive chef at Pullman Paris Tour Eiffel since mid-November. His career includes work at Le Chanoine Gourmand in Troyes, Plaza Athénée, and Bristol, with executive roles at Hôtel du Louvre, Pullman Roissy, and Grand Hôtel Thalasso & Spa in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, earning him the Maître Restaurateur title. His restaurant Etika opened in April 2023 but closed by early September 2024. At Pullman Paris, he offers a menu with a focus on marine products and vegetables, featuring French cod with black garlic aioli and wild sea bass this winter. Willaume rejoices over his impactful return to the Accor Group on social media.

🏨 Increasing numbers of hotels are adopting thematic approaches, integrating animations to enrich the customer experience beyond just decor. This strategy, when aligned with the hotel's concept and history, has led to significant revenue growth and enhanced customer satisfaction. For an in-depth understanding, see the complete file in "Industrie Hôtelière" magazine's December issue (No. 766).

📝 Thierry Marx opened the 72nd UMIH Congress on December 3, 2024, in Lyon with a "positive and combative" spirit. The event, themed "Ici on innove!", took place at the Centre des Congrès from December 3-5 and was hosted by journalist Vincent Ferniot. Lyon's mayor, Grégory Doucet, welcomed attendees, while UMIH Rhône president Thierry Fontaine highlighted the success of new legislation on tourist furnished apartments. Concerns were raised about the 2025 Finance Plan affecting low-wage support in the profession and the transformation of restaurant tickets into "shopping vouchers." Key issues discussed included rising energy costs, increasing public deficits, high corporate insolvencies, and an uptick in unemployment, with the CHR sector seeing 20 establishments close daily.