Ouvertures d’hôtels

🍽 Gérard Depardieu and Marc Veyrat are former key figures associated with Fontaine Gaillon, Paris. Now under Fitz Group, with a redesign by Spanish architect Lazaro Rosa-Volan, the establishment aims to attract a broader clientele. Consultant Marie-Victorine Manoa, trained by renowned chefs René Redzepi and Daniel Humm, had planned to open her own restaurant in September in the Xe arrondissement, but the deal fell through. Targeting an end-of-year opening for her venue, she’s working on a menu that includes both classic bistro dishes and unique recipes like Tian de légumes. The staff is gender-balanced and offers continuous service from breakfast to dinner.

🏡 The Kyriad Saumur-Centre, a three-star hotel, completed its extension project in May after over a year of work. Located in Saumur's historic city center, the hotel added 20 new rooms, 4 apartments, and boasts a new 250m² wellness area with a heated indoor pool, alongside a private underground parking. With the new additions, the hotel now offers 49 rooms, including family rooms for six and apartments for five. The 90m² breakfast room now opens onto a planted terrace, and the hotel features a bar lounge. The expansion was led by local architect Monsieur Thoumazeau, utilizing local businesses, and has created jobs for five permanent staff, four seasonal workers (two to become permanent post-season), and five apprentices.

🏨 A weekly update on hotel openings and upcoming inaugurations worldwide, categorized by status: yellow indicates hotels opened this week; blue denotes announced openings for later in the year; green for rebranded hotels reopening this week; and orange for signed hotel projects expected to open in the future. Hospitality ON provides a map, photos, and important details on these hotels, focusing on group, chain, and voluntary network hotels.

🌊 In the 1960s, a group of chic hippies settled on a private 3 km² island, which they still own. They transformed their British club into a Relais & Châteaux lodge. Awarded 1st Prize at the Hotel & Lodge Awards 2024 in the Lodge category, Pine Cay is now managed by French couple Sandrine and Christian Langlade. It features a collection of rooms, labeled Relais & Châteaux in 2022, a bar, a restaurant with Costa Rican chefs Melissa Gonzàlez Mesèn and Pablo Cabrera Navarro, and a spa. Located 30 minutes by speedboat or 10 minutes by plane from Providenciales International Airport.

🏕 Sandaya, a French high-end camping group, expands into Italy by creating Sandaya Italia and acquiring four campsites in Veneto and Tuscany. Announced on June 4, the acquisition marks a significant step in Sandaya's international growth and strengthens its presence in Europe's second-largest outdoor hospitality market. Hospitality expert Roberto Franchi, a University of Siena Law and Political Science graduate, is appointed CEO. Sandaya has been pursuing strategic growth in Europe since 2013 with acquisitions in Spain, Belgium and 14 new destinations in France for the 2024 season, now offering a total of 65 premium locations.

🏨 Whitbread PLC acquired a site from Premcor in February 2024 for a new 229-room Premier Inn on Rochdale Road, Manchester, near the Northern Quarter. Following the successful launch of a 157-room Premier Inn on Princess Street in May 2021, the new ten-story hotel will feature an integrated restaurant, bar, and reception area. GMI Construction Group is appointed as the main contractor with construction starting in autumn. This will be Whitbread's seventh hotel in central Manchester.

🏠 Philippe and Laurent Davalo opened the Domaine du Liziec hotel in a 16th-century Vannes mansion, surrounded by over 6 hectares. It features 71 rooms designed by architect Arnaud Blanchard and various gardens. Olivier Samson, renowned for his 13 years at La Gourmandière, leads the culinary experience, including a brasserie and La Table du Liziec. Amenities include a 300㎡ spa with Ella Baché treatments, a fitness room, and two meeting rooms.

🏨 In Angers (Maine-et-Loire), the former central post office will be transformed into a voco hotel by IHG after a franchise deal with LWS Hospitality. Renovation starts Q4 2023, with opening slated for Q1 2027. The hotel will offer 110 rooms, a barista, a 500 m² restaurant, and an event space, all designed by Fabien Roque of Roque Intérieurs, ensuring a unique historical yet welcoming atmosphere.

🏡 The Social Club, founded in 2020 by Denis Allegrini in Nîmes, plans to open a new establishment annually over the next 2-3 years. Recently, it acquired the 16th-century Château Les Oliviers de Salettes in Drôme, which they bought in 2023 and upgraded to a 5-star hotel with 29 rooms, a spa, and the Lavandin restaurant in 2024. The group now operates 5 hotels and 9 dining outlets, mainly in Southern France and Paris. The Social Club will transform a historical building into a 4-star hotel, Maison des drapiers, in Briançon by end of 2025, and convert Château de Barbegal to a 5-star, 27-room hotel in 2026. Chef Kevin Vaubourg, previously with Maison Pic, leads Lavandin's kitchen, offering fresh, plant-based cuisine.

🍴 Chefs Wilfried Romain (30) and sommelier Rémi Badjoint (27) opened Lava restaurant in Paris' 5th arrondissement in late 2023. With 55 seats, the venue offers a menu that includes a €21 meal with a glass of wine. Celebrated dishes include veal tartare and chocolate dessert. Romain’s cuisine, influenced by his travels, focuses on fresh, quality ingredients with a €100 average ticket. Lava offers weekly changing lunch deals and two evening menus, with three wine pairing options at €40, €60, or €80. Romain and Badjoint maintain independence without investors, aiming for profitability.