Ouvertures d’hôtels

🏬 Six Senses Fort Barwara, located 2.5 hours from Jaipur, wins the 1st prize at the Hotel & Lodge Awards 2024, in the Architect category. The 14th-century fort took a decade to transform into a luxury hotel by architects Parul Zaveri and Nimish Patel of Panika Architects. The property spans 2.2 hectares with a luxury hotel featuring 48 suites, three restaurants, a spa, and a wellness center, all surrounded by 6-meter high fort walls and including palaces and temples. Traditional Rajasthani architecture and local materials such as white marble and pink sandstone are incorporated, employing local artists and craftsmen.

🏠 Adagio inaugurated its 11th aparthotel in Germany, the Adagio Original Heidelberg, envisioned as a flagship with new design standards. Centrally located near the main station, university, and business district with a large convention center, it offers 162 studios and apartments across eight floors. Facilities include 24/7 hotel services, "The Circle" community space, shared kitchen, Adagio store, and "object library." The launch signifies Adagio's commitment to expanding its presence in Germany.

🏠 Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants unveils its first establishment in Budapest, Hungary, expanding into Eastern Europe. Kimpton BEM Budapest, nestled along the Danube, is housed in a 19th-century mansion with 127 rooms, including 11 suites, and features three distinct dining areas – a chef-led signature restaurant, a rooftop bar with greenery, an all-day lobby bar and restaurant – and a wellness space with a 24/7 fitness center, jacuzzi, and hammam. The luxury boutique hotel offers event venues like the Turul Room, Golden Stag, M.W. Lounge, and BEM Ballroom for up to 120 guests. Renowned Dutch designer Marcel Wanders designed the hotel, blending whimsical accents with historical elements.

📚 Lagardère Travel Retail France expanded at Gare de Paris Nord, Europe's busiest station with 700,000 daily visitors and third in the world, by opening a new Fnac store with a cosy Café upstairs from its flagship RELAY store. The 150m² area, offering 40 seats, replaces the former Brasserie l'Etoile du Nord, providing beverages, pastries, and sandwiches. Vincent Romet, CEO, sees it as a "new invitation to travel," meeting travelers' evolving needs.

🍽 La Flottille, a renowned restaurant in the park of the Château de Versailles, Yvelines, reopened on June 1 under the guidance of Michelin-starred chef Jean-Baptiste Lavergne-Morazzani. Established in 1895 and located in front of André Le Nôtre's Grand Canal, La Flottille has undergone a renovation by Versailles firm Versions. The menu features local suppliers like M.O.F. baker Frédéric Lalos, La Ferme du Pré, and La Ferme de La Tremblaye, and includes French classics, seasonal dishes, and shared options.

🍕 Monaco-based restaurateur Riccardo Giraudi brings Genoa’s Zeffirino's essence to Paris and Monaco, with the Belloni family's blessing, who've run it since 1939. Paris' Zeffirino seats 50 inside, 30 on the patio, featuring interior design by Cédric Capron. Exec chefs Thierry Paludetto and Alexandre Bousquières offer a menu with 9 fresh homemade pasta dishes (€27-€74), other Italian specialties, and 8 desserts (€14-€24). The venue, employing about 30 staff, serves the Belloni family's signature pesto and is open daily.

🏨 The Interglobe group, already managing 30 mid-range hotels in India, launched a new high-end hotel brand, Miiro, in Europe. Miiro's first hotel, Grand Hôtel Cayré, with 123 renovated rooms by English designer Michaelis Boyd, opened on July 15 in Paris, France. The brand emerged after acquiring the independent K+K portfolio of ten European establishments in 2020. Miiro will soon expand to Barcelona with Hotel Borneta in August, followed by London's Templeton Garden next year, and two locations in Vienna by mid-2025. Paris's Miiro features a 'refresh room,' a la carte services, a 90-seat restaurant run by Bruno Brangea with an average lunch cost of €35 and €75 for dinner, and a 1920s-themed cocktail bar, the Officine Bar, led by Oscar Blackstone.

💻 Console SecretBox implemented their gift box solution for the reopening of the historical hotel, the Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay. Located in a serene nature reserve near Paris, the hotel offers a refined experience. The Console SecretBox allows personalized gift boxes that reflect the establishment's unique character, intuitive shop management, secure and simple client journeys, shared payment options for group gifts, and is an innovative, environmentally responsible choice. The solution is commission-free and labeled as #greentech.

🍣 Founded by Adrien Albou, Le Cheng, Marlon, and Mendel Lévi, Hando Parisian Handroll features Chef Chiharu Takada, formerly of Takara, and opened its Sèvres location in October 2022 with a new Vendôme venue featuring an 18-meter counter. Renowned for their handrolls (€6-€18), the menu includes a Wagyu A5 handroll and offers sashimis (€14-€29), nigiris (€8-€14), and traditional dishes like dashi-marinated edamame with upcoming seasonal pastries.