Ouvertures d’hôtels

🍴 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.

🍷 Bellevigne Bourgogne, a new hotel by Les Hotels (très) particuliers, opens in October in Chambolle-Musigny, Côtes-de-Nuits. Offering 37 rooms, the 18th-century manor, redesigned by interior architect Jordane Arrivetz, features a 180-seat restaurant by executive chef Etienne Berg, a wine cellar with 300+ local references, wine bar, tasting cellars, spa, pool, and a park for wine enthusiasts and professionals.

🏡 Summer 2024, The Leading Hotels of the World adds six new member hotels, including Quinta do Paral (Vidigueira, Portugal), The Hotel Seiryu Kyoto Kiyomizu (Kyoto, Japan), and The Imperial (New Delhi, India), plus openings of Alexander (Mexico, April), Maxx Royal Bodrum Resort (Bodrum, Turkey, May), and Masseria Donna Menga (Nardò Lecce, Italy). The collection now boasts over 400 luxury independent hotels.

🍴 Julien Caligo, a former Michelin-starred chef, launched restaurant Monique in Calvisson (Gard) in early February. He transitioned from the high-end Duende, which he elevated alongside Pierre Gagnaire. Monique, set between Nîmes and Montpellier, offers an open kitchen and personal guest interaction. After an 18-month preparation period, the restaurant, housed in a renovated agricultural storage, features a chef's table, a two-person counter, and a limited capacity of 30 guests. Monique serves a lunch formula at €50, and dinner menus at €85 for 5 courses or €110 for 7 courses, already fully booked since opening.

🏠 Cyril Aouizerate opened a new Mob Hotel in Cannes, in the Carnot district, on July 19. The 4-star establishment offers 43 suites (ranging from 30 to 86 m²) and emphasizes ecological commitment and social innovation. The hotel, which also operates in Saint-Ouen and Lyon Confluence, was designed with minimal environmental impact in mind. Along with his partner Michel Reybier, Aouizerate converted an old residence, preserving existing structures, using natural materials like wood, and promoting artisan-made furniture. The hotel features thermal paint, wood-blade fans instead of air conditioning, 48 photovoltaic panels on the roof, a Biocoop grocery, a Patagonia store, electric charging stations, and a 42-seat organic restaurant. TVs are replaced with literary and engaging activities to stimulate the mind and social ecological awareness.

🏡 Ascott Limited, under CapitaLand Investment Limited, expands its European presence with six new residences, introducing The Unlimited Collection in Leicester and Edinburgh, and expanding lyf hybrid accommodations in five new cities including Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leicester, Manchester, and Colmar. The portfolio surpasses 60 properties across Europe. The Unlimited Collection will also launch in Dublin by 2025, and lyf Gambetta Paris is to open by end of 2024. Citadines continues growth with a new residence in Colmar slated for 2026.

🏨 Hospitality ON compiled a map of new hotel openings and announcements within the last 10 days, featuring locations, photos, and key information. Openings are color-coded: yellow for recent openings, blue for upcoming openings within the year, green for rebrandings/reopenings, and orange for signed projects slated for future months or years. The focus is on group, chain, and network-affiliated hotels.

🏦 OWO, formerly the British Old War Office, transformed into a five-star hotel since September. The historic building, inaugurated in 1906, underwent a six-year restoration and now operates under Raffles, Accor with Philippe Lebœuf as the general manager. Guerlain designed a four-story spa featuring a 20-meter pool, exclusive massages, and holistic programs by Pillar Wellbeing. It won the 2024 Hotel & Lodge Awards' Wellness category.