Ouvertures d’hôtels

🏨 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.

🍷 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.