Hotel Construction in Paris
The Stages of Construction for the Mélia La Défense Paris Hotel I recently met with an investor who was seeking to acquire a hotel for the first time. He asked me if it was better to acquire an existing hotel or to sign on to construct a new hotel. The answer to this, of course, […]
The House of Guerlain: The French Art of Welcoming
The House of Guerlain I had the pleasure of meeting Louis de Vilmorin, the International Director of Institutes & Spa Guerlain, at the Hotel and Spa Forum held on June 19 at the George V Four Seasons Hotel in Paris. This was a very interesting forum where professionals from various European countries came together to listen […]
Vincent Beaurin Meets the Cheval Blanc Randheli Resort
The Masterworks of Vincent Beaurin It always makes it more interesting to bring meaning to the decoration of a hotel. This presents a wonderful space to give free rein to the expression of an artist, whose works might allow clients to escape, create an imaginary universe, and offer sources of inspiration. Whether it’s for a […]
The French Art of Welcoming, According to Patrick Charvet
Patrick Charvet, the previous Chef of the Hyatt Paris Madeleine, Patrick Charvet, shares his definition of the French art of welcoming I have been lucky to meet some passionate people, and I am going to share with you a very lovely meeting. I present to you Patrick Charvet, he was the head chef of the […]
Phélippeau: The Art of Welcoming in Thalassotherapy
I had the pleasure of meeting Stéfany and Jean Pascal Phélippeau, who allowed me to discover the Hotel Château des Tourelles (****), as well as the Center of Thalassotherapy—Relais Thalasso—located in the Bay of La Baule. I leave you to discover the rest in the following interview. How do you translate the art of welcoming […]
Restaurants and Luxury Hotels: Dining round the Clock
How are dining behaviors evolving in luxury restaurants and hotels? During the latest salon SuccessFood, three issues facing restaurants today were laid out before industry experts. Let’s consider the issue of “round-the-clock dining.” Here’s a well-established offering in luxury hotels. One should be able to eat whenever one feels like it. Open bars in the lobbies will likely be […]
Meilleur Ouvrier de France – Receptionist
A Conversation with Gilles Le Bras, organizer of the ‘Meilleur Ouvrier de France’ competition for hotel receptionists. Back when I was a Director of Accommodations, I had the pleasure of serving as member of AICR (Amicale Internationale des Chefs de Réception), an international association for reception managers and assistant directors of large hotels. This dynamic association […]
The Art of Welcoming in France, the Maranatha Way
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”] [et_pb_row admin_label=”row”] [et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”] Does France Need to Work on the French Art of Welcoming? I recently met with Olivier Carvin, CEO for the Maranatha Group. We were able to exchange our views on the French art of welcoming. What is your point of view on the French art of welcoming? Does […]
Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku: The French Art of Welcoming
The French art of welcoming is a way of conceptualizing spaces for reception. How have you reinterpreted this art? To us, the French art of welcoming involves the feeling of truly being at home, of feeling good in a space so that we can create a certain energy. The space has to be very comfortable, […]
“We Always Need a Winter to Bring up a Summer”
Meet Séverine Pétilaire-Bellet, General Manager of the LOV Hotel Group Collection. This luxury hotel chain boasts the following establishments to its name: Les Airelles, Chalet Ormello, Aman Le Mélézin, and Le Chalet de Pierres in Courchevel, La Bastide de Gordes in Gordes and Pan Deï in Saint-Tropez. I encourage you to learn more about this […]
Serge Cachan on “Being Away from Home” with le 123 Sebastopol Hotel
As a follow-up to my article, “Far from Home….Spend a Night in the World of a Cineaste,” I invite you to meet Serge Cachan, the hotel manager of Le123 Sébastopol Hotel—a lovely variation on the theme of “being away from home.” How did you arrive upon the idea of calling out to film artists to […]
Isabelle Miaja: Her Definition of the Art of Welcoming
The Art of Welcoming According to Isabelle Miaja, Architect-Designer France’s history goes to show that we have cultivated a true art of living and welcoming. This expertise and thoroughly French art of welcoming has been considerably developed in luxury hotels, where it remains a source of inspiration for the great names in the hotel industry. […]
Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku: A Restaurant
Alain Ducasse Restaurant Following up from their earlier design work for the bar of the Plaza Athénée, Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku went on to design the Alain Ducasse Restaurant at the illustrious hotel for the third time. I invite you to discover their vision of the restaurant from their perspective as architects. Let’s talk about the dining room of […]
Safes in Hotel Rooms
Hotel : feel protected in Hotel Rooms Interview with Christian Perdomo, CEO of ARCARIUS Security within a hotel, especially in one’s room, is one of the most important factors in determining the quality of one’s stay. We all have the need to feel protected, and the presence of a safe contributes to this. It is also a […]
Mauro Governato, General Manager of luxury hotel
I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Mauro Governato, when he was the General Manager of the Hotel de Russie in Rome, during one of his trips through Paris. Now he is the general manager of the Four Seasons Hotel Milano. We enjoyed a long discussion on the art of welcoming in the hotel industry. You […]
Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok and the NGO Ô Services
Interview with Mr. Quentin Arnould, General Manager, l’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Bangkok He is a member of the NGO Ô Services. Ô Services, is the association was formed with the goal of uniting people from the various spheres of the profession. Their approach involves addressing the youth: convincing them, encouraging them, guiding them, and accompanying them… Quentin Arnould was born and […]
Edouard François, Architect: The French Art of Welcoming
The French Art of Welcoming Edouard François An encounter with architect Edouard François, who took part in the construction of Fouquet’s Barrière Paris. France’s history reveals that we have cultivated a true art of living and welcoming. This expertise and thoroughly French art of welcoming has been considerably developed in luxury hotels, where it remains […]
Repositioning a Hotel
Repositioning a Hotel: A True Challenge Repositioning a hotel reflects a true challenge for an existing hotel structure. It is not an effort from the management alone, or in any case, it shouldn’t be; in my opinion, this would be an assured failure. Repositioning a hotel requires the hotel to assemble and unify its entire […]
An Encounter with Fanélie Gaffinel
Fanélie Gaffinel Following the success of our first conference in January 2013 on the changes in luxury hotel renovations under the involvement of Studio Putman, Jean-Philippe Nuel, and Max Flageollet, I had the pleasure of working with Journal des Palaces to organize a second conference on hotel renovation at the Salon Maison et Objets. I was able to […]
Plaza Athénée: Changing Everything Without Changing Anything
Once Upon a Time at the Plaza Athénée François Delahaye and his team have taken to their feather pens to write the next chapter of the history of the Plaza Athénée. Their ambition is a marvelous one: ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS THE PALACE OF TOMORROW. The hotel has acquired its neighboring buildings in […]
Optimism in the Hotel Industry
Optimism in All Its Forms During the third annual ‘Printemps de l’Optimisme’ held in Paris, I had the pleasure of meeting Thierry Saussez, the founder of this wonderful event bursting alive in positivity and seeking to cultivate the dynamism of businesses across all sectors. I wanted to interview him on the importance of optimism in […]
