Palace and legendary hotel
From the top of its hill, the Château de la Messardière is one of the largest hotels in Saint-Tropez. 5-star hotel with its 117 rooms and suites, part of the restricted circle of luxury establishments (Palace label) in France, it has a spa, a gourmet restaurant, two bars, an art gallery and a 10-hectare park. A palace for exceptional stays, it also hosts weddings, receptions and seminars or business meetings.
A Château-Hotel steeped in history and renewal
A residence built in the 19th century and completely restored 25 years ago, the Château de la Messardière has preserved the spirit of this extraordinary place which overlooks the Golf of Saint Tropez and the bay of Pampelone. It naturally evokes Provence, with the local roots of successive owners who have managed to remain close to the roots of the castle. The 10 hectare park, classified LPO, has century-old olive trees. The staff regularly plants others, as Gérald HARDY, a pioneer and defender of hotel ecology and sustainable development, had wished to produce their own olive oil every year. The Château also houses beehives at the bottom of the garden, allowing honey to be made twice a year.
To maintain its original historic appearance while meeting its Palace standard, many investments are made each year. Since the complete renovation of the Château in 1990, under the leadership of Gérald Hardy, all of the rooms and suites have already been renovated twice.
After having acquired serious experience in the luxury hotel industry, within the Le Méridien hotels by managing the establishments in Dakar, then Damascus, Mohammedia in Morocco, and finally Abu-Dhabi, and having raised the Guanahani hotel in Saint-Barth to the circle of Leading Small Hotels of the World, Gérald Hardy was called to relaunch the hotel la Messardière in Saint Tropez, of which the first operating company had been the subject. of a judicial liquidation. Through mastery in the art of hospitality, subtle harmony and constant rigor, he has succeeded in giving the Château de la Messardière its letters of nobility by propelling it into the ranks of the Leading hotels of the world and Palaces.
Having died a few years ago, a stele at the Château was dedicated to him in the Château gardens to pay tribute to his career and the distinguished spirit that he left at the hotel where his soul as a hotelier, keen to offer an international clientele a privileged welcome, still reigns over the place.
Exceptional surroundings for the hotel
“Baron Hilton” tirelessly repeated the same slogan: “Location, location, location”, emphasizing the importance of choosing the optimal location that will attract customers. Ideally located on the French Riviera, at the top of a Provencal hill, the Château de la Messardière nestles between the village and the beaches. It is located 800 meters from Pampelonne beach, and 800 meters from the heart of the village of Saint-Tropez. It also has 80% of rooms with sea views.
A Palace must have an authentic identity, and this is why the Château is also very involved in the local fabric. It works in partnership with associations, organizes exhibitions, concerts and regularly hosts writers - the hotel even has its own literary prize.
A French art of entertaining at the Château de la Messardière hotel
To make stays a true experience with a local touch, the hotel worked with Blaise Mautin, a renowned perfume creator. He came to the hotel to meet the customers and the teams. He inhaled the scents of the park, in order to create an olfactory signature specific to the Château through candles and an essential oil.
The welcome ritual has been worked on for a long time and is a key element of the hotel which brings the staff together. Welcomes such as “Welcome home!”, or “Welcome home!” are prohibited. All the employees obviously welcome the Château de la Messardière, but they assume that if guests want to stay there, it is not to be at home, but to have a change of scenery.
Beyond the great care attached to reception, the Château conveys a desire to receive - in the human sense of the term. This makes it a very international place.
Exceptional customers, characterized by their loyalty
The Château de la Messardière welcomes an international, demanding clientele who regularly come to recharge their batteries in this residence. Considering a very wealthy clientele, who often own homes larger than the suites offered, the staff bet on remaining themselves and banking on the experience offered by an atypical place. He wants to establish a real atmosphere. To loyal customers, the hotel gives a pot of homemade honey as well as a bottle of homemade olive oil. This remains a symbolic gesture and thus continues the spirit of the Messardière upon their return home.
The quality of a hotel is not observed in the bedding or the size of the television, but in the quality of the customers. It is important to have educated clients who come together and respect each other. It seems important that a customer wants to come back year after year. Some come back here for the fourth time. There is a balance between the individual clientele, which accounts for 80%, and the collective clientele - a company carrying out a seminar, for example. The business clientele makes it possible to increase the finances of the Château and to have a large number of staff within the hotel. They have more time for individual clients when there is no seminar or reception.
Very committed staff
The soul of the staff is important. All of the managers have been there for several years - often ten or fifteen years. Despite the seasonal nature of the place, which has only 14 staff members in December and nearly 190 in summer, the idea is to keep the seasonal staff from year to year, to make them feel good, and to integrate the values of the house quickly in order to share them with guests.
To maintain the mythical aspect attached to the Château, the staff puts in a lot of work. Management is present up to 14 hours a day. The department heads also work tirelessly. The staff is trained regularly which contributes to the fact that they come back year after year. He builds loyalty by benefiting from good working conditions, beautiful accommodation provided at reasonable prices, and beautiful uniforms.
Enchanting the Castle requires daily work. In the hotel, no one accepts having stained pants or a sweater with holes. The idea is to respect the place, the customers, the uniform, so that everything fits the universe of the place. The staff also extends their little attentions. Breakfasts are diversified because customers expect something new every day. But if a customer likes a particular pastry, the staff makes sure it is available to them every morning. These attentions are found among all members of the staff. If a guest passes through a room while a maid is cleaning, the maid will stop to give them their privacy.
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