To open its fourteenth hotel - the fifth in the Paris region - the Okko chain has found a location that reflects its eco-responsible spirit, as the group has recently become a company with a mission. In other words, the first zero-carbon eco-neighbourhood of Paris, the Îlot Fertile, in the 19th arrondissement. Adjacent to the Rosa Parks RER station, a stone's throw from the tramway, this urban redevelopment revisits a former industrial wasteland with green spaces and housing, office buildings and shops, plus a UCPA youth hostel focusing on sport and fitness.
And so a hotel, the latest in a line of top-of-the-range establishments known to business travellers in particular for its signature offer, the Club. A vast communal area where, like airport lounges, guests can help themselves to juice and coffee throughout the day, while waiting for the aperitivo included in the room rate. However, this Club is not reserved for residents, and outside customers can access it through coworking or day passes.
With a floor area of almost 300 m², the Okko Paris Rosa Parks will be hosting a living space furnished with comfortable designer sofas and brick-coloured armchairs, decorated with antique objects, a fresco by artist Adriana Jaroslavsky and a stone sculpture by Audrey Guimard. Above all, the Club shares its space with a Noccio restaurant, as at Okko Paris La Défense.
While the new eco-neighbourhood's catering offer does not fully meet passengers' expectations, the presence of a bar-restaurant was necessary. A presence that also makes it possible to organising seminarsFor this purpose, the establishment has a 47 m² room on the restaurant level, which can be divided into two, as well as a 38 m² room on the top floor, extended by a large terrace.
" The hotel can offer a complete range of seminars, with or without accommodationexplains Solenne Ojea-Devys, Managing Director of Okko Hotels. Another format that is becoming increasingly popular is room hire, with the addition of a cocktail reception or lunch. an afterwork bar formula. While teams see less of each other, companies do not hesitate to organise several times a year some pleasant moments of togetherness." .
Unlike La Défense, where this table with Italian accents was launched for the first time, the Okko Paris Rosa Parks has concocted a more affordable menu to attract local customers, particularly from neighbouring businesses. A weekend brunch is also in the pipeline, to appeal to both visiting and out-of-town travellers.
Another new feature is that the hotel is offering family rooms for the first time. While the Okko concept has focused on compact, functional 18 m² rooms, the new establishment offers 129 rooms ranging from 23 m² to 38 m² in size. This atypical surface area can be explained by the history of the hotel's development, which was originally intended to be a long-stay residence Zoku. However, the difficulties caused by the pandemic led its owner, investor DWS, to turn to another hotel brand, Okko, which was selected from around twenty candidates.
From Zoku to Okko, there are still these good-sized rooms, where armchairs or sofas convertible into extra beds can be installed in a dozen of them, allowing business travellers to welcome their families for bleisure stays. Small bathrooms also remain from the original long-stay concept. This, in turn, leaves plenty of room for a large dressing room, a real office and, at the centre of it all, a top-of-the-range eco-designed bed by the Greek company Coco-Mat. The hotel's emphasis on sustainability also extends to bed linen made from 100% natural cotton and crinkled linen, and a jug that you can fill from the water fountain on each floor.
For the first time at Okko, these rooms have a refined design and are decorated with works of art. original lithographs in each of the rooms chosen in partnership with the Amélie Maison d'Art gallery. As for the general concept of the hotel, it was entrusted to Laune Archictecture, founded by Laure Grabulos and Pauline Marcyniuk, who succeeded in rethinking the project initiated for Zoku in just a few months.
While Okko relied on the designer Patrick Norguet to design the first generation of establishments, then on Studio Catoir for the second, its latest achievement being the Okko La Défense, the chain is now turning to a more diversified design. " More and more, we want to have a different decoration for each establishment" explains Solenne Ojea-Devys.
While Okko has stated its ambition to be "one of the best city-centre hotel brands", no new hotels are currently under construction. However, this is not synonymous with stagnation, as there are a number of "greenfield" projects in the pipeline. still confidential "The agreement is currently being signed. " We have a fairly broad development strategy" says the Managing Director of Okko Hotels. The group intends to strengthening its offering in major French cities The targets are Bordeaux and Marseille, where the brand does not yet have a presence, and a stronger offering in Lyon, Lille and the Paris region.
While the projects in these destinations involve hotels in which Okko owns the business as well as the premises, its expansion in the rest of the world is not yet complete. French secondary towns could be accelerated through another model. Building on the success of the Okko in Bayonne and Toulon, the group sees real opportunities for a four-star lifestyle hotel. "And, within this framework, we would move towards minority stakes in the premises and the funds to give ourselves the best chances, by being accompanied for this by two reference players in this field, a fund known to hoteliers and a French institutional investor." says Solenne Ojea-Devys.
From September, the group will also be launching a franchise offer for its brand, which is now well established on the market. But Okko's future is undoubtedly not confined to France. The group has also desires from elsewhereOkko is looking to the major European cities where it could replicate its model of hotels in the city centre, close to transport links. " Quite a few things are close to being signed" admits Solenne Ojea-Devys. So all we can do now is wait.
