The Château de Saulon has undergone a veritable renaissance in the Côte d'Or since it was taken over in 2017 by Thierry Goux, the dynamic head of the Rinck interior design agency. More than three million euros have since been invested in the renovation and development of this four-star hotel with 42 rooms, fitted out under the gilded edifice of the Château de Saulon. mansion built in Saulon-la-Rue in the XVIIIe centuryin place of a medieval stronghold. " The works have enabled us to move upmarket with a 4* rating and the addition of 10 suites and junior suites in a former farmhouse and in the dovecote, two reminders of this medieval era with the building housing our Deux Rivières restaurant." explains the new owner, who fell in love with Burgundy. In a chic, relaxed atmosphere, the decoration of the spaces and rooms harmoniously combines the old and the contemporary.
A new Orangery for meetings and receptions
Château de Saulon may be a popular address for foreign tourists, but the hotel is especially popular with companies that use it as a base for their events. seminars, conferences, product launches, The château has two intimate lounges for groups of 15, a restaurant with 80 covers (and 100 on the terrace), a lounge for 90 participants and a new wrought-iron room bordering the forest, its Orangerie, which can accommodate 250 people for meetings/dinners and 300 guests for cocktails.
" A thousand MICE events of all sizes and types were held at the Château in 2022 by companies based mainly in the Ile-de-France, Lyon and Rhône-Alpes regions, as well as Burgundy-Franche-Comté." says a delighted Laurent Fayard, the hotel's general manager. Situated 1h30 from Lyon and Paris by TGV, the hotel benefits from the close to Dijon SNCF station15 minutes away by car, as well as its airport, which is used by a number of companies for private flights.
A wine theme very popular with companies
The 27-hectare wooded estate - and more widely Burgundy, where the Wine Route begins at the gates of the château - offers a great playground for companies. The programme includes Olympics, hot-air balloon flights from the château grounds, visits to the new gastronomy cities of Dijon and Beaune, the Burgundy climats and wines, not forgetting the famous Hospices. Other activities include making wine barrels, taking part in the grape harvest in September, and wine-tasting tours of cellars, vineyards and vineyards, whether in a Porsche, an electric Solex or a 2CV... Not forgetting a chance to discover the aromatic plants in the hotel's new kitchen garden with its two market gardeners and chef Benjamin Gaudrillet. Exuding flavour, its cuisine is both gourmet and original, revisiting emblematic regional dishes and boasting the 100% Côte d'Or label for most of the produce passing through the expert hands of its young brigade.
Hosting larger seminars
With his head full of ideas, Thierry Goux has no intention of stopping there. Four additional rooms will be operational in the second medieval tower for the 2024 season and a atypical accommodation project made up of wooden chalets is taking shape in the forest near the Orangerie. " This Scandinavian-inspired village of around twenty rooms will be particularly well integrated into the landscape. It willwelcome self-guided groups and to reach 60 keys to meet the demands of companies who appreciate the opportunity to privatise the entire château." he explains. Thierry Goux is interested in character buildings that have fallen into disrepair in French regions with real potential for tourism development. " A holding company is being set up around a pool of investors to give substance to this future small luxury hotel chain." says the man who intends to put his skills as an interior designer to good use now more than ever.
