"Merde à Vauban". Accor is unlikely to take Léo Ferré's irreverence to heart. For it is a delicious prison that the French group is preparing for the first address in France of its luxury brand Emblems Collection. In one of the fortifications designed by Louis XIV's chief engineer to surround France with an 'iron belt', in this case the Citadelle Vauban at Belle-Île-en-Mer.
Overlooking the entrance to the port of Le Palais, this historic monument is no stranger to hospitality. After André and Anna Larquetoux acquired the site in the 1960s and devoted part of their fortune to restoring it to its former glory and dedicating a museum to it, the Savry group took it over in the mid-2000s to turn it into one of its "hôtels particuliers". The property was sold to the Paris Society at the start of the pandemic, before Accor took over to complete an ambitious renovation.
Announced in 2024, the transformation project entered a more concrete phase in September 2025, with the start of work led by Valode & Pistre Architectes and supervised by the chief architect of the Monuments Historiques. It is taking on a little more substance today with the unveiling of the first details of this future hotel in the Emblems Collection, still in its adolescence since its first member, the Lucknam Park Hotel & Spa, only opened its doors at the end of last year in the United Kingdom, in the Cotswolds,
" With Emblems Collection, we choose exclusive locations that have a soul, a deep memory...said Maud Bailly, CEO Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery & Emblems. Lhe Citadelle Vauban, the emblem of Belle-Île-en-Mer, is the perfect embodiment of this: majestic, steeped in history and deeply linked to its territory. "
Expected to open in the second quarter of 2027, the hotel will have 90 rooms, including 22 suites and 9 flats. Paris Society Consulting will be involved in the F&B concept, and the hotel will also have two restaurants and a bar, a wellness area of around 2,000 m², and, for business travellers, areas dedicated to exclusive seminars. It will also feature a refurbished museum.
The Emblems Collection has six more openings in the pipeline by 2027 – in Canada, Italy and Greece – and is aiming for 60 establishments worldwide by 2032, it's not the only brand from the French group to stand out in terms of exceptional destinations. The renaissance of Orient Express continues in parallel, on land and at sea, through luxury trains, ultra-VIP sailing ships and exclusive hotels. The first of these opened its doors last year in Rome, Orient Express La Minerva. A second has just been added in Venice, reinstating the Orient Express name on this historic stopover of the legendary trains from Paris to Istanbul.
Big train in Venice
Owned by the Arsenale Group, in the same way as the Roman Hotel and La Dolce Vita trains, the Orient Express Venezia is the result of the conversion of a 15th-century palace into an ultra-luxury hotel.e century Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in the Cannaregio district. Re-invented by the architect Aline Asmar d'Amman, the hotel offers 47 rooms, suites and residences, all recounting centuries of Venetian history and art of living through their painted and vaulted ceilings. " Each visit to Palazzo Dona Giovannelli is a moment of splendour for me.said Aline Asmar D'Amman. This sense of wonder has guided a meticulous renovation, combining a sense of theatre with the intimate spirit of a home. "
The culinary offer is worthy of the place, led by chef Heinz Beck, a three-star chef in Rome who exports his culinary expertise to the Serenissima with the gourmet restaurant Heinz Beck Venezia, open for dinner, and a Venetian restaurant open all day, La Casati, with its own private garden. The Art Deco-inspired Wagon Bar recalls the cosy atmosphere of the original Orient Express lounge cars.
While this setting is primarily intended for ultra-privileged holidays, the neo-Gothic and baroque décor of the Orient Express Venezia also lends itself to prestigious events in lounges reminiscent of the fact that the residence once belonged to some of Venice's most illustrious noble families, including the Duke of Urbino and the Donà and Giovannelli families in their day.
The Salone Vittoria, for example, which can be accessed directly by boat via the Santa Fosca canal, was designed in 1548 to celebrate the marriage of the Duke of Urbino's son to the Princess of Parma, Vittoria Farnese. Later, in the 19th centurye In the 19th century, the palazzo also played host to numerous scholarly gatherings in its Sala della Cultura, a forum that hosted the Congress of Italian Scientists in 1847. Now that these period salons have been restored to their former glory, they are dedicated to exceptional events, alongside the Sala della Musica, designed for intimate events, from cocktails to private dinners and musical performances.
" Orient Express Venezia opens a new chapter in our brand heritagecommented Gilda Perez - Alvarado, CEO of Orient Express. The Palazzo Donà Giovannelli has been resurrected with exceptional craftsmanship and a profound respect for its six centuries of history, becoming a place where the art of travel meets the soul of the city. "
