Things are happening at Béziers ! Facing Saint-Nazaire cathedral and its new forecourt, thehotel La Prison opened its doors at the end of May after two years of work by the Mando Hospitality group. Aptly named, this 3* establishment has been fitted out in a old prison dating from the 18th century, which remained in operation until the early 2000s. As is the tradition in the region, a magnetist was invited to 'cleanse' this penitentiary of its potential bad vibes, where up to 300 prisoners were incarcerated, some losing their heads in the process.
Listed as a historic monument, the building's heritage features have been judiciously integrated by À+ Architecture, the firm responsible for the transformation, from the sentry walk with its watchtowers to the interior passageways, from the vaulted rooms to the dungeons, from the old floor tiles to the cells, some of which have been merged to form 35 of the 50 rooms in this 3-star hotel. Although the average surface area is 20m², some of the rooms are unusually large, up to 50 or even 66 m² in the case of the only suite. Fortunately, the bars of the old openings have all disappeared following the creation of real windows. In keeping with the spirit of the times, the décor has been sourced from local second-hand dealers and complemented by a collection of art brut and temporary exhibitions by contemporary artists.
A place to work
The La Prison hotel has thus enriched the MICE offering in Béziers with its three seminar rooms equipped (for 20 to 50 people), its restaurant 60 place settings for dinners and cocktails (for 100 people) entrusted to chef Mathieu Bessière. Events can also be held on the adjoining terrace overlooking historic Béziers and its Pont Vieux bridge over the Orb. " In agreement with the city, the hotel also has the possibility of privatise the Jardin des Evêques whose redesigned spaces are located directly opposite, below the cathedral" says Samantha de Castro, director of La Prison. The town designed by Pierre-Paul Riquet, the architect of the Canal du Midi, is also in the process of completing the urban renewal of its many squares, adding a touch of elegance to its beautifully crafted facades.
The company is also strengthening its hotel capacity in Béziers including around a hundred 4-star rooms and over 500 3-star rooms. The hotel in the first category includes In SituLJ Hôtels & Co's chic and arty 24-key address (and a four meeting rooms for 8 to 50 people) housed in a former manor house. And in the second - and still from the same local hotel group - the hotels Imperatorthe oldest in Béziers with its 42 renovated rooms, the XIX café-hotel and theHôtel Particulier with 11 and 9 rooms respectively. In the meantime, we are looking forward to a new establishment on the Allées Paul Riquet, "the ramblas of Béziers". For larger capacities, look no further than the group's other brands Accor with the Mercure 4* with 58 rooms and theIbis Budget with 56 bedrooms, both adjoining the Palais des congrès.
A convention centre whose future needs to be redesigned
Because Béziers has a congress centre with an 825-seat amphitheatre, a 268-seat auditorium, 6 rooms (20 to 100 people) and a 450 m² exhibition/restaurant area. But the glass and concrete building, inaugurated in 1967 and renovated in 2000, is showing its age. So in May, the town council decided to launch a call for expressions of interest to 'reawaken' the complex, with the idea of opening it up to other activities and modernising it through major investment. " Consideration is currently being given to the future of the Palais des Congrès with work planned for 2025 if an original and viable project is selected" says its manager Marion Salvaire.
20 minutes from Béziers, the rebirth of Château Hermitage de Combas after 3 years of work, is the other new feature of the year for local events, unveiled before the summer at a grand inauguration evening. This 85-hectare private wine estate was bought by its new owner in 2020, and he decided to restore the medieval fortress to its former glory, transforming it into a holiday home in the 19th century. The former wine storehouse has been transformed into the Orangerie, an exceptional 400 m² room with catering facilities, whose huge bay windows open onto an 800 m² landscaped terrace. Air-conditioned, this long room can accommodate 400 guests for a gala dinner, 500 guests for a cocktail party (1,000 with the terrace), or 300 participants when the space is divided in two, with the plenary session on one side and the lunch tables on the other. The estate can also accommodate 96 people in the rooms of the 4* and 5* furnished flats above the Orangerie (including "La Maison", which can accommodate meetings of up to 15 people), on the ground floor of the château or in the hamlet that used to house the winegrowers. While the spa and restaurant have yet to be fully developed, a fine swimming pool area, tennis courts and a cellar for tasting the estate's wines complete the range of facilities on offer at Château Hermitage de Combas.
LJ Hotels to open Château de Lignan-sur-Orb in 2024
With 150 châteaux within a 25 km radius of Béziers, other properties are also open for events. These include Domaine de RibauteThis medieval residence was modified in the 16th century to form a hamlet surrounded by parkland. The entire site has 20 bedrooms (for 41 people), a 90 m² meeting room and an Orangerie, which has also been converted into a 66 m² reception room. However, we will have to wait until 2024 to discover the new face of the Château de Lignan-sur-Orba former property of the bishops of Narbonne, and the future 4-star hotel-restaurant of the LJ Hôtels & Co group, which has invested heavily in the Hérault region.
