Updated on 13/12 at 11.30am
Paris does not and should not have a monopoly on lifestyle hotels. This is the aim of a new brand, Grand Mess, which will be launched in a few days' time, on 19 December, in Paris. Clermont-Ferrand before seeing another project come to fruition in Lyon in three years' time. " Apart from Paris, many regional metropolises offer a fairly standardised, functional range of services that don't really appeal to the imagination." explains Margaux Gravier-Montel, co-founder with her husband Jean-Baptiste Gravier of the Mess Family group. The potential is there for a more inspiring hotel industry, as we can see from the example of Mama Shelter, which is starting to build its network in France. Dijon or to Rennes.
With this in mind, the entrepreneurial couple decided to extend their know-how in the field of festive après-ski through its La Folie Douce establishments, which opened ten years ago in Saint-Gervais and Alpe d'Huez. " Big restaurants, big bars, daily live programming. The next logical step was to offer a place where our customers could stay overnight." says the Managing Director of Mess Family.
This is now the case in Clermont-Ferrand, with a 96-room, four-star hotel aimed at holidaymakers passing through this crossroads of motorways linking north to south and east to west, as well as travellers drawn to the city on business, which is home to Michelin as well as the head office of a CAC 40 company, many companies in the pharmaceutical, aeronautical and agri-food sectors.
However, as it is located in an area on the outskirts of Clermont-Ferrand where Clermont-Ferrand residents are already used to going out, with restaurants, cinemas, bowling alleys and hotels, the Grand Mess sees itself above all as a "place to go out". large festive shelter It's also a "must" for local customers. Especially as, according to Margaux Gravier-Montel, the hotel fills a gap: " if you want to go out in Clermont at the weekend, it's almost impossible to find a table if you haven't made a reservation" .
There's no doubt that with two restaurants, each of 200 seats indoors and almost as many on the terraceWith its central bar - the hotel lobby during the day, transformed into a party venue at night on weekends - the Grand Mess should be a natural choice. " Given the size of the venue, we wanted to offer two restaurants to appeal to a wide range of customers, depending on their means and current tastes." says Margaux Gravier-Montel. The Bouillon du Mess, which focuses on traditional cuisine where " eat well, quickly and affordably "For those who want to take their time, there's the Grand Restaurant, with its brasserie menu and flame-fired cooking on a large indoor barbecue.
These large spaces are ideal for seminars with seven meeting rooms in total. There are small private rooms for around fifteen people, such as the Chef's Table, with a view of the kitchens, or the Wine Cellar, and others, the two Canteens, which can accommodate up to 24 people in a cosy, friendly atmosphere. For larger business meetings, the Grand Mess has a banqueting room for 150 people, overlooking the green patio, and two banqueting rooms, measuring 36 m² and 77 m². Finally, to crown this MICE offer, the Grand Mess also has two 250m² rooftopsThese can be used for private events with a view of the Chaîne des Puys. " Our skyline in Auvergne" says Margaux Gravier-Montel with a touch of humour.
The Grand Mess hotel has another argument to make when it comes to attracting local companies, as well as French and European companies looking to discover Clermont-Ferrand and the surrounding region: its commitment to CSR. " It is at the heart of our projectexplains the Managing Director of Mess Family. We are defending the idea of rational urban tourism in French cities, without the need to take a plane." . The building itself is a concrete expression of these ambitions, with a view to obtaining the E+C- label, one of the most demanding for positive-energy and low-carbon buildings. Geothermal heating, wood structure on a concrete foundation, bio-sourced wood from the surrounding area, natural materials and local products as far as possible on the catering side: designed by urban architect Boris Bouchet. All this in a warm, uncluttered decor, with rooms ranging from 16 to 70 m², all serenely designed by the Saint Lazare studio, responsible for the transformation of La Samaritaine in Paris.
In the same spirit, but without replicating the first establishment in Clermont-Ferrand, the Grand Mess concept is set to be followed up by five other projects to be unveiled in the coming months. " We estimate the potential for ten or more Grand Messes over the next decade." explains Margaux Gravier-Montel, who says she is targeting the top 15 regional cities. A second site has already been found in Lyonin the VIIe arrondissement, with the renovation of a historic site, the Château de la Motte, dating back to the 15th century.e century, and a disused former military barracks. Located in the Parc Blandan, the barracks are preparing to house around a hundred bedrooms, while the feudal castle will house the reception facilities, some of which will be used for seminars. Scheduled to open in three years.
