An investment in wealth Lille. The Group Oceania has just converted the former headquarters of the Scalbert-Dupont bank, one of the region's most respected financial institutions, into a top-of-the-range hotel until its nationalisation in 1981 and its subsequent transfer to the CIC group. Its vault is still there in the basement, transformed into a swimming pool for a new liquidity story. The large stained glass windows are still there, as are the ironwork, the grand staircases and the red brick facades, typical of the region.
In collaboration with the Architecte des Bâtiments de France and the town council, to ensure both the preservation of the site and the sustainability of the works, this metamorphosis has resulted in the first hotel to be awarded the "Bâtiments de France" label. Lille low-carbon" , " an exercise made all the more difficult in the context of a renovated building" says Rozenn Branellech Dumon. Under the guidance of the A26 architectural practice, the Art Deco building, completed in 1929, has been given a new lease of life while retaining its identity.
Located on rue du Molinel, a stone's throw from the Old Lille and the city's two train stations, on a site that long ago housed the cloister of a convent, the Oceania Lille Les Augustins reveals itself behind the bank's large doors. Beyond the entrance, the lobby, surrounded by cosy corners and an intimate boudoir where you can enjoy a drink by the fire, features a bar that matches the oval shape of the glass roof above. To the side, the hotel offers available to visiting business travellers as well as local professionals at two coworking for six to eight people, equipped with espresso machines and screens and available for private hire. In addition, there are two rooms for corporate events. seminarone large and one smaller.
With its 88 rooms, including several suites with a cosy ambience inspired by the world of banking and the Art Deco style, this new address intends to make a name for itself in a market used to making something new out of something old. Indeed, before the turn of the millennium, the Société lilloise d'investissement hôtelier (SLIH) had already set out to turn back time by transforming two historic monuments into luxury hotels. One of these, the Couvent des Minimes, dates from the 17th century.e century, opened its doors in 1990. The other, a former hospice founded in 1462, has since 2003 become one of the city's flagship hotels, the Hermitage Gantois, a favourite haunt of visiting celebrities, including American basketball stars who have taken over the premises in recent years. Olympic Games.
Bought by Covivio in 2016, SLIH has given the real estate investor a certain weight in the city's hotel industry with a total of eight establishments. In addition to those mentioned above, Covivio also owns the Grand Hôtel Bellevue and the Hôtel Art Deco, three Accor group properties - an Ibis Styles and two Novotel hotels - and, more recently, a Hilton hotel. A hotel that is not new in itself, since it was part of the portfolio acquired from SLIH, when it was still known as the Crowne Plaza Euralille, until last summer.
Opened in 2004 as part of the expansion of the business district around the new Lille Europe TGV station, this establishment had changed little since then. Although the public areas were renovated in 2021, as were the five seminar rooms with a total capacity of 220 people, Covivio has invested seven million euros to give it a new lease of life. In addition to the renovation of its 124 rooms and optimised energy performance, the hotel has mainly been converted to the Hilton brand at the end of the franchise agreement with IHG's business brand at the end of 2023.
" When we renovate an asset, it's to relaunch it, and changing the brand allows us to do this more quickly.explains Sébastien de Courtivron, Covivio's Deputy General Manager for Hotels. Even if it cost a little more to redevelop it as a Hilton, this flagship brand is better known than Crowne Plaza among both business and leisure travellers." . " In a city the size of Lille, this sign made sense.he explains. The expected return on investment is there" . From a hotel mainly frequented by French customers - business customers in particular, since the hotel offers a convenient base for meetings just off the TGV - the Hilton Lille has extended its horizons to international customers, including Americans.
But Covivio's renovation programme did not stop there, as it also looked at the Grand Hotel Bellevue. Opened in 1913, and home to the headquarters of LOSC football club in the 1930s, the establishment occupies a special place in the hearts of the people of LilleIt's not just because of its history. In fact, with its windows just above the famous Le Furet du Nord bookshop, the hotel is the only one to overlook the Grand Place directly. Covivio didn't hesitate to take advantage of this unique situation by creating a roof terrace for a bar that now offers the most beautiful panoramic view of the city.
While this rooftop will undoubtedly be a popular spot on 5 July for its bird's-eye view of the start of the Tour de France, the Grand Hotel Bellevue's evolution can also be seen on the upper floors, where some of the 70 rooms, including six newly added ones, have been refurbished. a redesigned ground floor. The purchase of a neighbouring business has enabled the restaurant to move downstairs and make its new bar, Café Bellevue, more accessible.
Among the hotels owned by Covivio, the turn of the Couvent des Minimes will come next, by 2026-2027, before that of the Hermitage Gantois. Rethinking this maze of attic rooms with wooden stretchers and others inherited from the time when the hospice was still in operation, until 1995, is " a more difficult exercise" admits Sébastien de Courtivron. The charm of the old, with its pluses and minuses.
In the meantime, this 89-room and suite hotel, affiliated to the Marriott Group's Autograph Collection, continues to establish itself as a leader in its field. a leading luxury pied-à-terre in Lille with the Hôtel Barrière, a 142-room business resort located in the business district, and the Clarance boutique-hotel with its Michelin-starred restaurant. It's a hotel where business meetings can build on the place's profession of faith. The chapel for intimate meetings, the Salle des Hospices for large-scale events, the glass-roofed inner courtyard for VIP cocktails: the Hermitage Gantois has a total of seven lounges ranging from 20 to 200 m², accommodating from 10 to 300 people.
As a key player in the Lille hotel industry, is Covivio planning to further strengthen its position in the city? " We will already be relaunching the renovated hotels and finalising the works programme for the others. We will then see if any new investment opportunities arise.t", Sébastien de Courtivron. This is all the more important given that the city has a total of 110 hotels with some 8,000 rooms, including more than fifty within the city itself, Lille's hotel industry is showing definite dynamism. According to the 2024 business hotel barometer published by CDS and MKG, the city recorded one of the highest occupancy rates among French cities, with 71% last year, up 2 points, for an average price of 140 euros, an increase of 3%.
These attractive results no doubt explain the arrival in the city of new hotels and new brands. Yesterday there was a Mama Shelter between the two stations, an Okko hotel on the site of the former Galeries Lafayette, at 31 rue de Béthune, and last year an Edgar Suites apartment-hotel in the ShAKe complex, designed by architect Philippe Chiambaretta in the Euralille business district. Today, it's Oceania's turn to enter the city. Soon it will be the turn of the long-stay brand Residence Inn by Marriott, expected this year within the walls of the former Citadines, or the new-generation youth hostels Babel Community, both projects supported by investor Extendam.
Looking further ahead, at the end of 2026, a hotel Villa M has been announced for the 51 Nationale programme, as part of the sustainable redevelopment of Société Générale's former regional headquarters into a 4-star hotel complex. Designed by Alzua+, the hotel will offer more than 80 rooms and, in keeping with the concept that has already appeared in Paris, will combine well-being, sport and health.
The city's heritage, more recent than the Hermitage Gantois or the Couvent des Minimes, could also be put to good use to create new establishments, with the conversion of the courthouse or the cité administrative into a hospitality centre being mooted among other possibilities. One thing is certain in this context: the emblematic building of its business district, Euralille TowerIn addition to a new generation of offices, it will also house a 185-room three-star hotel.
Presented at the recent MIPIM trade fair in Cannes, the project is being led by Bouygues Construction subsidiary Linkcity and Christian de Portzamparc, the original architect of the boot-shaped building that travellers recognise when they arrive at Lille Europe station. With the latest energy performance standards and Breeam Excellent certification in its sights, Euralille's flagship tower is set to take on a new, contemporary look, bringing life to its 19 storeys. At the very top, perched at more than 110 metres, a panoramic restaurant 100 seats on the top floor. First bookings expected by 2028.
