" We never imagined we'd be receiving so many business travellers "Clément Gohin, General Manager of Les Lumières à Versailles, is almost surprised by the appeal of his hotel to corporate clients. Indeed, almost the closest neighbour to the château, and rivalling in this respect the the congress centre On the other side of Place d'Armes, this five-star establishment inaugurated in October 2024 is obviously ideally located to offer a Grand Siècle stay to visiting tourists. However, many companies have quickly become accustomed to passing through its doors for one-off events, residential seminars or even privatisations.
The proximity of the headquarters of General Electric, Thales, Safran and Dassault, as well as easy access from La Défense and the HEC business school for executives on MBA courses, are just some of the factors that have made this boutique hotel with 31 rooms and suites a popular venue for accommodation, meetings and events. At the same time, the use of the Château de Versailles for prestigious events, Choose France in the first instance, but also those organised by numerous companies, notably the luxury brands of the LVMH group, one of the major patrons of the Château, adds to the attractiveness of the establishment for business stays.
" From an initial estimate of 10% of business customers, this has now risen to 30%. "says a pleasantly surprised Clément Gohin. And probably more in the future. While the hotel currently has a large room that can accommodate up to 120 people and a small room for confidential board meetings, it will be expanding its range in response to demand. Occupying part of the ground floor, the Pierre Hermé boutique will be converted early next year into a venue for meals and meetings.
Recently awarded a Michelin star, Les Lumières has added a new five-star hotel to the Versailles hotel offering. And it does so in a way that distinguishes it from the Grand Contrôle, which is more geared towards wealthy tourists and re-enacts the century of Louis XIV with its staff in period livery, and the Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace, which has a much larger capacity, in addition to its 15 reception rooms and lounges.
More cosy, this boutique hotel is housed in two pavilions donated by Louis XIV to the Colbert family and Antoine III de Gramont. These two pavilions have had other lives in recent decades, with one or other of them hosting the Michelin-starred restaurant Les Trois Marches, a Taverne de Maître Kanter and a hotel, the Hôtel de France. As well as being the location for the film Les Sous-doués pass their baccalaureate.
Less light-hearted, its present form required four years of work to bring the two pavilions together and create an elegant, contemporary atmosphere in this historic setting, with the names of the rooms - Diderot, Marivaux, Rousseau and Lavoisier - recalling the Age of Enlightenment. Completed last year, this project was initiated by the Martel family, who head up the Caravelle investment group, owners of companies such as Belambra or Visionix, but also behind the 2L Collection hotel group.
In addition to this Versailles hotel, the collection includes four other establishments, all top-of-the-range, with one four-star, the Atmosphères in Paris, near the Panthéon, and three five-star hotels: another Paris hotel, the Cinq Codet, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, and the Atmosphères in Paris.e arrondissement; the Château d'Audrieu in Normandy, near Bayeux; and the Château de Fonscolombe, not far from Aix-en-Provence.
All three are members of Relais & Chateaux, as is the Hôtel Les Lumières, and share the same sense of hospitality for seminars and events, and a boutique positioning, from the 29 rooms at Château d'Audrieu to the 67 keys at Cinq Codet and the fifty or so rooms at Château de Fonscolombe.
While the 35 m² Caravelle room at Cinq Codet is ideal for board meetings in Paris, the other two are designed for seminars and incentive breaks in the great outdoors, with team-building activities. These can take place on their own estates - a château set amidst the vines at Fonscolombe or a 25-hectare park at Audrieu - or outdoors, such as a hike on Mont Sainte-Victoire or a guided tour of the D-Day landing beaches. As for Les Lumières, the Château de Versailles offers an invaluable playground...
