Green seminars so far away, so close to Paris: that's what two Accor-branded hotels in the Paris region are offering. So far away - Everything is relative, since the hotel can be reached in less than an hour from Montparnasse station - with the Castel Maintenon, so close with the Domaine de la Reine Margot, in Issy-Les-Moulineaux. at the end of metro line 12.
The hotel, affiliated to the MGallery brand, has rapidly become a hot spot for business travellers since it opened in autumn 2023. The only five-star hotel in southern ParisThe hotel is located close to the Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, as well as a number of head offices, and has a regular clientele as a result.
" Coca-Cola, TF1, Warner Bros, Bouygues Immobilier, Capgemini: all these companies are not far away and take their customers to lunch in pleasant surroundings, with valet parking for added convenience.explains Nelly Quenon, Marketing and Sales Director of Domaine de la Reine Margot MGallery. En parallel, we also have partnerships with around twenty companies to provide accommodation for their employees." . The unostentatious luxury This 83-room and suite hotel also appeals to a diplomatic clientele for its discreet nature, with the proximity of the Ministry of Defence and the Balard heliport adding the possibility of rapid extractions.
But alongside this individual clientele, the hotel has also established itself as a destination of choice for MICE events, mainly for executive or management committees. " We weren't expecting so many" says Nelly Quenon. However, the Domaine de la Reine Margot has two major attractions for organisers: its a green setting - a vast listed garden planted with vegetables and fruit trees with a view of the Eiffel Tower - and its long history.
Home to the seminaries of the priests of Saint Sulpice for four centuries, and at one time the residence of Queen Marguerite de Valois, the mansion retains the charm of its past. monastic past a special atmosphere. This is reflected in the refined design created by Jean-Michel Wilmotte for the new building housing most of the bedrooms, and is also evident in the historic pavilion housing the three meeting rooms. The Agastache lounge in particular, with its exposed beams, stone wall and high ceilings, is ideal for events for 12 to 30 people. The contemporary-style Sarriette and Mélisse rooms can accommodate between 6 and 16 people.
But the special feature of the Domaine de la Reine Margot's MICE offer lies in its neo-gothic chapel of the XIXe century. A rum bar at the weekend, this desecrated place of prayer, decorated with stained glass windows and restored sculptures, can be made private during the week for cocktails or intimate meetings for up to 14 people. Garden partiesIn fine weather, the hotel becomes a vast playground for sustainable events, with team-building activities including terrarium creation, CSR escape games and a "garden to plate" cookery workshop.
Focused on smaller seminars, the hotel can also accommodate larger groups thanks to its a partnership with NidaA brand-new conference centre just a five-minute walk away, offering participants a 100-person plenary room and several other rooms for sub-committees.
From green to big green
From green to lush green, from the wife of Henri IV to the secret wife of Louis XIV, from one Accor group collection to another: a number of links have been forged between the MGallery Domaine de la Reine Margot and the Castel Maintenon, in Eure-et-Loir, a direct neighbour of the château of the Sun King's favourite. Bought in 2023 by the hotel operator and owner Atypio, this hotel has been completely redesigned last year After six months of renovation work, it joined the Handwritten collection, before recently moving closer to the Mercure chain. " We reopened for the seminar season in June 2024. Groups were delighted to find a brand new venue." explains Morgane Philippe, the school's assistant manager.
A welcoming home with Alsace as a common thread. Traditional earthenware, an oven that gives off the smell of pretzels and flammekueches at the end of the day, a wine list featuring Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir: all of this echoes the region where Jérôme Schibler, one of the founders of Atypio, used to spend his family holidays. Other touches, in a 'return from the hunt' style, are reminiscent of the neighbouring château.
Transformed during the Renaissance, with 17th-century facades, thee in the time of Madame de Maintenon before further changes in the 19th century.eDamaged during the Second World War, this property belonging to the de Noailles family can now be used as a museum. historical support for events organised at the hotelThe château's interior is not suitable for MICE events. While the château's interiors are not suitable for MICE events, the formal garden can be hired out for cocktails in fine weather, ideal for group photos.
Organisers have a wide choice of team-building and cultural activities to combine with their seminars, with the main attractions being the proximity of an 18-hole golf course or the visit to Chartres cathedral20 km away. In return, the hotel can also count on the city's competitiveness cluster, the cosmetics industry, to host study days for the companies present.
But with easy access from both Orly airport and Montparnasse station, its business also relies on Parisian customers as well as international groups. With its 78 roomsThe Mercure Maintenon can accommodate residential seminars ranging from a few participants to around a hundred people, including six suites and a 110-seat restaurant. The MICE area, organised around a foyer and equipped with the latest technology, consists of a 220 m² plenary halland three 30 m² sub-commission rooms.
To ensure unity of place, time and action, the hotel can also make its own proposals for activities between cocktails and barbecue evenings on the terraceIn the summer, you can also enjoy an aperitif with a game of ping pong or pétanque. Or, when the weather doesn't lend itself to it, murder parties or indoor games evenings, or even oenology courses for 12 privileged people in the tasting room provided for this purpose.
While the establishment has taken steps to obtain the Green Key label, the hotel can also draw on one of its owner's special features to give its events a special touch. dominant CSR. Now that Atypio Hotel Experience has acquired the Agripolis urban farms, the hotel will be able to use the one that will be installed in its garden for activities based on the vegetable garden-to-plate theme introduced in its A l'Epicerie catering concept. Among other responsible team building activities.
