"Uniformity reassured travellers for a while, but today there is a very strong desire for personalisation. With our experience of cocktail bars and restaurants, we launched our hotel business based on two observations: the fact that in Paris, hotels were not the places to live and meet people as they can be in New York and, conversely, that there were few cocktail bars outside the palaces. So we were able to make a contribution by creating places that were accessible, beautiful and well-maintained, with lively bars and restaurants, unlike boutique hotels, which are often very attractive in terms of décor, but have no real communal areas. At the Grand Pigalle Hotel and Hôtel Grands Boulevards in Paris, and at the Henrietta in London, we have surprises in store for our guests. For example, Japanese whisky and homemade cocktails in the minibar, rather than 'cream pie' spirits. In the bathrooms, the products change every day. Instead of a Nespresso coffee machine, we have a special machine with capsules made by a roaster. Lots of little details that show that everything has been worked out."
Also in this dossier: Charming hotels: atmosphere – Interview with Mark Nogal, Global Head of the Curio Collection by Hilton
