Despite a month of June impacted by preparations for the Olympic Games, Vacances Bleues saw a significant increase in business for its Business segment in 2024. Out of a total turnover of €80m for the hosting company in its 2024 financial year, which has just ended, the events business accounted for €11.5m, an increase of 22% compared with 2023. And the outlook for 2025 looks promising, with growth expected to be higher than in previous years. " Vacances Bleues has always been involved in Mice because our hotels, residences and clubs have sufficient accommodation capacity and rooms, but this activity has developed since the end of Covid. This dynamic is part of a boom in professional events in France, amplified by an interest in incentives, seminars and conventions in high added-value venues." says Franck Noël, Sales and Marketing Director of the Marseille-based group, which was founded in 1971.
In addition to the companies need to re-motivate their teams in the wake of the pandemiche attributes this request to CSR concerns which benefit nearby destinations accessible by train. " Lastly, our no-frills offer is in line with market expectations, based on quality services at affordable, all-inclusive prices." he stresses. And he insists: " With the advantage for the company of dealing directly with our teams without going through an intermediary such as an agency." .
The Parisian hotel Villa Modigliani soon to receive 4-star status
As a result, MICE can account for 20% to 30% of the turnover of several of its twenty or so 3* or 4* sites, such as the Jardin de l'Atlantique near Les Sables d'Olonne, which has 135 3* rooms and 13 halls, including a plenary hall for 400 people. On the strength of these results, Vacances Bleues continues renovation of its establishments and move upmarket the equipment in its rooms. " Our aim is to provide a fluid, modern experience for both face-to-face and hybrid events. We digitalise our tools with connected touch screens, video and technological solutions that enable exchanges between rooms." explains Franck Noël. In terms of accommodation, the first investments were made in the two Paris hotels considered to be "native seminar hotels". Following the renovation in 2023 of the Provinces Opéra at Bonne Nouvelle (10th arrondissement), whose 113 rooms (and 5 meeting rooms for 95 people) remain classified as 3-star, Vacances Bleues is now tackling the renovation of the Villa Modigliani (101 rooms and 8 meeting rooms for up to 80 people), which will soon boast a 4-star rating in the Montparnasse district. This winter in Biarritz, the tourist accommodation operator is also updating the 118 flats of the Grand Large, a 3-star residence with 5 meeting rooms (for up to 130 people). " We have a real desire to develop the MICE business in Biarritz following this work." Franck Noël hopes.
Promoting winter seminars in the mountains
Vacances Bleues has other large-capacity sites dedicated to events. First and foremost is Le Splendid, located in the heart of Dax, 3 hours 20 minutes from Paris by TGV and 1 hour 15 minutes from Bordeaux. This emblematic Art Deco building boasts 146 4-star rooms, 14 function rooms for up to 130 people, a 435-seat auditorium and a superb thalassotherapy centre. On the Mediterranean, the group can count on the facilities of the 3* Plein Sud club in Hyères (3 rooms including 2 plenary rooms for up to 200 people) and the Royal in Nice (140 rooms and 5 plenary rooms for up to 400 people). With a strong presence in the Alps, it also pushes its seminars in the mountains. The first of these is L'Eden des Cimes, a 142-room 3-star hotel in Belle Plagne which reopened last December after a complete renovation. Equipped with 6 meeting rooms, the hotel benefits from its location close to the resort's conference centre, which can accommodate 390 participants. Before the summer, Vacances Bleues finally took over the Castel Luberon near Apt, a 3* hotel with 150 rooms and room for 200 people. Other projects are in the pipeline and may be unveiled shortly. " We're looking at sites on the Atlantic coast because of the presence of three economically dynamic cities - Rennes, Nantes and Bordeaux - as well as the very rich fabric of small and medium-sized businesses in the Vendée" says Franck Noël. A number of towns in France that would make it possible to combine urban tourism and MICE are finally on the Vacances Bleues roadmap. Stay tuned...
