In mid-summer, the public body responsible for the Château de Versailles launched a call for tenders to convert three buildings - the Grand Contrôle, designed by Mansart, the Petit Contrôle and the "pavillon des premières cent marches" - which line the Orangerie, into a hotel. These former administrative premises, once used by the Ministry of Defence, have been unoccupied for almost a decade, and the Château de Versailles is looking to give them a new function. The idea of a top-of-the-range hotel in Versailles, a sort of Grand Siècle version of Parador, is not new. As long ago as 2010, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, President of the public institution and former Minister of Culture, launched an initial call for tenders, but it only concerned the Grand Contrôle building. Faced with the prospect of having to make a profit from just over 20 rooms, the operator selected at the time, Ivy International, finally threw in the towel. More than ten million euros worth of work is included in the invitation to tender, notably for the roof and furnishings, with the metamorphosis obviously being supervised by architects of French monuments. According to the Journal du Dimanche, AccorHotels is one of the interested candidates. Once the tender is successful, the operator will be granted a 60-year concession.
