Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet The next chapter of a modern-day story

Le Touquet’s Hôtel Le Westminster has a story to tell. From the frills of the roaring twenties to the charm of the glamour years where actors, writers and artists from around the world lived for the day, leaving their Parisian abode behind for a time. It was the thirties, forties and fifties. Today – despite the current circumstances and the unprecedented worldwide health restrictions - "Le West" wants you to be a part of this story’s next chapter.

In 1924, it was all about being modern. Pre-empting not conforming. This is how "Hôtel Le Westminster" came about in Le Touquet. Its architect, Auguste Bluysen (1868-1952) – who would later create the bold façade of Le Grand Rex cinema in Paris – was one of the many "magician-like builders" of 1900’s Universal Exhibition pavilions, where he learnt to adopt a sense of the unexpected, with improvisation and speed. Eight months. That’s how long it took, 24 years later, to build the imposing Westminster, from the foundations to the roof. An exceptional art deco work site, with teams of bricklayers working in shifts 24/7, vast projectors installed like Hollywood film sets to light the scaffolding at night, the most exacting standards of plumbing and electrical installations... Modernity is not just a random thought, it’s actually doing it that counts.

If truth be told, Bluysen was not a great fan of the Anglo-French style that the "West’s" investors were keen for him to follow, so he cut a few corners. But he liked the idea that the vast hotel entrusted to him would bear the name of Constance Edwina Cornwallis, Duchess of Westminster (1876-1970), wife of Arthur Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster. A forward-thinking aristocrat with an inquisitive mind, the Duchess of Westminster was a resolutely modern woman, who didn’t like anything too flashy but who was committed to her undertakings. When the First World War began, Lady Westminster crossed the Channel and "did the job", as she put it by setting up a military hospital inside Le Touquet’s requisitioned casino to care for wounded British soldiers, or "Tommies" as they were affectionately known, behind the Somme deadly front line. She never spoke of it, but it was never forgotten.

Over the course of a century, being modern has meant opening up new horizons in each era. Which is exactly what interior designer Bruno Borrione set out to do in 2020 when Barrière entrusted him with the «re-enchantment» of Le West (newly opened since September 25th). Why Barrière? Because after having taken over from the Group’s founder François André, his nephew and successor - Lucien Barrière - purchased the spectacular West in the 1970’s. Although they would later part ways, the group reaquired it again a few years later, with the aim of setting the liner to sail once more. Fast forward to 2020, and Bruno Borrione has redesigned 104 new Rooms - including 8 Junior Suites and 1 Suite – through which a more contemporary art deco flows freely, respectfully combining standards and energies. Like with Barrière’s signature facilities such as the Nuxe Spa – 6 therapy rooms (including one double) for luxurious treatments; top-of-the-range techno-gym equipment for fitness sessions; and the Studio by Petit VIP, a world of child-friendly discoveries and games supervised by a qualified team of  professionals.

So what should we take away from almost a century of art deco? Live in the present. That is exactly what Hôtel Barrière Le Westminster Le Touquet is doing and invites you to do too. "Le West" is indeed a story…. And the next chapter is for you to write.