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Barrière puts its stamp on Paris and La Baule "When I say renovation, I don’t mean a patch-up job"

Le Fouquet's in Paris and L'Hermitage in La Baule are 2 of the Barrière Group’s 18 prestigious hotels. Renovation work lasting just a few months has enhanced their timeless modernity whilst remaining true to their original ambiance, spirit and soul.

There is one rule in the luxury hotel business that President of the Barrière Group Dominique Desseigne is at pains to remind us of: "Every ten years or so you have to see if there is anything that isn’t up to scratch (or worse) in terms of guest comfort. And when I say renovation, I obviously don’t mean a patch-up job!" Decoration, lighting, ambiance, features, technology and digital services – the quality and discreet, efficient “performance” of a 5-star service offered in an environment offering every amenity. Be exacting, but don’t take yourself too seriously: that’s the essence of the Barrière brand.

Le Fouquet's on the Champs Elysées

"The soul of Paris at a single address"

 

After a very quiet Revolution, Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet's is proud to announce its new project in Paris: on the Champs Elysées. Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet's has taken over a floor (vacated office space) above the historic dining room of Fouquet's Restaurant. By the end of 2018, there will be 19 additional room "keys", some with a view of the Arc de Triomphe.  In the meantime, painstaking work to knock through walls, creating access between the area recorded on the fiercely protected list of Monuments Historiques and the new rooms, forced the celebrated Brasserie to close for a short period – but it is now open again.  Jacques Garcia, the interior designer in charge of this unique project, went for a modern look – and the gamble paid off. His materials? "Space, volume and light." His aim? "In strict order: conviviality, comfort and elegance." Warm and cosy. The walls of the Hôtel Le Fouquet's are in the pure Haussmanian style. They were modern for their day when they were built back in the 19th century – and the Barrière Group is keen for the new modern style to be in perfect harmony with the one hailing from the 19th century. Interviewed in the Fouquet's magazine at the start of spring, Jacques Garcia confided: "There is no continuity without momentum. But momentum doesn’t mean turning things upside down or - worse - the kind of devastation that kills public areas or listed buildings".

In a nutshell: renewal yes, but without too much fuss. As he sees it, the new floor "isn’t a simple add-on or enlargement but a contribution to a place. Like a door that hasn’t been opened yet".

 

Fouquet's already offers 101 rooms – rising to 120 by the end of 2018. Le Fouquet's is more alive than it’s ever been: the soul of Paris at a single address, its own address.

L'Hermitage in La Baule

The Atlantic in cosy comfort

 

Looking out over the Atlantic Ocean, Hôtel L'Hermitage proudly flies the flag of the Barrière Group. Almost a hundred years old, it is now the watchword to well-being, comfort and elegance – and a proud homage to the Atlantic Ocean stretching before it as far as the eye can see.

 

It has stood as the symbol of the Barrière Group’s unique approach since 1926. Today, with 200 Guest Rooms and Suites overlooking the sea, L'Hermitage expresses a simple modern style – saluting the Atlantic waves with its delicate architecture, timbered design and wooden balconies painted in “fisherman’s” red. Overlooking one of the most beautiful natural bays in Europe, it is one of the very few 5-star hotels to offer guests direct access to the sea and sand of La Baule’s spectacular beach. Horses gallop there early every morning 365 days of the year - come low or high tide.

 

Now only just over 3 hours from Paris by TGV, La Baule-L'Hermitage isn’t just a brief “port of call” in the Barrière portfolio: it’s the place to be. Decorator and interior designer Chantal Peyrat has brought a warm glow to this seaside colossus with its charming bricks, stone and wood, housing its Lobby, Les Evens bar, garden, Grand Café, Guest Rooms and Suites, balconies and the Spa Diane Barrière. President of the Barrière Group Dominique Desseigne refers to L'Hermitage as an “emblem”, and he often adds the word "splendour". Whatever – surrounded by the Resort Barrière La Baule, rubbing shoulders with the Royal and the Castel Marie Louise, L'Hermitage lives on, sharing its life with its many guests of yesterday, today and tomorrow.