Guest room at Hotel L ’ Alpaga in Megève |
|||
|
Beaumier CEO Eric Dardé says the mission today is to first grow from15 to 20 hotels . “ We moved out from France , and this is a big thing we ’ re very excited about ,” Dardé says . “ We will extend into Italy , Spain , Portugal , and United Kingdom through acquisitions .”
Dardé says Beaumier would like to find a few new deals a year and having KSL as an owner gives his group an edge . “ We can be quicker than many of our competitors – we have the capital ,” he says . “ Also , sellers here want to understand who they are working with , and people trust us . They can see the sum total years we have been doing this and how we care about the
|
hotels . The strength we have is who we are .”
Another portfolio acquisition similar to the Wengen deal is possible , as well , Dardé adds . In the meantime , it will focus on making a sizeable investment to reposition the new assets from 3-star to 5-star . Getting his groove back That level of comfort wasn ’ t always there for Dardé , who spent many years with Accor and fell out of love with his work when he moved away from operations . So , he made a career change and began with Les Hotels d ’ en Haut when it had but one hotel . With an entrepreneurial mindset , the group grew to eight properties and Dardé
|
says he found his passion for hospitality once again .
When KSL bought the group in 2019 , Dardé , a bit reluctantly at first , decided to stay on and came to realize they were the right sponsor for the group . “ They have an entrepreneurial mindset , and they know about leisure and tourism ,” Dardé says . “ They are really open minded . So , it makes my life very easy . And then , they have a lot of capital .”
Growth aside , Dardé is back operating hotels and doing so at a time of great challenge . Business has been up and down through the past winter and early spring , but if the rebound continues and COVID is kept at bay ,
|
summer business looks outstanding with occupancies that were projected to top 80 % as the portfolio attracts business from its core markets of France , U . K ., U . S . and Benelux . “ We have twice more bookings [ for summer ] than we ’ ve had . People want to travel ; they want a break .”
Fortunately , the Beaumier portfolio , which has an average rate of € 650 across the portfolio , is set up to meet evolving demand attached to beautiful natural environments where guests can reconnect with themselves , family and friends . “ When you come to us in Provence , you will discover Provence ,” Dardé explains . “ We only work with
|
10 hotelsmag . com July / August 2022 |