
The authorities running the world-famous former French King Palace have launched a call for tender to develop and operate a new 2,800 m² hotel located inside the royal domain, in 3 buildings that were in need for renovation works.
These buildings are currently closed to the public and shall be renovated before being converted into a hotel: according to Versailles' estimates, the mere renovation of the walls & roof would cost from €4 to €7 million. Indeed, the ceiling of the "Grand Contrôle" building collapsed in 2004 due to failing maintenance and a lack of heating... This had led the Versailles management to launch a first call for bids in 2010, for a 23-room boutique hotel located in the "Grand Contrôle", but the project was later abandoned.
With this new design gathering together 3 historic buildings and a much larger floor area, Versailles seems to have higher ambitions and presumably seek to bring top-seed international investors and hotel operators to the "Château". The aspiring elite will have a limited time to court them: the call for tender expires on September 14, 2015.
