Crossed perspectives: owner operator and property developer. With Pascal Donat, Chairman of Valotel and Arnaud Nigoghossian, Sales Director of the Hotel and Luxury Residential Division at Bouygues Construction. When the evolution of the hotel world places the owner-operator and the builder at the centre of societal changes.

Pascal Donat, Chairman of the Valotel France group, deciphers the history of the Valotel group, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2023, through the major phases in the evolution of the hotel sector and customer expectations.

Since 1973, the world has changed and the hotel industry has evolved. At that time, the hotel industry was functional and modern, adapted to a middle class of boomers, fully satisfied by what the chain hotel industry of the time was offering. The concepts were simple, with a reduced catering offer, renovation to the minimum, and a search for profitability through efficiency.

Now, in 2021, hotels are frequented by a wider spectrum of generations, including a younger clientele, looking for a less formal and more experiential hotel experience. Satisfaction criteria are now linked to the quality of the restaurant offer, wellness facilities, living spaces and design efforts.

Valotel's hotel development is built according to the adage of "FIB for Few Is Beautiful"; taking the time to imagine each new hotel, limiting the number of openings to favour projects with successful concepts.

For Arnaud Nigoghossian, Director of Development Europe at Bouygues, taking time is also an essential practice for any development because "the problems of building a structure are long". Also, the success of a hotel project lies in the relationship between the operator and the developer, and this must be established sufficiently far in advance to ensure that it runs smoothly.

In addition to changes in the hotel market and consumer expectations, the operator is also on the lookout for changes in the city of tomorrow, as they shape the context in which the hotel will be located. "We don't build a hotel for two years, but for a much longer period of time."

Watch the video to see all of their discussions.(In .French)

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