Created in April 1981 by Jean-Louis Gazeau, on the outskirts of Nîmes, even before the creation of Ville Active, Nîmotel has thus gone through four decades disrupted by three crises, the most recent of which, the covid-19 pandemic, is was also the most striking.
April 1981. A month before the election of François Mitterrand as President of the Republic and the birth of Iker Casillas, former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper – who presented the trophy for the last World Cup – he opens a very special hotel, rue Claude -Nicolas Ledoux in Nîmes. A project carried out – in the future Ville Active district while the Accor group multiplied the creation of hotel establishments there – by an independent entrepreneur. A certain Jean-Louis Gazeau, former owner of the Hotel Michel, located opposite the Bar de l’Industrie.
Serge Sanchez and Jean-Louis Gazeau, this Monday evening at the Partage restaurant of the Nîmotel in Nîmes. • (Photo: RC)
“It was the time when we were developing on the periphery of the centres. Some cities continue in this direction, others backtrack“, says Serge Sanchez. 60 rooms, then 100, then 160 and finally 180 rooms in the 90s.”Nimotel it had become the largest hotel by number of rooms (the former region, ed) Languedoc-Roussillon“, he continues.
Nîmotel at 40 years
Nîmotel celebrated its 40th anniversary with great fanfare this Monday evening in the presence of more than 300 guests, including the creator of the hotel establishment, Jean-Louis Gazeau.
Originally from Mèze (Hérault), the man, former director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Nîmes, bought the hotel in 2001 located near the exit of the A9 motorway, on the Nîmes-Ouest side.I was 44, I didn’t have a ride. I signed a finance lease to finance the walls. As far as goodwill, Gazeau actually reached out to me and gave me credit for seven years.“, he recalls. At that time, the hotel had an occupancy rate of 70%. The clientele was divided into three categories: tour operator groups, mainly from Italy, VRPs and tourists. More than 20 years later, the situation has changed.
The Nîmotel was created 40 years ago by a certain Jean-Louis Gazeau, former hotelier and president of Nîmes Olympique. • (Photo: S.Ma)
The SAS Nîmotel company founded in 2005 by Serge Sanchez now has – and after the sale of the Imperator which he owned between 2010 and 2017 – four establishments: Les Vignes Blanches in Beaucaire, the C Suites **** next to the Nîmotel. The latter was divided into two in 2014, part of which (about 70 rooms) reserved for a B&B franchise. “This decision was made following the economic crisis. This has allowed us to complete our offer and to reach different types of customers.“, explains Serge Sanchez.
The SAS Nîmotel in chiffres
4 hotels: Les Vignes Blanches in Beaucaire, Nîmotel, B&B and C Suites in Nîmes. 2 restaurants: Le Partage, C Unik in Nîmes. 70 employees. 6.6 million euros in turnover in 2022.
From crisis to crisis, despite state aid, the covid-19 pandemic has impacted the hotel business. The company’s turnover has gone from 6 million euros in 2019 to 2.5 million euros in 2020 and 2021. For this year the balance sheet is quite positive with a turnover as well as the attendance rate, which varies in the four entities, estimated at between 60 and 75%, they are almost similar to the pre-crisis ones.
The Brandade restaurant which became Partage
During the two years mentioned above, Serge and his teams have not been idle. “We knew that after this crisis, things would never be the same. So we had to come up with an idea to boost our business by meeting customers’ expectations.“, adds Serge Sanchez.
The bar-restaurant, co-working space, Partage, opened its doors a year ago. • (Photo: S.Ma)
The choice fell on the renovation of the restaurant annexed to the Nîmotel, the former Brandade, which became Partage a year ago. Almost 700,000 euros have been invested to transform this place, described as “banal“, in a must in Nîmes, whatever the nature of the visit, even professional. Thanks to adequate equipment – desks equipped with sockets and USB port -, customers can work.
At the heart of this new decoration where glass mixes with brick and wood (mainly Cévennes chestnut), an island divided in two; on one side the bar, on the other a kitchen area with the Mibrasa charcoal oven which is the pride of the general manager. Outside, a guinguette area has been created near the swimming pool.
The garden of the Partage restaurant
Another transformation is underway, but in Beaucaire. The Les Vignes Blanches hotel is at the heart of a renovation project which includes the rooms, the swimming pool, the parking, the opening of the dining room onto the veranda, the development of a relaxation room in one of the wings of the establishment, the refreshments of the conference room as well as the entrance.
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Stephanie Marino
