On the famous Place d’Erlon, in the city center of Reims (Marne), four beautiful aligned buildings adjoin the Hôtel de la Paix. Tight lines, decorated with geometric or vegetable patterns, sculptures or friezes. Houses rebuilt after the war in the purest art deco style. Unoccupied for several months, they have been being rehabilitated and will create a new wing, as part of a takeover by the Hôtel de la Paix. By 2027, fifteen new rooms and a spa will be installed between these walls, for a total area of 1,700 m2. An extension that goes hand in hand with the results and ambitions displayed by this high -end establishment.
The latest figures for the tourism report in the Grand Est, unveiled on March 20, show how luxury hotels succeeds in doing well, a few years after the crisis linked to the COVVID. In 2024, the turnover of hoteliers in the region thus increased 4 %, with the best performances recorded in Strasbourg, Colmar and Reims. For high -end establishments only, the figure is even 5 %.
In the city of the coronations, the Hôtel de la Paix, with its 163 rooms, is one of those who have surfed on the effect of the Olympic Games. “We have a product that works well, because we have made a lot of investment in recent years,” said Antoine Renardia, Managing Director of the Hôtel de la Paix. Investments that prove to be paid. “Reims welcomed several sports delegations on the sidelines of the Olympic Games. So we have hosted many British athletes. We made a very beautiful summer. Then last week we received a hotel prize in Cannes, for our renovated lobby in 2024, “he said.
Airbnb, “indicator of tourism vitality”
In parallel, Airbnb housing continues to extend into the Grand Reims. In 2024, nearly 500 new dwellings were put on the market. “For us, this is an indicator of tourism vitality. We remain vigilant and communities must be made aware, because some can buy whole buildings to install Airbnb rentals, “underlines Antoine Renardias. Another perverse effect: a possible increase in the price of real estate and empty housing out of season. Reims is not yet in this configuration, rather observed in large cities like Lyon or Bordeaux.
So does the city of Reims are delighted to see 4 buildings rehabilitated by a hotel establishment, rather than by a private lessor? “In all cases, the architect of the buildings of France will have his say, because we are on facades representative of reconstruction,” insists Nathalie Miravete, assistant to the mayor delegated to town planning. “It is a question of supervising and not of preventing doing work. This heritage is very atypical but does not benefit from a classification. »»
As part of the remarkable heritage site in the city center, an architecture and heritage valuation plan (PVAP) has therefore been initiated, since 2020, by the city of Reims to protect this building. A large part of the houses and buildings neighboring the Place d’Erlon were thus identified to benefit from this protection.