It’s been so long since he wrote the check that he can’t even remember the date. At the head of the Legendre construction group, Vincent Legendre bought “in 2011 or 2012” the former regional headquarters of the Banque Populaire de l’Ouest with the support of real estate developer Blot. Located on the edge of the very famous Place des Lices, the group of buildings saw the bank’s employees move at the end of 2014.
Since that date, the place has remained desperately empty, without this disturbing the historic center of Rennes. “The inhabitants may have the impression that this site is slow. It is because there was a gigantic project to be carried out! It is a complex structure, a stack of constructions from different eras, ”continues Vincent Legendre. Here, brick mixes with half-timbered frames, earth and straw insulation, stones, steel and concrete. “It is a titanic project, a real headache, in particular to harmonize the different levels”, concedes Anaïs Ménard, the director of the program.
In a year and a half, however, the place will be transformed. A 119-room hotel, the largest in the Breton capital, will be set up there. But not only ! The courtyard will house food shops, the Place de la Trinité will host a brasserie and the highest floors will be reserved for a panoramic restaurant and a rooftop bar. “It will be a hybrid place where we can drink, eat, walk and sleep. Our ambition is for residents of Rennes and travelers to make it their own, for it to become a mixed lifestyle place ”, summarizes Jean-Baptiste Martin, co-founder of Suitcase Hospitality, which will operate the premises.
Here is the view from the future largest hotel in #Rennes which opens directly onto the Place des Lices. Worn by the group @LegendreImmo , the program occupies the former regional headquarters of Banque Populaire de #Brittany pic.twitter.com/JSD0kZrdG7
– 20 Minutes Rennes (@ 20minutesrennes) October 5, 2021
Supported by the Legendre group and the For Bzh group created by Samsic boss Christian Roulleau, the investment is colossal. How much ? Nobody wanted to tell us, but we are talking about tens of millions of euros. “It’s very high”, comments soberly Christian Roulleau, yet used to handling this kind of sum. To operate the buildings, local investors decided to call on the Rennes-based company Suitcase Hospitality, which itself entrusted the management of the hotel to the Mama Shelter brand.
“For us, a hotel is something other than rooms”
Founded by former Club Med Serge Trigano and designer Philippe Starck, this small hotel chain presents an innovative concept. Rather than privatizing spaces for its customers only, Mama Shelter opens up to the city in which it is established by setting up bars and restaurants with annual sales exceeding six million euros. “For us, a hotel is more than just rooms. In our establishments, 60% of turnover is generated by catering and 40% by the hotel industry. It is the opposite of our competitors, ”explains founder Serge Trigano.
In the premises which cover 11,000 m², the future 4-star hotel will therefore not be alone. About ten food shops will be present in the courtyard, on rue de la Monnaie, but also on the side of the Place des Lices, famous for its market and its student parties. The set will be open on three sides to facilitate the movement of the curious. The address, one of the closest to the new Couvent des Jacobins convention center, dreams of attracting business customers. But also to settle among the places that count in the dynamic regional capital. The opening is scheduled for early 2023. Note that 80 to 120 people are expected to work there. Recruitment should start next summer.