Côte d’Azur; The biggest hotel boutique business

WITH THREE SMALL CHILDREN AND THE BEST BUSINESS PARTNER IN THE WORLD, HER OWN HUSBAND, SHE MOVED FROM CHAMPAGNE TO START A BUSINESS.

Life is full of surprises and so sometimes a complete coincidence is behind the birth of a wonderful interview. 

Antibes is close to my heart, it is one of the most beautiful places on the French Riviera and at the same time, one of the biggest harbours in Europe. After the luxurious Monaco, a couple of days off suited me well. I chose a hotel on Booking randomly and I admit that I just had to prolong the reservation as I didn’t want to leave. I asked the manager to set up a meeting with the proprietor regarding the interview, and to my huge surprise the next day, a totally natural French woman with a mind-blowing smile was waiting for me at the reception to agree on how we were going to be dressed to match with one another and with the settings. At that time, I had no idea what a magical business was hiding behind that beautiful, elegant, and natural lady. Enjoy the pleasant interview with the proprietor of La Villa Port d’Antibes & Spa. Maybe, you will get inspired ….

 

 

Me: Stephanie, please tell me who has helped you with the design of the entire hotel, I have to say that this marvellous place has enchanted me. I love comfort and at the same time its functional simplicity, as well as the perfect combination of history with designer modernity and playful colours. Everything is harmonised in a sensitive and tailored fashion. The French possess a perfect sense of design, but still this place has, on top of that, a great energy! How did it all come into being? 

Stephanie: Thank you very much Ivana, I am truly delighted that you feel good with us and you perceive the positive energy as well as our hard work, that was exactly our aim… Please, forgive my English. Nobody helped me with the design, I created it all on my own, having searched for inspiration and ideas from the best suppliers with whom we already have had a good experience. Each floor of the hotel has its own name along with a thematic match, that should evoke traveling around the world. My husband and I put a great emphasis on detail and quality. I chose only the best of the best. After many years in the hotel industry, we already had experience with what the clients like. We do not run the business for money, we simply love the hotel industry and it has been our life for 15 years …. Basically, we were building this hotel for 3 years, meticulously fine-tuning everything, and after the completion, the quarantine and Covid-19 came into play. 

Me: You mentioned that you are in business for many years and have experience from other hotels, right? How did you come up with this idea?  Do you work together with your husband, or do you have a family?

Stephanie: My husband and I come from Champagne, where our entire family lives. One day I told myself that I had to change my life, I just felt that this was not my journey, my husband was amazing and supported me in everything. And in 15 days we packed our suitcases and moved to Nice, at that time also with a 3-year-old son. We started from scratch, we submitted a business plan to the bank, we received a loan and started building our dream. We built the first hotel, I will never forget it, it was incredibly strenuous. But we divided up the tasks with my husband, we complement each other perfectly. My husband has a talent for financial planning, marketing and processing the necessary permits, and I am in charge of staff and design. Of course, when something goes wrong, or doesn’t work we have to be on alert 24/7….and a lot of laughter. Hopefully, we will take a break after this last hotel. 

Me: Wow, so do you have children and more hotels? How is it possible that you still look so positive and amazingly calm, I have noticed a great respect for the employees for the work as well as for you, in your quality of owners. I just could not resist doing a little research about the services in this hotel which are at a very high level, as if each employee was working for himself. 

Stephanie: Thank you for this precious praise and will deliver it to employees, I am happy that we have finally opened our doors and have great reviews, I see that it all makes sense. In total, we have 5 hotels, 2 in Nice, 1 in Cannes and 2 here in Antibes and have 3 sons … a hearty laugh. One is 19 years old and studies business in London and you could see him at breakfast, he is helping us over the holidays. The second is 16 and the last is 5.

Me: Now my laugh …. I just cannot believe that you manage all this and at the same time look absolutely natural, feminine and positive …

Stephanie: I’m still the same person as 15 years ago, nothing has changed, except that we have a bit more worries. I still meet friends over a coffee, or a glass of excellent wine and my greatest relaxation is reading a book on the terrace and just chilling out. My husband and I are making our dream come true, it is not the dream of our sons, it is our dream, our love and I will be happy for my sons to choose exactly what they enjoy, they don’t have to love what we love. I am happy ,although we work 24/7. Last year, my husband and I agreed to spend 2 family days every week for the whole family to be together. It’s awesome that we did it, but it is also very important for the family. We perfectly complement each other, what he knows, I don´t, and vice versa. Although I sleep a maximum of 4-5 hours a day, it’s worth it….

A beautiful Frenchwoman of amazing humility and beautiful energy, whom I thank for the fascinating interview. She is strong and at the same time an amazing inspiration for every woman and Le Globless, because she is super strong woman leader.

How can all of this be combined – business, fulfilling one’s dream and at the same time remaining a feminine, strong, loving woman and mother, I am wondering….

Thank you for beautiful moments and inspirational interview.