For at least three hundred years, people from all over the world have travelled to Clermont-Ferrand to revel in and explore the volcanic beauty of the Chaîne des Puys, Auvergne’s trademark landscape of bucolic, emerald-green hills and pastures. The city has never been known for its hotels, but Auvergnat entrepreneurs Margaux Montel and Jean-Baptiste Gravier — founders of the Mess Family chain of restaurants and bars — are hoping to change that. The couple’s first hotel — the Grand Mess Clermont — will open its doors this July.
Featuring two restaurants, bars, terraces, and multiple spaces for seminars, concerts, and conferences, the Grand Mess will be a destination in and of itself, showcasing Mess Family’s chic approach to hospitality as well as what the company has called its dedication to “magic at the heart of everyday life”. Transatlantic studio Ateliers Saint-Lazare designed the hotel’s sleek interiors, which have a jet-setting aesthetic similar to the kind of glittering haunts one would find in certain corners of Paris or London.
“The Grand Mess Clermont-Ferrand is going to energise the region and offer a completely new hotel experience,” Mess Family’s team told me. “It’s going to be a great hangout place, an exceptional spot for music and diverse performances. In terms of location, the hotel is near Clermont’s airport, and at the same time it’s a great base for people to set out and discover the local natural attractions.”
Clermont’s Grand Mess will be the first in a series; future Mess Family hotels are also planned for Rouen and Lyon.
