The Lagardère group recently announced its intention to enter the hospitality sector with two new concepts based on its flagship magazine Elle: Maison Elle and Elle Hôtel. Maison Elle will open its doors next fall, near the Arc de Triomphe. With 25 rooms, a suite and a spa, it intends to embody “the French Art de vivre” through links with the city, fashion and culture, and talks with inspiring women. As for the Elle Hotel, its opening is, for now, only planned in Mexico. The establishment will be marked by environmental protection and sustainability through collaborations with local female talents, creators and designers.
This news underlines the economic weight of tourism, the new manna able of reinvigorating businesses that struggle to seduce, restaurants tempted into takeaways as well as whole neighborhoods. And too bad if the price to pay is the loss of their identity. Tourists have become the ultimate group to cherish. It has become common to find stores and restaurants made exclusively to appeal to them. Without local roots or authenticity, but conforming to what they are looking for. Fake real breweries, fake old stores or products, fake stories… Some streets of the French capital have already been largely Disneyized.