Por its latest major investment in Marsac-sur-l'Isle, in Dordogne, the Saphores family announces a new concept, but very anchored in its beloved Périgord. A hotel “that will be out of the ordinary”, assures Thibault Peyrat-Saphores, the grandson.
With his mother Lynda and his grandmother Martine, the 27-year-old young man is investing more than 5 million euros in this future 61-room, four-star establishment, which should open in June 2025.
It is the last piece of the puzzle that they began to build four years ago, on two hectares of the exhibition center purchased from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. After the Want-you cabaret, the Le MurMur sports complex, the Sonepar company (industrial electrical equipment) and the Basic Fit sports hall, here is OstÒria, at the end of this area symbolically renamed Chrysalis Park.
“OstÒria is the contraction of hotel and history in Occitan,” explains Thibault Peyrat-Saphores, president of the company of which his mother and grandmother are the general directors. We have registered the brand. » On their already printed business cards, under this name which smacks of the langue d'oc, an expression completes the scene: “The Périgord imprint”.
Castles and caves
Beyond the classic amenities of a luxury hotel (swimming pool, gym, wellness area with sauna and spa, garden and lounge bar), the promoters of this project announce immersive experiences in “a world dedicated to Périgord “. 10 rooms will have three castles as their theme and 10 others will have caves and chasms (three too). Which ones? “It’s still in negotiations with the Semitour [NDLR : qui gère les sites touristiques du Département] and the private owners of the prospective sites, says Thibault Peyrat-Saphores. From the corridors, there will be sound and screens. » The 40 other rooms will evoke, in a less spectacular way, municipalities in the department.
The hotel will be two floors.
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The restaurant also promises to “bluff” customers, by immersing them in “a bubble of Périgord” highlighting the heritage of the Vézère valley. It’s about “thematic immersion, like in an amusement park”. “I'm tired of seeing people at restaurants on their phones, who don't communicate with each other,” complains Thibault Peyrat-Saphores. I want to give them an experience and for it to provoke discussions. » The Saphores hope to attract Périgourdins as much as hotel guests.
2 500 m² on the ground
And on the plate? “It will be local cuisine revisited. » The chef must also “join the project”, just like the accommodation manager: “We are looking for people who love history and heritage”, says the young boss. “They will have to have the Périgord fiber, they will have to understand what we want to do,” adds his mother.
The family announces the creation of around fifteen jobs to operate this hotel, which will be covered with photovoltaic panels for self-sufficiency in electricity. Rainwater will be collected for the establishment's toilets. The latter was designed by Philippe Vignes, from the CSV Architecture firm, who has already designed the other buildings in the Parc de la Chrysalide.
It’s about “thematic immersion, like in an amusement park”
A small meeting room and a large seminar room are planned in the 2,500 m² establishment, which will spread over two floors. OstÒria will be affiliated with the Best Western chain, to benefit from the brand's support in terms of communication and visibility. “But we will be completely independent in terms of management and daily choices,” assures the trio.
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“We will be completely independent in terms of management and daily choices,” assures the trio.
Won't the environment put off customers? You can be ready to sleep in the middle of an industrial zone when you pay a few dozen euros. But when you treat yourself to a four-star hotel… “The location is not a problem, the market is there,” says Lynda Saphores.
Three generations
Martine Saphores created and managed the company Profil interim, in Ribérac, for more than twenty years. She sold the company in 2019 and wanted to invest to “put money back into the local economy, be useful and do things that are meaningful”.
Her daughter Lynda, after studying at the hotel school in Talence, in Gironde, managed Profil interim with her mother. For her, this hotel project is “a return to basics”.
As for Thibault, representative of the third generation, he worked in the family business in Ribérac, then at the Huttopia campsite in Antonne and at the MurMur in Marsac, before managing a campsite in the south of France.
