It all started with legendary French actress Brigitte Bardot. Wealthy Lebanese businessman Jean-Prosper Gay-Para was so enamored by the movie star that he built a hotel and nightclub in the St Tropez destination Bardot had come to love, hoping to win her affection. Opened in 1967, the Byblos Hotel and its famed nightclub, Les Caves du Roy, quickly became the hottest spot on the French Riviera, and while Bardot didnât succumb to his charm, a magical destination was created.
The famed 86 room and suite hotel is now run by Antoine Chevanne, a handsome, tanned Frenchman whose great-grandfather, Sylvain Floirat, acquired the hotel from the billionaire Jean-Prosper Gay-Para. The Byzantine-designed palace inspired by the architecture of a Lebanese port city is perched on the highest hill in St.-Tropez. The pastel-colored stucco buildings surround a courtyard with a modest swimming pool. Art is also a central attraction of the property with highlights including Roger Capron ceramics and a mural of Zeus by Jean Derval. Art fills the spaces, including a stunning yellow-tiled staircase created by Capron.
Antoine took over the hotel in 2001, marking the fourth generation of his family. âI was the first of the family to be in charge of the hotel, although I originally wanted to be a fighter pilot in the Navy,â he says. âWhen I was 28 years old, I took over the job. I attended Cornell University for summer sessions focused on the hospitality industry, including operations and the development process. And then, I trained in Paris and started from the lowest level. After a year of experience, I became the assistant of the General Manager.â
Through the years, he has received numerous offers from famous brands to take over the hotel, but he remains defiant, never to lose control of the family legacy. âThere is no way because I have a 10-year-old daughter, and she will eventually run the hotel. I will also never franchise the brand. It’s a good way for me to earn a lot of money, but also a way to lose your image.â He does however plan to expand the brand into the U.S. market with possible locations in Dallas and Miami.
Antoine now spends most of his time in Paris, where his company, Groupe Floirat, has grown to three properties, including La RĂ©serve in St Jean De Luz and Les Manoirs De Tourgeville in Normandy.
After long days of sunbathing on Pampelonne Beach, the place to be seen in the 70s was the hotel’s after-hours nightclub, Les Caves du Roy, filled nightly with celebrities like Cher, Elton John, and Liza Minnelli. Even Mick Jagger honeymooned at the hotel in the suite I stayed in.
Nowadays, Byblos is no longer just a nightclub; it is a tranquil boutique hotel that offers a relaxing escape from the nearby shopping village’s bustle. This season, the hotel introduced a brand-new rooftop Sky Bar with stunning bay views, the B Lounge Pool Bar, a new gourmet Italian restaurant, Il Giardino, led by executive chef Nicola Canuti featuring a large array of seafood pastas, and soon, the acclaimed Zuma will take residency at the hotel, offering a contemporary outdoor Izakaya experience. The family-friendly Byblos Beach Ramatuelle also provides fine dining seaside with plush loungers.
Making its debut to the hotel are four colorful new suites by Parisian designer Laura Gonzalez, all designed to resemble a family home. Inspired by the spirit of Saint Tropez, the suites blend bold colors, patterns, and textures, and an additional 10 suites will be opened next year.
Hotel Byblos continues to grow with refreshing new changes under Chevanneâs leadership, with hopes of continuing the family legacy as an exclusive hideaway where new experiences are born.
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