Hospitality, design & sustainability: The Chess Hotel recipe
From Gilles & Boissier to real CSR initiatives, the story of a Parisian boutique hotel that blends style, sincerity, and adaptability.
For this first episode of Jungle Hotel Tour, we sat down with Pierre-Louis, General Manager of The Chess Hotel, a 4-star boutique located just steps from the Opéra Garnier in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. With over 20 years in hospitality, Pierre-Louis embodies a sincere, pragmatic, and human vision of the profession.
Throughout our candid conversation, he reflects on his journey, his approach to work, and the concrete realities of operating an independent hotel in Paris: design decisions, the weight of technology, neighborhood positioning, CSR, and even solidarity among hoteliers. Here are the key insights from our discussion.
1/ The hotel's DNA and identity
📢 Design & Artistic Signature – How can you build a strong identity in such a dense neighborhood?
From day one, The Chess Hotel entrusted its visual identity to Gilles & Boissier, renowned designers behind Baccarat Hotel New York and Mandarin Oriental Ritz Madrid. Their clean, understated style creates a deliberate contrast with the bustle of the neighborhood.
“Our initial aim was to make the hotel stand out with a signature. Gilles & Boissier had already done Baccarat in New York, top Parisian restaurants…”
“This area is very lively, almost restless during the week… Then you step into The Chess, and there's an immediate sense of peace and calm.”
The design evolved without betraying its DNA: in 2019, decorator Pauline d’Hoop introduced touches of color and rattan details to refresh the ambiance.
“We called on Pauline to bring more colorful touches… We changed the headboards, worked on the atmosphere…”
📢 Individuality vs Group Power – How do you stand out as a hotel while belonging to a larger brand?
The Chess is part of Compagnie Hôtelière de Bagatelle, which manages several Parisian properties, each with distinct style and positioning. This diversity makes branding more complex.
“Elegancia or Maison Albar, people recognize them immediately. For us, it’s more local: those who know Les Plumes know it's the same group.”
“Each hotel has its character. It’s our strength, but also our challenge for existing as a unified brand.”
They invested nearly two years in raising awareness of the group:
“We worked for almost two years to make the Bagatelle name known. At the time, saying Bagatelle didn’t mean anything to anyone.”
📢 Neighborhood Competition Logic in Paris – Is local positioning still relevant today?
Pierre-Louis reminds us that Paris neighborhoods often attract very different clientele, sometimes just steps apart. The Chess, given its location, quickly drew a mainly corporate crowd:
“Cross Boulevard des Italiens, from The Chess to Hôtel Saint-Marc or Maison Favart, they’re almost exclusively tourist-focused.”
“Here, you have Danone HQ, Société Générale, fintech companies… The Chess quickly became corporate-dominant.”
However, this neighborhood logic alone is no longer enough:
“We’re no longer competing with the hotel next door, but with all of Paris.”
📢 F&B and the Limits of Hotel Bars – Can a hotel bar still thrive in Paris?
Pierre-Louis sees clear limits to the integrated bar/restaurant model in Paris, given the surrounding offering.
“The double challenge is keeping your regular clientele… and attracting outside visitors. (...)
Very few hotel bars work in Paris, unless you become an institution, like Hemingway at the Ritz.”
The Chess offers an evening bar space but doesn’t compete with Parisian restaurants, the return on investment remains marginal.
📢 CSR & Sustainable Initiatives – How do you make ecological commitments tangible and visible?
At The Chess, CSR is tangible, not cosmetic. Often shared across the group.
“Thanks to the Hotels for Trees initiative, we plant between 200 and 250 trees per month. For every room not cleaned, a tree is planted. (...)
Used single-use soaps -which used to be discarded- are now collected and recycled by Unisoap for communities in need.”
Pierre-Louis emphasizes the importance of transparency to avoid guilt-tripping clients.
“It must be clear. A participatory approach to ecology, not a punitive one.”
2/ Pierre-Louis, his journey, vision & convictions
📢 Daily Routine & Perspective – What does a GM’s day-to-day life really look like?
Pierre-Louis emphasizes the variety of tasks, the need for reactivity, and the pleasure of never living the same day twice.
“I always stop by reception, have a word with the team, take a look at breakfast, then sit down at my desk… and that’s when the surprises start. (…) They’re rarely big problems, just lots of little ones you need to fix quickly.”
“What I still love? The absence of routine. One day you’re doing RM, the next you’re checking on a broken toilet.”
His approach remains deeply human and straightforward.
“I love technology. But I absolutely don’t want it to replace the human side. (…) A guest’s arrival is a key moment. If you robotize it, you lose the connection.”
📢 Career, Time & Transmission – Do you need to move fast to succeed?
Pierre-Louis climbed the ladder at his own pace, relying on stability, loyalty, and trust.
“I took my time, but I grew at every stage. Each time, people trusted me.”
“Some people have explosive careers. Me? When I feel good somewhere, I stay.”
He encourages young professionals to reflect on their relationship with clients before entering the field.
“If you don’t enjoy the client relationship, it’ll show right away.”
📢 Technology & Industry Evolution – How has tech transformed hospitality?
Pierre-Louis experienced the shift from paper to cloud, from fax to instant communication. He cites Mews, e-Axess, Quicktext, and the evolution of PMS as a major turning point.
“This isn’t your parents’ PMS anymore. Mews, for example, changed the entire industry. (…) Today, I change a rate and within two minutes it’s on every channel. Before, you’d wait half a day.”
“I still do my pick-up on Excel, even though we have an RMS and all the tools. It’s paradoxical, but I enjoy it.”
Yet he remains careful not to let technology erase human interaction.
“I’d rather have my receptionists talk with guests than be replaced by a chatbot.”
📢 Social Openness Among Hoteliers – Competition or camaraderie between neighbors?
The Chess shares its street with several hotels, but instead of rivalry, a spirit of mutual aid has developed among managers.
“We have a WhatsApp group for the street’s GMs. We lend baby cribs, share contacts, help each other out.”
“Twenty years ago, the hotel across the street was the enemy. Today, we even share our end-of-month numbers with other hoteliers.”
Facing the Jungle…
🧭 What he still loves today
Constant adaptability. No two days are alike, and that’s why he never gets bored.
“We’re a bit like Swiss Army knives.”
🔁 A reality of the job
Small problems are constant, and they add flavor to the daily routine.
“When a ceiling collapses in a room, at least you know what you’ll be doing that day.”
🔧 A gesture that changes everything
Saying hello, noticing the small morning details, sensing the day’s atmosphere.
“I pass through reception, greet everyone, check on breakfast… that’s how you take the temperature.”
📚 A book recommendation
The Millennium series, for the pleasure of reading, intrigue, and suspense.
🌱 An unexpected path
A trained historian, he entered hospitality by chance, and stayed for passion.
“I started with a student job. Very quickly, I got hooked. Today, I can’t see myself anywhere else.”
🏡 A place that inspires him
The Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay, 40 minutes from Paris, visited before its revival by Paris Society.
“It was untouched, an old château in the countryside. Magical.”
🧑🎓 Advice for a young hotelier
“First ask yourself if you truly love the client. If not, this isn’t the right profession.”
“Don’t chase a job title right away. Go where you can learn, with people who inspire you.”
Photo credits: Site officiel The Chess Hotel, Instagram @thechesshotel & personal archives.
Date Interview: 30-June-2025
Translated from French
Hotel Website: www.thechesshotel.com
Group Website: https://www.cie-bagatelle.com/
LinkedIn Pierre-Louis : https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierrelouis-pelletier-003b1b151/
