Work is already well underway at 168, rue Paul Bert in Lens (Pas de Calais), where the old miners’ houses are being transformed into a beautiful new hotel. The 52 rooms, brewery, bar, meeting rooms and wellbeing sections are scheduled to open in December 2018. Throughout the work, conserving the mining-village structure and restoring the original brick work which gives the site so much character and Sense of Place.

An authentic, casual design where both hotel guests and the local public can enjoy a modern version of the region’s ancient traverns. The hotel aims to become a local attraction for the people of Lens more than a luxury hotel, with an average rate of €80/night and €20 three-course mealsatthe brasserie.

Esprit de France has already teamed up with neighbouring Musée du Louvre Lens (just 50m from the hotel), in line with our heritage-art-history identity and synergic partnership values. The new hotel is also part of a dynamic, on-going plan with the Louvre-Lens Tourist Office’s ALL (around Louvre-Lens) partnership project to promote the Musée du Louvre-Lens.

A recruitment campaign for 25 permanent jobs (receptionists, chamber maids, waiters, kitchen staff…) will be launched spring 2018. Esprit de France is still currently seeking the ideal couple to run the hotel and restaurant as general hosts.

The hotel has 52 rooms, a restaurant with a new take on regional cuisine, a bar where visitors and locals can meet up, a wellness and relaxation area and 4 modular meeting rooms with capacity of between 80 and 200 people.

The interior decoration is based around the idea of duality, of contrast. The brick walls have been preserved and restored as a reference to the site's past. With several new elements, the rooms display an elegant simplicity. Black has been deliberately chosen for the rooms to provide a restful atmosphere in the evening, echoing the Flemish influence. This atmosphere contrasts with the light-filled bathrooms.

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