Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez is following the success of Hotel Sezz in Paris which opened in 2005, hotelier Shahé Kalaidjian and designer Christophe Pillet, have joined forces again to transport their vision from the City of Lights to the French Riviera. Although distinctly different in look and feel, the Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez shares more than a name with its Parisian cousin. Just as Hotel Sezz Paris reflects the allure of its urban milieu, the new property takes inspiration from the region’s most authentic riches: calm breezes, the quality of the Mediterranean light, the deep blue sea, lush green plantations and fields of fragrant lavender.
“We are not trying to reproduce the Parisian concept in Saint-Tropez,” says Christophe Pillet. “Imagine both of us as writers who are telling two very different stories. Hotel Sezz Paris is an urban story and the next volume is a vacation story. The only point in common is that it is the same writers with the same style and vision.”
Secluded in a wooded park just minutes from the beach lies Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez – a new hospitality experience on the French Riviera. Upon arrival guests immediately feel like they’ve stepped into a glamorously relaxed holiday dream. A formal reception desk is nowhere in sight. Instead, guests are warmly welcomed by their Personal Assistant, who will acquaint them with the hotel’s abundant features and will also be at hand throughout their stay
Like a small Provencal village, the resort’s complex of low buildings comprises 37 guestrooms, suites and villas. These are grouped around the heart of the Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez: a spacious central pool area where sun-lovers and socialites lounge on furniture designed by Christophe Pillet, enjoy a cocktail or chill out and listen to the wind brushing through the surrounding trees. The main building is a place of further indulgence with its Dom Pérignon champagne bar, the restaurant Colette by famous chef Pierre Gagnaire as well as Spa Sezz by Payot.
Typical Mediterranean building materials were skilfully incorporated to create a contemporary resort that retains a visual link to the region and its cultural heritage. In spite of the solid stone walls and clay tiled roofs, architecturally, air and light are the key words. Entire walls of glass and oversized windows are used generously throughout the resort serving to counterbalance the heavier materials. The result is lofty, light-filled rooms where the planes of glass serve to diffuse the borders between interior and exterior spaces.
Designer Christophe Pillet has made sure that guests will smell, hear and taste ‘holiday’ from their beds and baths. Interiors reflect the 1950s colour code with a mix of white, light grey, dark brown, light blue and saffron. The extravagant mustards of the carpets and the reds of the light fixtures and linens highlight the subdued palette of local materials. It’s a timeless elegance that applies to the rooms, the villas and the common areas. All furniture and objects have been designed by Christophe Pillet for various Italian and American furniture brands. For example, the lighting fittings were created by Mazzega and Oluce, the bathroom fixtures crafted by Fantini, the sinks are by Boffi and the chairs by Emeco.
To enhance the Mediterranean ambience created by the architecture and design, landscape designer Christophe Ponceau has created lush gardens with olive trees, palm and pine trees, mimosas as well as fig and lemon trees. The vegetation serves as a contrast to the buildings, breathing life into Christophe Pillet’s curvaceous and graceful design.
After establishing nine successful restaurants all over the world, Pierre Gagnaire returns to his French origins with the opening of Restaurant Colette at Hotel Sezz Saint-Tropez. Pierre Gagnaire, who trained under the renowned French chef Paul Bocuse, started his career in St. Etienne in France at the family restaurant “Le Clos Fleuri” and in 1998 was awarded three Michelin stars for his restaurant “Pierre Gagnaire” in Paris. This was followed by one Michelin star at “Gaya” in Paris in 2004 and two more stars for the hotel restaurant “Les Airelles” in Courchevel in 2010. He was also at the forefront of the fusion cuisine movement. Asked about his overall mission for running a restaurant, Gagnaire states that he wants to create a concept that is “facing the future but respectful of the past.”
At Colette, Pierre Gagnaire focuses on Mediterranean cuisine with products sourced from local suppliers. The menu ranges from fresh fish to grilled dishes. The casual atmosphere ensures a relaxed dining experience in the day, but in the evening the ambience in the restaurant changes to something more glamorous. With its chic interior and celebrated chef, Colette will no doubt become a favourite among both locals and hotel guests. The restaurant’s name is inspired by French writer Sidonie Gabrielle Colette, who was one of the most important novelists of the 20th century. In 1925, she settled down in Saint-Tropez and bought a house on Canebier bay close to the hotel.
In keeping with the sophisticated air of the French Riviera, Hotel Sezz Saint- Tropez has partnered with the champagne brand Dom Pérignon to create a stylish champagne bar next to the restaurant – the perfect place for a sunset cocktail or a warm digestif.
