You are now in charge of the Lavorel Hotels group. Could you tell us about your career within the group and the milestones of this entrepreneurial adventure?
Charline Bresse Vittoz: I joined the group ten years ago, when it was founded. Jean-Claude Lavorel had just sold LVL Médical to Air Liquide and wanted to embark on a new entrepreneurial project, this time in the hotel industry. He already owned two establishments—Les Suites de la Potinière in Courchevel and Château de Bagnols in Beaujolais—and quickly realized that there was real potential in this sector, particularly in terms of pooling resources and economies of scale.
I was recruited from the outset to support this restructuring in the areas of sales and marketing. We decided to organize all support functions centrally: human resources, finance, purchasing, and, of course, sales and marketing. The idea was clear: to free up store managers from cross-functional tasks so that they could focus fully on their real performance drivers—namely, operations, customer experience, and team management.
As for me, after managing the marketing and sales structure, I supported the group’s development, in particular by drawing up business plans for acquisitions. We initially focused on 5-star and boutique establishments. One of the characteristics of our group is that we own our buildings, but we’ll come back to that later.
In 2017, we had the opportunity to purchase the hotel located at the foot of the Groupama Stadium in Lyon. Given the context of this purchase, we saw it as an opportunity to create our own brand geared towards business customers. From the outset, we wanted to break with convention.
What prompted you to decide to create the Kopster Hotels brand?
Charline Bresse Vittoz: We made this decision after looking at the types of contracts that franchisors were offering us. We looked at the figures, but also at what we saw as the constraints associated with franchising. We also made this choice because we felt that we were now sufficiently structured to create our own brand. Some owners feel reassured working with a structure that provides them with a brand and services. For our part, we wanted to build something that would break the mold. Given that the group has developed with boutique hotels, we had a good understanding of the importance of the experiential aspect of the hotel product, and we wanted our guests to feel “something different.”
With three establishments now open (Lyon Groupama Stadium, Paris Ouest Colombes, and Paris Porte de Versailles), we want to accelerate Kopster’s development. To do this, we have rolled out numerous guidelines on what constitutes the brand, from breakfast to decoration, for example.
We have also structured and developed a sales force that enables us to market our products not only to corporate customers, the brand’s traditional target market, but also to leisure customers, particularly groups.
To support our growth ambitions, we are considering moving away from the traditional model of owning our own buildings and funds. The idea is to partner with an investor who would take charge of the buildings, thereby increasing our agility. We are focusing our expansion on major French cities, where demand remains strong and sustained.
In ten years, Lavorel Hotels has become a recognized player with a broader footprint. How would you describe the group’s development trajectory?
Charline Bresse Vittoz: We have experienced gradual but very structured growth. Each acquisition and each opening has been consistent with our positioning. We have always taken care to maintain a strong regional presence and capitalize on the uniqueness of each establishment, while strengthening internal synergies through our support functions. This approach has enabled us to grow while maintaining our agility.
What are the major projects you are currently working on as CEO?
Charline Bresse Vittoz: Beyond operational management, we are working hard on structuring our employer brand. People remain at the heart of our priorities, and we must continue to attract, train, and retain talent that is aligned with our values.
For example, we have changed our managers’ incentive system. We used to have a customer-first culture, but we have pivoted with the HR department to position ourselves around a people-first approach. We are certainly positioned in the luxury sector, but our DNA is uncomplicated luxury. We expect managers to have a close relationship with their teams. To this end, we have worked to put a number of tools in place. We have reworked our values and created the most comprehensive welcome pack possible for our employees.
The hotel industry remains a very hierarchical sector, and it is important for us that our hotel managers are in contact with all their employees. This way, when needed, a connection is created, which allows us to be more efficient. We really emphasize supporting managers, who must then support their teams. We still have a long way to go on this issue, but we are making progress.
We are also thinking about our food concepts. We need to strike the right balance to create a Kopster identity while preserving the individuality of each establishment. We are exploring avenues for collaboration, for example.
How do you view this first decade, and how do you see the group developing in the years to come?
Charline Bresse Vittoz: This decade has been rich and formative. We have built solid foundations, both structurally and in terms of human resources. I see the group’s future as a continuation of this momentum: continuing our development without losing our DNA. We have always been very agile, and we need to maintain this asset even as we grow. Being both innovative and grounded, efficient and attentive is what guides us, and what we want to cultivate in the years to come.
