Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Search in posts
Search in pages
Search in posts
Search in pages
Search images
People mentioned in the site

Gastronomic

A site dedicated to the culinary arts and haute cuisine

Gastronomic > French palaces > The Byblos in Saint-Tropez
Aerial view of Le Byblos hotel in Saint-Tropez
Aerial view of Le Byblos hotel in Saint-Tropez

The Byblos in Saint-Tropez

The Byblos in Saint-Tropez : The Byblos current is a Hotel de luxury French neo-Provencal style located at Saint Tropez, in the  Var department. Built and inaugurated by the Lebanese hotelier Jean Prosper Gay-Para in May 1967, it was bought in 1967 by the businessman Sylvain Floirat, whose great-grandson Antoine Chevanne is the current chairman of the management board. The hotel Le Byblos was inaugurated in 1967 and received the official French distinction " Palace »On June 28, 2012.
The hotel is open from April to October and closes in winter. It has 91 rooms including 50 suites.
In Byblos, north of Beirut, two men talk in 1960 on the terrace of a restaurant. According to legend, one of them, Jean-Prosper Gay-Para, billionaire Lebanese hotelier and father of economist Guy Gay-Para, confesses to the other his mad love for Brigitte Bardot and his desire to build her " a palace worthy of the Thousand and One Nights, unique in its kind from one end of the Mediterranean to the other. It was in 1965 that work began on this “Phoenician” hotel in the “Tropézien” style, with an architecture very far removed from that of the large luxury hotels in Cannes or Monte-Carlo. A madness of ten million francs of the time in the middle of a traditional fishing village, a stone's throw from the Place des Lices. He baptizes it "Byblos" from the name of the Lebanese port founded by the Phoenicians and frequented by the Lebanese and international jet-set.
The hotel looks like a hamlet, a set of small buildings side by side over a surface area of ​​5 m500. Roman tiled roofs and Genoese, in the spirit of the country; wrought iron balconies, vibrant colored facades; fountains; paved plots; a century-old olive tree; palms ; bougainvillea and jasmine; a patio; a large swimming pool ; a waterfront bar; shops housed under the arcades; two restaurants and a night club… The hotel then had 2 rooms.
The establishment was inaugurated on May 27, 1967 in the presence of its godmothers Mireille Darc and Brigitte Bardot. Three days of festivities begin for more than 700 guests, including many personalities from the political, artistic and literary world: Françoise Sagan, René Clair, Maurice Escande, Bernard and Annabel Buffet, Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Barclay, Jean Lescudier (mayor de Saint-Tropez), Mr. and Mrs. Jean-Paul Roy (prefect of Var), Alexandre from Paris, Paco Rabanne, Jean Bousquet, Gérard Khoury (director of tourism in Lebanon), Lucien Barrière, Jacques Chazot, Juliette Greco, Michel Piccoli, Gilbert Trigano, Eddy Mitchell and Michel Polnareff, among others. Subsequently many media personalities pass by this hotel or in its nightclub.
The team surrounded Jean-Prosper Gay-Para, his wife, Médéa, and Francis Ducluzeau, the director, who welcomed the guests from Saint-Tropez, Paris and Lebanon. The hotel then has 59 rooms. In July 1967, Les Caves du Roy, temple of Tropezian nights, opened its doors within the hotel, then the Krak des Chevaliers, a mini nightclub within the discotheque. The Byblos night club will be hosted for many years by Jacqueline Veyssière and will host numerous concerts by artists.
But in June 1967, the Six Day War broke out and Jean-Prosper Gay-Para decided to return to Beirut to manage his hotels. He separated from Byblos and its nightclub, les Caves du Roy, sold on September 19 to businessman Sylvain Floirat.
Acquisition by Sylvain Floirat: Of humble origin, Sylvain Floirat (great-grandfather of Antoine Chevanne) is CEO of many companies, including Breguet Aviation, Matra, Europe 1, of the French television company.
The hotel becomes the second home of Eddy Barclay, Michel Polnareff and a host of others stars and artists. Sylvain Floirat appoints Claude Marret as director who will run the establishment for seventeen years. They work together on different projects: the hotel is notably enlarged several times on the surrounding land. The architects Christian Auvrignon, Philippe Sicardon and Monnin as well as the decorators for the nightclub Sassouni and André Denis, on the project since the beginning, continue to work on it.
In 1971, the British singer Mick Jagger married in Saint-Tropez with the top model Bianca Pérez Mora-Macias. They spend their honeymoon at Byblos with many guests, including the Rolling Stones.
During the filming of the series Le gendarme marie by Jean Girault with Louis de Funès, Michel Galabru and Jean Lefebvre, the entire film crew stays at the hotel.
Years 1980-1990:
Sylvain Chevanne, Sylvain Floirat's grandson, developed the group from 1972. It doubled the surface area of ​​Byblos in 1983 to nearly 17 m².
A "Byblos" is built in Marbella but will not remain in the group. Very quickly, the new owners imagine creating a winter counterpart to the Byblos in Saint-Tropez. It will be the Byblos des Neiges, inaugurated in 1984 with 76 rooms including twelve suites in Courchevel 1850. Claude Marret is killed in a plane crash which brought him to a hotel site meeting four months before the opening. The head chef Alain Ducasse, who was also on board, will be the sole survivor of the crash. The Byblos de Neiges ended in 2007.
On July 1, 1991, the Byblos joined the circle of Leading Hotels of the World.
When Sylvain Floirat died in 1993, the goal of his grandson, Sylvain Chevanne, was to ensure the sustainability of the group, of which he has been in charge of operations since 1988.
Since the 2000s :
In 2001, Antoine Chevanne (great-grandson of Sylvain Floirat) took over the management of Byblos for five years. In 2006, he took over the general management of the Floirat Group and implemented a development strategy mainly focused on the prestigious hotel business.
In 2001, Alain Ducasse uses its “Spoon Food & Wine” restaurant concept as “Spoon Byblos” in the hotel.
In 2007, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Byblos, the comic book hero Largo Winch set down his suitcases in the Saint-Tropez hotel in the fifteenth album of the series, Les Trois Yeux des gardeiens du Tao / La Voie et la Vertu. Many scenes take place at Byblos.
In 2007 the Spa Byblos by Sisley Cosmetics was inaugurated, the brand's first in the world.
In 2009, Antoine Chevanne, CEO of the Floirat Group, appointed Christophe Chauvin General Manager of Byblos.
In 2009, the Byblos received its 5th star.
On June 28, 2012, the Byblos joined the very closed circle of luxury hotels in France.
The 17 2013 April, Alain Ducasse inaugurates its new concept "Rivea at Byblos" which replaces Spoon @ Byblos. The Byblos called on the Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio for the construction of the restaurant.
In May 2017, the Byblos and the Caves du Roy celebrated their 50th anniversary. Several partnerships took place for this event, with Audemars Piguet, Rolls-Royce, Dom Pérignon, Goyard, Sisley and Missoni Home, which redecorated the hotel's largest suite (180 m²) 1. The Caves du Roy have been renovated for the occasion1
Economic data: Byblos achieved a turnover of € 21 in 950. The average annual workforce is 200 employees2017.
Features of Byblos:
Rooms and Suites
91 rooms, including 50 suites, from 28 to 180 m². They all have a different decoration, in a Mediterranean style. Some have terraces that offer a view of Saint-Tropez.
Catering: Chef Vincent Maillard oversees all catering at the two Byblos restaurants:
The "Rivea at Byblos", concept ofAlain Ducasse. Chef Vincent Maillard works with products from the Mediterranean region. The Byblos called on the Italian architect and designer Antonio Citterio to design the restaurant.
The "B" by the pool offers a menu for breakfasts, lunches, aperitifs and dinners. Service from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Miscellaneous: The Byblos employs over 300 people in high season.
The hotel is located in the heart of the city of Saint-Tropez and covers an area of ​​17 m², between the Citadel and the Place de Lices.
Many ceramics by Roger Capron (who worked with Pablo Picasso) and Jean Derval adorn the palace.
Outdoor pool.
Les Caves du Roy nightclub.
Films shot in Byblos
1968: The gendarme marries Jean Girault with Louis de Funès, Michel Galabru
1980: Le Coup du parapluie by Gérard Oury with Pierre Richard, Gérard Jugnot, Valérie Mairesse
1984: The Year of the Jellyfish by Christopher Frank with Valérie Kaprisky and Bernard Giraudeau.

Official website of Byblos In Saint-Tropez

The Byblos, the story of a VIP and Tropezian establishment

Everything has already been said about the Hotel Byblos, whose name pays homage to one of the oldest cities in Lebanon, the one where legend has it that Adonis and Aphrodite loved each other. Decried by some, adulated by others, the Saint-Tropez palace and its Caves du Roy nightclub have become a real myth. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the establishment has joined forces with the prestigious Maisons Missoni, Audemars Piguet, Dom Pérignon, Goyard, Sisley and Rolls Royce in anticipation of magical festivities.
Beyond rhinestones and sequins, the Byblos has crossed fashions and ages with disarming carefree and indefinable charm. The guardian of the temple, Antoine Chevanne, representative of the fourth generation of owners, makes a worthy contribution to this success. Avant-garde in many areas, he tirelessly cultivates the luxury of a French art de vivre while cultivating a deep respect for traditions.
The BB effect: The Byblos is a saga. Its decor? Saint-Tropez, a small fishing port in the South of France that has always fascinated and aroused curiosity. Proudly attached to their traditions, the 5000 native Tropezians have welcomed writers, artists and painters at the end of the 1956th century, fascinated by an incomparable luminosity. Cinema actors follow suit. The meeting between Roger Vadim and Brigitte Bardot will upset this quiet corner of Provence. In XNUMX, they toured together on the peninsula Et Dieu créa la femme. The whole world discovers BB, her pouting pout and her insolent beauty. The first international stars of song and cinema arrive in the wake in this village at the same time as the first naked breasts appear on the beaches.
At the other end of the Mediterranean, Jean-Prosper Gay-Para, businessman of Lebanese origin, nourishes a real passion for the actress to whom he wishes to build a palace of the Thousand and One Nights. In Saint-Tropez, the project is making headlines. Work began in 1965, at the foot of the Citadel, a stone's throw from the famous Place des Lices and the port. On May 27, 1967, the inauguration of the Byblos took place during three days of celebrations, in the presence of its two godmothers: Mireille Darc and Brigitte Bardot. By chance or geopolitical context, the Six Day War broke out in the same year. Jean-Prosper Gay-Para must return to Lebanon and separate from Byblos.
A destiny, a family: During one evening, the billionaire meets Sylvain Floirat, Antoine Chevanne's great-grandfather, who decides to buy the hotel. This seasoned businessman - with a clever look and a cigarillo on his lips - then appears as a visionary. “I was lucky to know him until I was twenty. I remember someone on the move. He loved life. He had a sense of family, of communication, of a taste for nature, and of respect for human beings, ”recalls Antoine Chevanne. “It's true, there is a sentimental side to this story. He passed on his values ​​to me, which is fundamental to me. In a way, my professional path pays tribute to his memory. ”
Antoine Chevanne was not, however, predestined to embrace the career of a hotelier. Writing his thesis at the University of Paris-Dauphine will reveal to him his passion for the profession. The subject? The study of the impact of the differentiation of the performance of companies in the luxury hotel sector. “I wanted to understand what were the factors that could make one palace more efficient than another. I came to the conclusion that quality, speed and innovation made all the difference. ” With his diploma in hand, he travels the world in two weeks in order to gather as much information as possible in the most beautiful hotels on the planet. Cherry on the cake? On his return, 70% of his recommendations were followed by the management of Byblos, which began its major renovation in 1997.
Beyond fashions: After spending a year in a large Parisian hotel, Antoine Chevanne takes over as head of the establishment. He is 28 years old. “I think that the heart more than the reason motivated my choice. In this dream world, which everyone thinks they know, I had to rise to the task and prove that I was capable of taking back a "vessel" like this ". The first year was complicated; he observes and learns. During the second, he takes a step back and begins to restructure. "I acquired confidence from the third year". He will thus spend five years as director before taking the head of the family group in 2006.
In 2012, the Byblos received the coveted title of “palace”; a distinction which makes the pride of its owner. “I am not the only one to have built this success. There is no secret; it is the fruit of many years of collective work that has evolved with our times. The Byblos is a modern hotel. It is not fashionable because we cross fashions, ”recalls Antoine Chevanne.
Faithful to its reputation, the Byblos moves forward in the spirit of the times by continuing to write its legend. “Today we are trying to preserve an art of living. The hotel's policy is not to have any, as long as it does not interfere with the freedom of others. But always with the desire to want to keep certain follies specific to holidays and to Saint-Tropez. ”
VIP Square: How not to evoke fifty years of sleepless nights in the nocturnal pantheon of the Caves du Roy, located below the palace swimming pool. It was not unusual, at the time, to attend an impromptu concert with Charles Aznavour on the piano and Liza Minelli on the microphone, to cross Elton John on the dance floor or to stumble upon Grace Jones riding a Harley-Davidson. . With its endless queue under the wisteria on the stairs, its luminous palm trees, its VIP area and its crowded room, the “Caves” are offering themselves a real makeover this year.
"The hotel and the nightclub are inseparable," continues the owner. It is not a facelift but a real transformation. We must bring modernism and technology while preserving the soul of the place. Our 50 years are part of the continuity of the evolution of the village, the hotel and our clientele. You always need to know the history of an institution and when you have the keys to it, it is very important to keep your roots ”.
In the village, it is said that the summer season begins when the hotel opens in April.
The 2020 vintage celebrates the magic of a place, again and always out of the ordinary, because the fate of Byblos is intimately linked to that of Saint-Tropez. A marriage of reason and glitter for eternity of two symbols that are one.

Book here and at the best price guaranteed your room or suite at Byblos in Saint-Tropez
Le Byblos hotel in Saint-Tropez in the evening
Share this content: