A resort to reach out

The arrival of the Jardins de Beauval hotel in the heart of the Loire château tourist trail has provided a welcome boost for accommodation possibilities in the southern Loir-et-Cher region. Whether as an added bonus for the zoo or as an independent structure for accommodating specific clients, the move by Beauval zoo is the first innovative step towards diversifying its activity and achieving its major goal, perennation.

One of the golden rules of tourism: for a site to enjoy regular growth it has to expand the catchment area of its visitors. Staking everything on the loyalty of local customers is a risk. Economic downturns, new competitors on the scene, or lulls in enthusiasm can ruin a season. For growth, a company must reach out countrywide, Europe-wide, and even worldwide. If a park has the genuine appeal to do so, it has to be able to provide accommodation; hotel construction becomes a valuable staging post in the quest for growth and Phantasialand in Germany, and Parc Astérix, Nigloland and the Puy du Fou in France have all built hotels to this end. Europa Park in Germany, meanwhile, already has four hotels and is thinking of building a fifth. And this year, the Beauval zoo has joined the list with Les Jardins de Beauval.

Hotels are commonplace in attraction parks, but in zoos, they do raise eyebrows. As France’s number-two zoo in terms of visitors, and ranked in Forbes Traveler magazine’s list of the 15 best world zoos, Beauval is also the first in France to add a hotel to its site.

The zoo’s owners, the Delors family, have always shown the will and ambition to develop the park. After 24 years of trading, the zoo has made a huge name for itself, spurred on by an intensive advertising strategy and a communications budget close to 10% (the average in the sector is closer to 5%). “The creation of the hotel creates a greater catchment area for us. The hotel and zoo work in tandem and each thrives off the presence of the other,” explains Didier Massoubre, the hotel manager.



Complementary and independent 

The role of the hotel is, however, more extensive than a classic attraction park where the aim is to offer accommodation for a two day visit and the Beauval zoo hotel is seen as the first essential step in the creation of a fully-fledged resort. While the short-term goal is indeed to increase the number of visitors to the zoo, the medium and long-term goals of the hotel are to become more independent and accommodate a specific type of customer. In this vision, the zoo functions as one attraction among others, with the hotel at the core of an emerging leisure complex; “We think of ourselves as a ‘club’ hotel, where there you’ll find more than just beds. We have already seen customers handing over the keys in the morning, and then staying all day at our pool without visiting the zoo,” explains Didier Massoubre. “We still have land available if ever we have to expand,” he adds. The quality of his restaurant attracts tourists and locals, but due to a lack of space he only rarely serves outside customers. The hotel has brought with it possibilities for diversification and perspectives for the future.

“We want to organise a regional annual event on the theme of the Cher wines. To increase our profile and dynamism, this event would be ideal for attracting visitors from the Paris region in search of calm, countryside and regional produce.” This project is emblematic of their ambitions to reach out to customers who would overlook the zoo when visiting the area, and, with the development of business tourism, there are more and more such customers using the hotel. “General Electrics booked the hotel for our first 15 days of opening. That helped us a lot. We have a conference room and, with the zoo nearby, we can organise cocktail events in original settings, such as next to the penguin pool.” 

Up-market positioning

The hotel’s opening last March saw a shake-up in the region’s slightly out-dated possibilities. Les Jardins de Beauval wants to stand alone while making the most of the zoo setting and the Loire châteaux. The cost of a night starts at 120 euros and it has clearly positioned itself as a modern, upmarket, peaceful establishment. From the very outset, tranquillity was integral to the plans. The bedrooms all have balconies and the star formation of the buildings means guests can stand on their balconies out of their neighbours’ view.

“A lot of grandparents visit the zoo with their grandchildren. If we had ten suites, we would easily fill them. We have deliberately elected a different positioning and 90% of our clientele is French and middle-to-upper class,” explains the director. The zoo is a family destination par excellence and the hotel does not want to create friction with the local clientele and threaten their loyalty. To limit this risk, the zoo and hotel have published two distinct brochures. Even though they each mention the other in their brochures, their targets and manner are very different—a good way of reinforcing the complementarity and independence of the two sites.

In its autonomous role, there is a good chance the hotel will ensure the site’s long-term growth. This autonomy offers greater potential and generates greater innovation. With festivals on the cards, and its famed restaurant and B-to-B potential, the hotel can benefit the whole of the leisure complex. While the park and zoo were at the heart of the initial project, these are now just one element of the hotel’s package, alongside other potential activities.

The hotel is thus strategically important. It has not only increased visitor numbers, but has also enhanced the brand image, diversified income, attracted a new customer base and created new prospects for the future. What’s more, it has offered a firm regional and national foothold in the park, which has now been transformed into a major focus for tourism.