Three office buildings combined into a single asset
Located between the Vieux-Port, La Joliette and Le Panier, the boulevard des Dames complex originally comprised three office buildings with differing structural characteristics. The project involved bringing them together and restructuring them extensively to create a coherent whole, suited to new uses.
Designed by the architectural consortium of Gensler France and Claire Fatosme & Christian Lefèvre Architectes Associés (CFCL), the scheme was fully restructured by BNP Paribas Immobilier Promotion as project owner. La Française Real Estate Managers is the investor, while hotel operations have been entrusted to Ruby Hotels Group.
Opting for transformation rather than demolition and rebuilding made it possible to make the most of the site’s existing resources, including part of the original façade. According to the developer, this approach of land-use restraint and building reuse responds to the growing scarcity of land and the need to adapt the office stock.
A mixed-use scheme open to the city
The hotel occupies more than 8,000 m² of the complex and offers 237 four-star-level rooms. It is complemented by a rooftop of more than 300 m² combining a bar, dining and a panoramic terrace with views over Marseille and the Mediterranean.
The scheme also includes Ruby Yani Workspaces, a coworking space of around 1,000 m² spread over three floors. The existing pharmacy, of around 250 m², has been retained on the ground floor to maintain a local service for the neighbourhood.
Reported by LTH as early as 2023 upon the signing of the very first Ruby hotel in France, the Ruby Lilou Hotel & Bar brings the brand’s “Lean Luxury” concept to Marseille, combining a quality hotel offering, carefully considered interior design and a contemporary approach to hospitality. The brand has since joined IHG Hotels & Resorts, which has made the acquisition of Ruby a lever for strengthening its position in the urban segment.
Marine geothermal energy and BREEAM Very Good
The building is connected to the Thassalia marine geothermal network, enabling it to draw on local renewable energy for its energy needs. The project also incorporates a circular economy approach and initiatives to support employment integration.
The development is targeting BREEAM Very Good certification, in line with the overall restructuring and environmental performance approach pursued by BNP Paribas Immobilier Promotion.
Transformation as a driver of value creation
For Thierry Laroue-Pont, President of BNP Paribas Immobilier Promotion, the transformation of this former office complex into a hotel and workspaces fully reflects the company’s conviction that, in the face of the environmental, land and urban challenges confronting French regions, priority must more than ever be given to transforming and reusing existing buildings.
He points out that the project required the teams to rise to a genuine technical and architectural challenge, bringing together three buildings with differing characteristics to create a coherent and attractive whole adapted to new uses. Above all, he concludes, the scheme demonstrates that transformation can be both a response to the need for property restraint and a powerful driver of value creation for cities.
Our analysis – The Marseille project is part of a deep-seated trend in which owners of obsolete office buildings are turning to hospitality and initiating conversions. Ruby has made this one of its development priorities, as illustrated by Union Investment’s conversion of the Proffa in Helsinki, while in France Covivio is running a programme of five office-to-hotel conversions. The phenomenon extends beyond Europe: in Seoul, office-to-hotel conversion is establishing itself as an asset class in its own right.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Ruby Hotels debuts in France with an office-to-hotel conversion in Marseille
BNP Paribas Immobilier Promotion delivers a 10,000 m²+ mixed-use scheme in Euroméditerranée
Ruby Lilou Hotel & Bar: 237 four-star-level rooms across 8,000 m²+, plus a 300 m²+ rooftop
Ruby Yani Workspaces: c. 1,000 m² of coworking over three floors
Investor: La Française Real Estate Managers; architects: Gensler France and CFCL
Connected to the Thassalia marine geothermal network, targeting BREEAM Very Good
