Showcase project

Hôtel du Palais

Biarritz (64), France
Construction
Scroll
Hotel-du-Palais-Biarritz©groupe-Hyatt
Rénovation

In-depth renovation
of the majestic and unique palace
on the Atlantic coast

Hotel-du-Palais-Biarritz©groupe-Hyatt

Bringing 160 years of history to life

In 2018, Eiffage Construction signed a contract with Socomix for the renovation of the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz.

The contract covered the renovation of around one hundred rooms, reception areas and the entire basement for the hotel's services in this listed building. Pradeau Morin, a subsidiary of Eiffage Construction, carried out the facades.

The aim of the contract was to refresh the spaces without altering the character of the site. 5 years of work, divided into 3 phases, were necessary to completely renovate the imperial building.

The project included :

  • the renovation of the suites (the teams worked on the floors and ceilings, as well as the bathrooms);
  • the renovation of the reception hall. The access to the terrace is now more direct;
  • the renovation of the technical rooms, particularly in the basement
  • bringing the water, gas, electricity and telecommunications pipes and networks up to standard
  • the reconfiguration of the establishment's kitchens. Various technical rooms such as the cloakrooms were also renovated;
  • the complete rehabilitation of the roof (the slates and zinc work were changed).
Hotel-du-Palais-Biarritz©groupe-Hyatt

Titanic works to restore its former glory

Under the aegis of Atelier COS, renovator of the Ritz, and Isabelle Joly, heritage architect of the Basque coast, the renovation work was carried out by Eiffage Construction as a general contractor.

Preserving the volumes and the majestic allure of the palace was the challenge of this gigantic project. The rooms and suites benefited from a complete renewal of the electrical network with the addition of fire doors, reversible air conditioning and a smoke extraction system. The walls and ceilings were also lined to ensure good thermal and acoustic insulation.

In total, 70,000 slates were replaced, almost 15,630 litres of paint were applied to the facades, 27,500 litres to the interior walls and all the woodwork was redone. In addition to this extensive renovation, a new bar was created, "Le Napoléon III". Adjacent to the restaurant, formerly used as a conference room, it now offers a lounge area to the hotel, inviting guests to extend their evening.  

The initial objective of reopening in 2022 has been met, with the teams working non-stop to meet the challenge. The work was not interrupted during the Christmas holidays, nor during weekends and public holidays.

Hotel-du-Palais-Biarritz©groupe-Hyatt

Briefly :

First phase: renovation of the first half of the rooms between October 2018 and June 2019.

Second phase: renovation of around 100 rooms, reception areas and the entire basement from October 2019. The roofs, joinery in the west wing and facades have also been renovated.

Phase three: finishing work. The reopening took place at the beginning of 2022, with the exception of the one time when work was interrupted to welcome the G7 heads of state in August 2019.

Project owner: SOCOMIX

General contractor: Eiffage Construction

Architects: Isabelle Joly Architecte, Atelier COS

Interior designer: COS Design

Photo credits: Hyatt Group

Sometimes all that was left in the rooms was concrete! The electricity, the water columns, everything has been redone with bathrooms that have been relocated and benefit from daylight.

Alessandro Cresta
General Manager of the hotel