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“Making a film and opening a hotel incorporate similar acts of storytelling,” muses Jean-Pierre Marois, a former filmmaker turned hotelier, responsible for transforming the iconic 1980s nightclub Les Bains Douches in Paris, often referred to as the “European Studio 54” (formerly a public bath house in 1885) into what is now Les Bains Paris, a culture-filled five-star boutique hotel in the heart of the lively Marais neighborhood. “The concept at Les Bains Paris is to honor the place’s DNA with a yin and yang concept of wellness and conscious hedonism,” he explains. It’s a spirit that has been reverently revived at the hotel’s cocktail bar and nightclub, and at the spa and pool, which serves as a nod to the property’s bathhouse roots.
Jean-Pierre followed this same alchemy in 2022 when he decided to purchase an existing hotel in the Camargue, an unusually unspoiled part of Provence located just a short drive from Arles and a half mile from the beaches of the Mediterranean. The Camargue is a vast wetland in the Rhone Delta, forming the largest river delta in Europe, where—surrounded by fields of roaming wild horses, bulls, and flamingos—everything feels like a celluloid fever dream. At the time, Jean-Pierre admits, he knew nothing about the region, but was immediately drawn to the unique property that he believed possessed all the makings for the type of hotel he envisioned: horse stables, a restaurant, and outdoor spaces that include the former hotel’s existing swimming pools and tennis court, as well as those cinematic cabanes de gardians (the small cottages with straw roofs typical of the region). Not to mention the canals, salt cedars, umbrella pines, and wild reeds that stretch over 10 acres of a Natural Reserve (part of the Parc Regional Naturel de Camargue). “I saw an opportunity to deliver the same type of yin and yang experience as Les Bains Paris but in resort mode,” he explains. “La Camargue is a region that deserves to be discovered. It’s a natural wilderness, a land of incredible energy and magnificent traditions.”
Following an 18-month renovation, nature resort Les Bains Gardians officially opens its doors on June 1, taking its name from the cattle herdsman of the Camargue, the guardians of a herd of bulls and horses that are raised in semi-freedom here; in simple terms, Les Gardians are the Provençal cowboys of region. Designed by architects and decorators Hauvette Madani, the hotel features 67 rooms, including 48 traditional garden huts, reception and lounges, a restaurant and cocktail bar, as well as two swimming pools, a spa, and horse stables.
The main aim of the interior renovation was to lighten and restore authenticity to spaces that had suffered multiple renovations, explains designer Samantha Hauvette. “We wanted to give the place the soul of a family vacation home handed down from generation to generation, from rustic furniture from the ‘50’s, 60’s and ‘70s, as well as more contemporary pieces,” adds co-designer Lucas Madani. To achieve this, the designers enlisted the help of Arles-based antique dealer Julie Barrau, who spent a whole year scouring the roads of France in search of vintage furniture; art curator Jérôme Pauchant, who works with a selection of contemporary artists; and Luce Monier, a floral artist from Arles, who set about rehabilitating the outdoors by rewilding the landscape, which had been neglected and destroyed over the years.
The designers wanted to keep the decoration in the cabanes de gardians—which are built of whitewashed stone with thatched roofs—deliberately simple, reducing them only to the essentials in keeping with the spirit of the land. In the bedrooms, beds are framed with sheer mosquito net canopies and bedspreads are made from a local fabric, featuring a Camargue cross emblematic of the region. Curtains are made in collaboration with Indiennes de Nimes, the makers of traditional gardian costumes, with whom the designers worked to reinterpret a Camargue motif. The rustic regional tropes continue through the subtle natural accents that dominate each space, such as the large jute rugs that cover the rough travertine floors. Preserving the history of the former structure, the designers decided to lay down ceramic tiles in the bathrooms that mimicked motifs from old tiles they came across during the demolition work.
“The restaurant has the feel of an old inn,” Lucas explains of Le Pont des Bannes, located in the reinvented mas, or farmhouse, with its cozy stone fireplaces and masonry benches. (The restaurant opens on July 1.) The designers selected black and white checkerboard accents as a nod to both the history of the Paris bains and the famous gardians blankets, representing the link between the two houses. The food offering will feature a Mediterranean menu infused with a local touch, like Camarguais beef prepared as a daube à la provençal gardiane and served with Camargue rice, which guests can enjoy at the restaurant or relaxing by the pool. While there’s no nightclub on the property, Les Bains Gardians will host a revolving door of artistic and musical programming, embracing Jean-Pierr’s vision of creating a cultural center in nature, where guests can dance under the stars while sipping signature craft cocktails from the bar.
To uphold the brand’s unique concept of blending heritage and culture through an amalgamation of enlightened hedonism and wellbeing, guests will find various wellness areas scattered throughout the property– from the tennis court to the large ’70s style swimming pool and terrace, where guests can swim and enjoy the view of the pink flamingos in the pond surrounding the property. (The second pool will open on July 1.) The hotel currently features a spa with one treatment room, a jacuzzi and sauna, and will unveil their completed spa Les Bains Guerbois in summer of 2025. As the property benefits from its own stables, the hotel will offer equestrian experiences, from Camargue horseback rides on the wild beaches of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to horse-drawn carriage rides along the lakes to discover the local flora and fauna.
In many ways, Jean-Pierre approached this hotel the way he does his films: “It’s about bringing emotions to the people coming to my hotels or going to a movie by telling the story the best way possible,” he explains. For him, it’s a whole production as he emphasizes the importance of finding the right designers, florists, chefs, mixologists, housekeepers, therapists, and even perfumers. “I want to make sure the story of La Camargue is compelling enough, believable enough, coherent enough, so people suspend their disbelief and can really immerse themselves in the moment,” he adds. “Once this is done, it becomes more like a theater stage than a movie set—because the show is live, and the guests are part of the cast.”
