The 19th century Palais de Justice is a local landmark and its elegant, classical façade overlooks bustling Aristide Briand Square in the city centre of Nantes. The building served as a courthouse until 2000 and the local government recently authorised its transformation into an upscale hotel and cultural centre.

The interior, by the French designer Jean-Philippe Nuel (Agence Nuel), will be sophisticated and contemporary, but reflective of the local culture and the historical aspects of the building. In addition to 142 guest rooms – including 20 suites – there will be an all-day-dining restaurant in the former courtroom, a bar, 320 m2 of meeting space, an exclusive spa, and a cultural centre which will also be used for events.

“We are delighted to announce one of the most high-profile hotel projects in Western France and to further strengthen our young and stylish Radisson Blu portfolio in the country”, says Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. This new development, with a strong real estate component, corresponds well to AXA Real Estate’s hotel investment strategy. On behalf of its clients, AXA Real Estate is currently managing 80 hotels and 12,000 rooms in Europe representing a total investment of around € 1.4 billion.

Rezidor now features 26 hotels with a total of 4,300 rooms in operation and under development in France, and is present in major cities such as Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille, Nice and Lyon.

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Nantes will open in 2013.

www.radissonblu.com

www.axa-realestate.com

www.jeanphilippenuel.com