Monte Carlo
One Monte-Carlo – MICE sea change
SIMON GEORGE REPORTS FROM THE CÔTE D’AZUR ON HOW MONTE CARLO SBM’S
NEW CONFERENCE CENTRE STRENGTHENS, BUNDLES AND MAXIMISES ITS MICE OFFERING
here’s a new addition to
Monte Carlo’s MICE
landscape that promises to
be a real game-changer.
One Monte-Carlo, a stylish new
conference and events centre with an
equally stylish address, opened its
doors on 4 June.
Designed by Sir Richard Rogers and
situated close to the famous Casino
Square, One Monte-Carlo creates a
new business tourism hub with the
Hôtel Hermitage and the newly
renovated Hôtel de Paris (which
re-opened last December) in the heart
of the destination for Monte Carlo
Société des Bains de Mer (Monte Carlo
SBM), Monaco’s investment vehicle.
One Monte-Carlo triangulates
MICE business in the vicinity of
Casino Square and doubles business
event capacity. It also complements
Monte Carlo SBM’s existing MICE
portfolio (which includes the 5-star
Monte-Carlo Beach and the 4-star
Monte-Carlo Bay, as well as the iconic
casino and the Monte Carlo Country
Club).
Built on the site of the former Palais
des Beaux-Arts and costing €320m
(US$355m), One Monte-Carlo covers
1,445sqm, offers nine meeting rooms,
including a 300sqm conference hall
(Salles Des Arts). There is a 154sqm
auditorium seating 80 people and a
178sqm multipurpose hall attached to
the Salle des Arts. There are three
96sqm conference rooms (Maria
Callas, Rossini and Arman) and a 2-ton
lift to stage car launches.
One Monte-Carlo has Green Globe
certification.
For the Hôtel Hermitage and the
Monte Carlo MICE
• MICE business makes up 25-35% of
annual hotel accommodation revenues
in Monte Carlo.
• MICE groups account for 70,000
room nights per year, equating to
€20m in revenues.
• Seasonality: October-March makes
up the biggest share of MICE
business as Monte Carlo has fewer
individual clients during this period,
which means room rates are lower.
• Main country markets: France (30%),
US (20%), UK (10%), Local (10%)
Main sectors: IT / Pharma-medical /
Luxury goods / Auto / Finance /
High-end jewellery.
Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo’s new
dedicated meetings centre brings two
inter-related MICE benefits in terms
of room capacity and synergy – a case
of mix and match, if you like.
First, by ‘combining’ the two hotels,
it increases the total number of
bedrooms to 486 (278 at Hôtel
Hermitage Monte-Carlo and 208 at
Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo). As Alice
Gentils, Monte Carlo SBM’s Director
of Sales, explains: “It allows us to have
the Hôtel de Hermitage and the Hôtel
de Paris together – giving us a bigger
number of bedrooms and suites – and
(to) use the One Monte-Carlo as a
meetings hub. People generally don’t
like to go outside the hotel for a
meeting, but here in Monaco it is very
different given the good weather (300
days of sunshine) and One
Monte-Carlo’s proximity to both
€320m
hotels.”
It also maximises hotel occupancy, of
course.
the cost of One
Monte-Carlo
1,445sqm
Up and running
One Monte-Carlo’s maiden event
involved Ernst & Young hiring out its
facilities shortly after it opened and, in
October, InVOYAGE is organising a
B2B tradeshow for incentive houses
and organisers at the conference
centre. In spring 2021 a North
American corporate has booked out
One Monte-Carlo and all of the
meeting rooms at the Hôtel Hermitage
for a large meetings and incentives
event.
In view of synergies to be exploited
with the Hôtel Hermitage and the
Hôtel de Paris, Monte Carlo’s new ‘kid
on the block’ can transform the
principality’s MICE offering.
300sqm
conference
hall
154sqm
auditorium
178sqm
multipurpose
hall
Source: Monte
Carlo Société des
Bains de Mer
ISSUE 102
/
CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD
/
49