Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton is expanding its hotel footprint with a minority investment in French boutique hotel operator Les Domaines de Fontenille, marking the luxury giant’s latest move to capture growing demand for high-end travel experiences.
The Paris-based luxury conglomerate said late Monday that it’s investing alongside Anaïs Ventures. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.
“I am convinced that this partnership will open up new perspectives for us to continue to radiate the excellence, authenticity, and art de vivre that define our DNA,” said CEO Linda Hazi via a LinkedIn post.
The Fontenille deal adds to LVMH’s growing hospitality portfolio, which includes the Cheval Blanc and Belmond hotel chains and Bulgari Hotels & Resorts. It appears that the maker of many hard luxury goods increasingly targets experiential offerings to complement its sales of clothing, jewelry, and other goods.
“This is an opportunity to to discover a world that complements the hospitality we offer through our brands,” said Jean-Jacques Guiony, chief financial officer of LVMH, in a statement.
Turning Villas Into Hotels
Les Domaines de Fontenille, founded in 2016 by former fashion executive Frédéric Biousse and art gallery owner Guillaume Foucher, operates 11 properties across France, Spain, and Italy. The group specializes in eco-responsible destinations that combine luxury amenities with intimate, boutique settings.
It is pushing ahead with expansion plans, including two new French properties: a seaside hotel in Brittany’s Perros-Guirec set to open next spring and a five-star hotel in Aix-En-Provence scheduled for 2026.
The investment provides fresh capital for the hotel group, which has undertaken significant property investments, including an approximately $32 million renovation of Château de Primard, Catherine Deneuve’s former estate in France’s Perche region. According to French newspaper Challenges, the property, which features a gourmet restaurant and spa, is still working toward profitability.
Biousse, who previously led accessible luxury group SMCP and Comptoir des Cotonniers, remains the majority shareholder, while Foucher holds a minority stake. LVMH’s investment comes a year afterafter Caisse des Dépôts et Consignation acquired a stake in the small heritage hospitality brand in November 2023.
Fontenilles is also the first French hotel group to obtain Société à Mission status. Since 2019, French law has allowed companies to legally commit to ambitious objectives such as environmental sustainability in their by-laws beyond the pursuit of profit.
Accommodations Sector Stock Index Performance Year-to-Date
What am I looking at? The performance of hotels and short-term rental sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets, including international and regional hotel brands, hotel REITs, hotel management companies, alternative accommodations, and timeshares.
The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more hotels and short-term rental financial sector performance.
Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.
