Having been opened by the Lyonnaise de Banque in 1996, La Reine Astrid hotel was taken over in 2000 by the Warwick International group which also owns or manages other upmarket properties, such as the Warwick Champs Elysées and Westminster Opéra in Paris as well as various establishments based in Vanuatu in Fiji, Bali, London, Geneva, Brussels, Nice and Cannes.

The group was founded in the 1970s by Richard Chiu, who originally came from Hong Kong. La Reine Astrid is a 4* hotel-style residence, offering 88 suites with floor space of between 35 and 90 m², four function rooms with capacity for up to 50 people for a work session and 250 for a cocktail party, a restaurant with private garden that is open from Monday through to Friday, a 150 m² spa centre with sauna, steam room and sports room, a bar, a heated terrace and a private underground car park with 50 spaces (free of charge for meeting participants or clients of the restaurant).

Seminars represent between10 and 15% of our turnover, mostly working events for between 10 and 50 participants, confirms general manager Ali Afshar. It’s our niche market and we find that companies appreciate being able to use our indoor garden for their cocktail parties and they also like the size of our suites, which, during these difficult economic times where budgets are stretched, can accommodate more than one person .

The hotel’s seminar business is 80% French, but its accommodation-only business is represented by 50% foreign clients, mostly British and American followed by Germans and other North Europeans. Its occupancy rate is 72% with an average room rate of between 130 and 150 € per night. As far as seminars are concerned, pharmaceutical companies are the hotel’s main clientele, with meeting packages starting at 65 € for a day, including room hire, refreshment breaks, lunch and car parking. For a semi-residential package, inclusive of breakfast and accommodation, the rates start at 205 € per person and change according to the season.

La Reine Astrid completely renovated its meeting rooms, restaurant and bar at the end of 2005 and has also revamped its bedrooms. It makes the most of its location close to the Parc de la Tête d’Or, enabling delegates to enjoy a breath of fresh air and green space during the refreshment breaks. For more complicated activities it works in partnership with the Team Tour agency, based in Dardilly, as well as with the I-Way complex, the only venue of its kind offering 18 driving simulators including six Formula One machines and the same number again dedicated to endurance racing and rallying.