A new venue specialising in hosting seminars and evening functions has just opened in Limonest, to the north of Lyon. The Château de Sans Souci offers 11 flexible function rooms and salons. Its largest room can hold almost 100 people for a seminar and 130 for a dinner-cocktail reception. During the summer months, this room can be made larger by using the outside terrace which links to another smaller room, offering capacity for up to 300 people.
Situated close to the Monts d’Or and right in the middle of the Techlid business park, this new venue opened recently to handle seminars and evening functions. The Château de Sans Souci is a 17th century property located at Limonest, just 15 minutes away from Lyon via the A6. It boasts a hectare of grounds, a pretty lake and offers fine views over the Monts du Lyonnais.
Formerly owned by the Roux de Bézieux family, this lovely property was bought in 2003 by Patrick Méhu and Jean-Yves Carpentier, who also own several restaurants in the Lyon area and the Ain. They commissioned architect Yves Bourchalat to restore the château and work began in the autumn of 2009. This was completed recently, and the venue re-opened at the beginning of this month.
Sans Souci has opened almost 500 m2 set over three storeys for public use. The château offers 11 flexible function rooms and salons, including one 100 m2 room upstairs which can take 70 people and another room (140 m2) on the ground floor which has capacity for 100 people. The latter gives on to a lovely terrace where, in the summer months, a marquee can be erected to link with the Orangery, which itself offers a space of 72 m2. 
“With this set up, we can take up to 300 people for a function,” confirms Ingrid Ruillat, sales manager for the venue. “And from summer 2011, we’re building another 300 m2 room just below the château which will give space for up to 200 people”. The kitchens will be updated at the same time, but for the time being clients can use their own outside caterers.
Sans Souci targets mainly local companies for its business, and the Techlid park nearby is home to several company headquarters. “But we’re also reliant on the contacts made through Only Lyon, of which we are a member”, smiles Ingrid Ruillat.
Since it opened, Sans Souci has certainly attracted some of the most influential decision makers in the western Lyon area including its first clients, Brake, which is a food distribution company, and the doctors’ association “Cœur de Lyon” which chose the venue for its birthday celebrations. As there is no on-site accommodation, the property tends to attract day seminars. However, for residential seminars the château works with various local hotels situated at the Porte de Lyon as well as the Domaine de Valpré. The grounds and lake offer several possibilities for recreational activities.
Rates : from 49 to 70 € ex VAT for a day’s seminar. Hire of largest room: 1800 € ex VAT per day.
Le Château de Sans souci, in Limonest (Rhône)
Tel.: 00 33 (0)4 37 59 80 60
