French experiments

You drink cocktails in New York or in London. In Paris, the Kir Royal was the non plus ultra for what felt like an eternity when it came to mixing a drink from several ingredients. The French may know a thing or two about wine and champagne, but cocktails were never their thing. That was true until the day Olivier Bon, Romée de Goriainoff and Pierre-Charles Cros appeared on the bar scene. The trio started a trend that no Frenchman would have bet a dime on at first: American-style venues, a little speakeasy, a little basement club, a little classic hotel bar. The revolution began on a quiet, cobblestone side street in Sentier, a neighborhood that was not trendy at all back then, almost 15 years ago. The bar is easy to miss, with only a small metal plaque pointing to the front door. Behind it is the Experimental Cocktail Club, a dimly lit place with bare stone walls, heavy velvet curtains, a few sofas and an old piano. Behind the heavy counter, however, young bartenders operate, mixing all the cocktail classics to perfection as well as their own highly creative drinks.

Success comes literally overnight. Parisian hipsters enthusiastically embrace the new cocktail culture, and foreigners living in Paris pounce on the first tasty drinks available in their new home. Within a few months, the ECC makes it onto the pages of the Financial Times, right into the land of top mixologists. There, people wonder who these Frenchmen could be who are turning Paris nightlife upside down and serving cocktails instead of champagne. Olivier Bon, Romée de Goriainoff and Pierre-Charles Cros have known each other since elementary school and had already shown an interest in Margarita, Manhattan and Martini Dry as teenagers. Independently, they spent a year in the U.S. during their studies, learning not only how the American economy works, but also that a cocktail bar doesn’t have to be old-fashioned. “We realized that there should be a new approach to bar life in Paris in the 21st century,” says Romée de Goriainoff. First, Parisians had to get comfortable with the cocktail shaker. The point was to make them understand that the purpose of mixing is not to sell low-quality crap, but that at ECC you get top-notch drinks made from choice ingredients to go with the cool ambiance. “Alcohol is bad for your health. Then at least it should taste good,” is the trio’s credo. The message is getting through – some Parisians are surprised to discover that not everything that comes from the U.S. is inherently undrinkable.

“Our entrepreneurial approach was American from the start,” explains Pierre-Charles Cros, “we didn’t want to open another neighborhood pub for our friends, but to build a solid, professional and future-oriented business model.” As role models served Studio 54 founder and boutique hotel inventor Ian Schrager, trendy hotelier André Balazs and, of course, the Costes brothers, who had created a cool, internationally hip meeting place with their Parisian luxury hotel Costes, its bar and restaurant. By now, the ECC founders can compete with any of them. One by one, they opened more bars in Paris, ventured to London and New York with their ECC concept, and expanded into the restaurant and hotel sectors. “We always felt that we should go in the direction of the hotel business,” Olivier Bon recalls, “but it took seven years before we were financially solid enough to venture into a hotel project.” It all began in 2015 with the Hotel Grand Pigalle in the up-and-coming SoPi (South of Pigalle) district of Paris, and it clearly shows the direction the journey would take: Hotels that offer cool bars and great restaurants in addition to chicly designed rooms, comfortable beds and competent, friendly service. You should start the day there with a really good breakfast and end it in the evening with a great cocktail in a hip bar. All within the hotel walls. Today, the Experimental Group focuses exclusively on hotel projects – not only in Paris, but also in London, Verbier, Venice and Menorca. Right now, the iconic Grand Hotel Montesol in Ibiza Town is being transformed into an Experimental property. The cool restaurant with street terrace and the sensational rooftop bar have been finished and open since late summer, and the rooms of the former Hilton Curio will be completely redesigned from January 2022. After Menorca, Ibiza is already the group’s second Balearic destination after Menorca: “Both were gut decisions – and they were really good opportunities where everything fit,” says Oliver Bon.

Experimental has become a brand that motivates people and sends signals. “If we go to Menorca, not only guests but also other hoteliers and restaurateurs will follow us,” Romée de Goriainoff believes. But it also works the other way around: Verbier, where Experimental has been operating a 39-room chalet for a few years, was already the destination of many of their customers anyway. What was missing there was a relaxed, chic hotel with a food and bar concept to match. “We knew that if we opened something there, it would work without a problem,” says Oliver Bon. And so it has. The carefully growing group deliberately positions itself between pretty individual hotels, small local hotel groups and the houses of globally active chains. Experimental is international, independent and yes, always a little experimental as well. With its concept of offering a 40- to 50-room hotel with great design, excellent gastronomy and the best service, it is quite unrivaled. At the moment, the founding trio has Rome and Milan in its sights, Lisbon is another desired destination and the German market also beckons. “In any case, we would like to be present in the major European cities in the next few years,” says Oliver Bon, “and also in a few exotic locations.” In other words, everywhere they like to vacation themselves.