Christian Louboutin becomes the newest shareholder in French hospitality group Experimental Group. His minority shareholding comes at a time when major luxury players are seeking to strengthen their positions in hospitality and the experiential.
Christian Louboutin personally invests in French hotel group Experimental Group. Although the amount of the investment was not disclosed, it is believed to be a minority stake.
The maker of vertiginous heels in the iconic Pigalle red is thus consolidating his gradual diversification into the hotel-restaurant business, initiated in the spring of 2023 with the inauguration of his very first establishment in sunny Portugal: the Vermelho, on the Alentejo coast, a stone’s throw from the highly media-savvy Comporta.
A lover of travel and memorable experiences, the French creator confirms his attraction for intimate, design-led boutique hotels.
US debut
Joining current shareholders Jean Moueix and Brookfield Asset Management, Christian Louboutin also brings along his partner Alexis Dyèvre, who invested with him in Maison Gatti, a French manufacturer of rattan furniture founded in 1920.
Founded in 2007, Experimental Group made its debut on a confidential Paris street, initially breaking into the hushed world of bar and mixology.
Since then, the hotel group has opened some twenty hotels, bars, clubs and private beaches in London, Paris, Ibiza, Biarritz, Verbier, Menorca and Venice. Its portfolio includes high-end establishments such as the Experimental Cocktail Club bar in Paris, Le Garage hotel in Biarritz and Il Palazzo Experimental in Venice.
Based primarily in Europe, Experimental Group is aiming for four additional destinations by 2025: Val d’Isère, Rome, Paris and New York.
Earlier this year, the hotel group took its first step into the United States with the inauguration of La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Centre St. in the Big Apple.
Obvious synergies
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Featured Photo: © Louboutin
