Over a century of history

It all began in 1903, when my great-grandmother, Marie Folliguet, and her first husband decided to settle in the upper Chamonix valley, now accessible by train to Argentière. That’s how their history began, when they opened their first establishment, the Hôtel du Globe.

A few years later, they moved back down to Chamonix, where they opened a restaurant called Le Fin Bec on the site of the current Patagonia store.

A few years later, they bought a building at 36 rue du Lyret, where they opened the first hotel-restaurant called “Les Gourmets” (now the Hôtel de la Vallée Blanche).

A love of cooking

My great-grandmother ran the restaurant’s kitchen, assisted by her two sons, one of whom was my grandfather Auguste MOLLARD, who trained at the Escoffier School at the Ritz in Paris. In the 1940s, she handed over the reins to her children.

The establishment became a landmark in Chamonix, frequented by ambassadors, kings, and queens who stayed in the town’s palaces and grand hotels.

After the handover, my grandfather, Auguste Mollard, and his wife, my uncle, his half-brother, Henri Bourgeois, and his wife, took up the torch.

During the Second World War, my grandfather was not mobilized for the reasons we all know, so he continued to run the restaurant while being a member of the Resistance. He took part in the Glières parachute jump and the attack on the Col du Midi. He was in great danger and was condemned twice. He even narrowly escaped deportation, the first time by being tipped off by a German officer who regularly dined at Les GOURMETS and was not a fan of the SS’s policies, and the second time by jumping off the train to Auschwitz.

A growing assortment

At the end of the war, the two couples decided to go their separate ways. In 1947, my grandfather bought another building at 90 rue du Lyret (now Casa Valério) to rebuild the restaurant Les Gourmets, with two dining rooms for up to 160 guests. In 1956, he expanded his establishment by buying the Hôtel-Restaurant des Négociants, an extension of the restaurant, thus creating the Hôtel-Restaurant Les Gourmets.

In 1960, the establishment was enlarged again to become the Hotel Les Gourmets as we know it today. Then, in 1965, it was renamed Hôtel Les Gourmets et Italy after the inaugural lunch of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, for which my grandfather, Auguste Mollard, was the chef.

My father, of Corsican origin, came to Chamonix in 1963 to work as a croupier in the casino. It was there that he met my mother, Claudine Mollard-Simond. This was the heyday of the casino, a time of prosperity for the town. Naturally, he joined my mother in the family business and was trained by my grandfather as a cook.

The hotel remained in the family, run by my grandparents and father, with a catering business until 1984. By then, the cost of running two buildings had become too high. The plan was to move the restaurant into the hotel, create a unique terrace at the time, and convert the cellars into kitchens. But the project was never realized.

In 1984, after my mother’s death and my father’s departure to Corsica, I took over the business but decided not to pursue the restaurant project.

After taking over the management of the hotel in 1985, I undertook a major renovation between 1985 and 1987, upgrading the hotel from a 2-star hotel of the old standard to a 2-star hotel of the new standard. In 1992, a new renovation modernized the establishment and gave it a 3-star rating.

In 1999, the rooms underwent renovations, and a bar was added, along with the restructuring of the reception and lounges to create an even more inviting atmosphere for our guests.

In May 2007, we undertook an exterior makeover, installing new wooden balconies, repairing the facade, and creating an outdoor swimming pool. Then, in October, while we were renovating the bathrooms and converting the fourth floor into suites, a fire broke out at night and destroyed the roof. Thanks to local entrepreneurs’ solidarity and mutual aid, the hostel was reopened for Christmas 2007. The last major renovation took place in 2014. Another project is planned for the spring of 2023 to upgrade the establishment to 4-star status.

In addition to running the hotel, my family has always been very active in the Chamonix Valley. My grandfather was 1st deputy mayor and town councilor for almost 3 decades and was a member of the hoteliers’ syndicate founded in 1898. So, it was natural for me to join the syndicate in 1987 as secretary before becoming president in 1992, which allowed me to work closely with local authorities (town councils, tourist office, Compagnie de Mont-Blanc, etc.) to defend and develop the interests of the hotel and restaurant trade in the Chamonix valley. In this capacity, I participated and became President of the GIE Chamonix Expansion in 1992, responsible for the professional promotion of tourist activities in the Chamonix Valley.

I also joined the Departmental Office in 1994, then in 2010, I was appointed Vice President of Rhône-Alpes, and then in 2016, President of the Departmental Office. I am also a member of the board of directors of the national structure, co-president of the Seasonality Commission, and have been elected to the CCI74 since 2011 and to the CCIR since 2016.

Never forgetting my origins as a restaurateur, in 2013, I joined forces with 2 leading figures from the Chamonix hotel and restaurant industry, and we bought the Restaurant la Braconne in Sallanches, transformed it, and promoted it to the rank of Maître Restaurateur.

On October 1st, 2022, the Mont-Blanc Collection Group was delighted to add Hôtel Les Gourmets to its portfolio of establishments, adding a new page to its history.