La Toubana is above all a family adventure. Three generations have developed this Sainte-Anne hotel nestled on a cliff above the lagoon. Its 5-star classification, awarded last October, rewards 36 years of passion and commitment to raise the hotel and Guadeloupe to the top.
At first, there was visionary Robert Vial-Collet. On the steep plot facing the sea, with no real beach, he pictured a small hotel. Twelve bungalows opened in 1983, and six more were built later. His son Patrick and his wife Corinne gradually took over and kept developing the hotel with the same goal always in mind: bringing it upmarket. After a series of extensions and renovations, La Toubana would offer 33 bungalows, 12 suites and a spa. In 2014, 3 high-end villas were added and made it a luxury establishment. “This hotel has always been part of the family history,” said Chloé Arnoux, the founder’s granddaughter and current CEO. “My parents spent days, nights, weekends there, and even in the evening at home La Toubana was at the center of their concerns. My brother and I grew up in this atmosphere, with parents fully dedicated to what was in fact their first baby. ”
1 and 3. Outdoor pool on the Caribbean Sea / 2. – The spa relaxation room for relaxing facing the sea / 4. Nestled on a hill, the hotel offers a spectacular view / 5. The hotel beach, a real tropical setting / 6. Dream lunch facing the pool … and the sea / Crédits photos : La Toubana
You would think that Chloe and her brother Aston naturally embraced a career in hospitality. Not really. After studying business, Chloé turned to the airline industry and Aston to new technologies. However, the family adventure quickly caught up with them. “In 2010, to replace my parents, I had to unexpectedly take over the hotel’s daily routine for a month,” Chloé said. Eventually, it lasted three months and never ended. “I quickly realized I loved this job and I felt at home. So I stayed. ” A few years later, Aston helped out at the beach bar and got caught up in the game. Today, he is the restaurant manager at La Toubana and, like his sister, has taken things over. If Corinne and Patrick Vial-Collet always watch over their first love, their children are now in charge of managing the first and only 5-star hotel in the West Indies. Moving upmarket also means offering more services and meeting an ever more demanding clientele. “Our goal today is to anticipate our guests’ desires and make their dreams come true,” the new director said.
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