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The appointment with Philippe Gombert is at the Heritage hotel, the five-star hotel in Madrid and a member of the Relais & Châteaux family.

Since 2013, the 69-year-old Parisian has been the president of this epicurean collection of hotels and restaurants spread over five continents.

The history of Relais & Châteaux began in

, when Marcel and Nelly Tilloy, owners of a small country hotel south of Lyon, came up with the idea of ​​joining their own and seven other inns between Nice and Paris under the slogan

(The route of happiness).

Over the years, more and more

as well as

, would be added .

All, to this day, independent.

A lawyer by training, Gombert has come to La Villa y Corte to imagine the new era of travel together with other experts in the sector.

"I have an interesting job," he acknowledges at the first change.

- What does it consist of, exactly?

- In speaking in forums like this one in Madrid, Forward-Mad, about the challenges and opportunities of tourism, and in keeping alive the links of our network of almost 600 hoteliers.

You will not find an association that was as active as ours during the pandemic.

Gombert assures that our capital does very well to put the emphasis on attracting

, but the important thing is to think about why the

traveler wants to come to Madrid.

"And what they are looking for is to feel and share the culture of the destination. But it is necessary to address the volume of tourists that it can receive per week: in a city of three million people you cannot bring three million tourists. you will find, but

for the city. "

The sublime tourist for Gombert is, of course, the one who shares the Relais & Châteaux philosophy. In 2014 the association presented a manifesto at Unesco headquarters in Paris proposing a way to

It is a vision that praises the artisanal, the particular and the excellence ... In addition to "authentic sustainability", the

because "protecting biodiversity is protecting humanity".

"What defines a Relais & Châteaux is what we call a

he explains.

"We want our hotels to convey

That is, when you travel to Cáceres and sit at the table, you know perfectly that you are in Cáceres, and not anywhere else in the world. We focus on the local, the authenticity, in people and experiences. International cuisine does not work. In the same way, the figure of the

is more important than ever. "

THE LORD OF THE TREYNER

Gombert practices what he preaches from his own hotel, the Château de la Treyner, in the south of France, a splendid 120-hectare estate (from € 315 per night) overlooking the Dordogne River that his family bought in 1982. "One day The bank called me and said: your mother is a very good hostess, but she's not good at accounting. It was true. So I decided that from now on I would

a 14th century castle. At first it was clear to me: I didn't want a luxury hotel or a castle.

. "

In his favor, he had the ability and passion to build, something that is in his DNA, and that took him to extremes of making an elevator shaft with dynamite.

"I am the only architect who has owned the property. My wife and I have been working on it for 30 years."

three tracks

1. A Relais & Châteaux that has marked you

... "Ballyfin Demesne (Ireland), a spectacular property from the 18th century. And in South Africa, the Londolozi Game Reserve, to have breakfast with the

2. One you would like to go to

... "The list is long, but Le Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia) is the image of paradise on Earth."

3. For a destination to be perfect.

.. "I need peace and quiet. A truly authentic place. That does not have anything false. And that offers me something to discover."

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