The Hotel Relais de la Malmaison, just ten minutes from Paris, enjoys an exceptional location in a wooded country park close to the Seine and on the edge of a golf course. So, it seems entirely reasonable and responsible for us to contribute to the preservation of these delightful surroundings by ensuring that our actions minimise our carbon footprint and help to protect the environment. Here are some of the measures we are taking to do so.

 

A haven of greenery

We often welcome Parisian guests who love to escape from the city to enjoy the tranquillity and greenery that are an integral part of the Relais de la Malmaison. Similarly, many of our guests from further afield are amazed that it’s possible to find such a bucolic place so close to Paris that continues to resist the encroachment of urban sprawl. Indeed, our 2-hectare park offers a picturesque and peaceful setting that is both completely removed from the bustle of Paris, yet only fifteen minutes away by public transport from the heart of the capital and its business district, La Défense. We are, therefore, fully aware of the exceptional nature of our location as well as our responsibility to preserve it. At our relatively small scale, we try to take as many actions as are feasible to reduce our ecological impact and protect the setting we are privileged to occupy.

 

In our park

At the Relais de la Malmaison, you’ll find no tall buildings or a dispiriting excess of concrete. We have chosen to integrate our various buildings into our park subtly and discreetly, preferring single-storey, two-storey and human-scale designs that do not impose themselves on the landscape. The swimming pool, for example, is covered by a green roof that makes it unobtrusive and which limits the problems of water evaporation and the reflection of the sun's rays. We have also installed a rainwater recovery system. The stored water is used for maintenance and watering, thus allowing us to avoid the unnecessary use of drinking water. Finally, our landscape gardeners have carefully selected the plant species that flourish in our park, cultivating varieties that absorb hydrocarbons. Each of these small but important actions contribute to limiting the scale of our establishment’s ecological impact.

 

Beehives and honey

One of our latest initiatives is establishing a partnership with Eric Valageas, a beekeeper who is passionate about his job. He has set up five hives in our gardens. The foraging bees who now share our space benefit from our abundance of trees and other plants and contribute to their pollination. Thus, they participate actively in the preservation of our park’s biodiversity of flora and fauna. These tireless workers focus exclusively on their tasks and are no bother at all to our guests. In fact, the low sound of buzzing around the flower beds is a distinctly soothing aid to relaxation. Finally, thanks to the dedication of our buzzing buddies and their beekeeper, you’ll have the opportunity to taste one of the most important items of the breakfast buffet; our homemade honey. This true mille fleurs (thousand flowers) honey produced exclusively in our park is an irresistibly delicious treat!

Our privileged location makes us fully aware of our ecological responsibilities. We have therefore chosen actions and initiatives both large and small to benefit the environment without sacrificing any of the comfort our guests enjoy. Our Relais de la Malmaison team will be delighted to answer all your questions on the subject. And you are invited to help us, too!

 

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 Relais de la Malmaison, an exceptional setting near Paris