As a virtuous circle, there are hotels that give prestige to a city and professionals who give prestige to that hotel. As it is a circle, the reverse also happens: the establishment gives shine to the professional and the hotel is what it is thanks to its city. This is the case of the Majestic, in Barcelona, and Pascal Billard: they feed off each other.
The general manager of this legendary hotel landed in Barcelona eight years ago, in the spring of 2013. Curiously, it was the first time he set foot in the city to get to know the establishment that was interested in hiring him to take charge of nothing less than a helm that by then already had 95 years of history. With his hiring and a series of novelties, the Soldevila family, historical owners, sought to give even more shine to their flagship.
"When I arrived in the Eixample and found myself with this majestic building, I met the owners and the staff, I clearly saw the potential this hotel had," recalls Billard while having a coffee in the emblematic bar of the Majestic, which, with its piano and bar, is one of Barcelona's social symbols. "I perfectly remember the meeting with the family and with the group's general manager, I remember very well what we talked about, the objectives they had in mind, all the improvements that could be made… and I accepted the challenge," he points out.
Billard's resume is extensive in both hotel management and restoration and it all begins with his parents' passion for eating in good restaurants, which made young Pascal grow fond of good food, notice the table service, the dishes, and the operation of everything. This translated into a very early vocation for cooking and restoration, and at the age of 15, he entered a historic institution: the Jean Drouant hotel school in Paris, founded in 1935.
Being part of the student body of one of Europe's most prestigious centers in the sector allowed him to do his internships in emblematic hotels on the French Riviera and get to know the profession from all angles. Although it is not on his resume or LinkedIn, there is a noteworthy curiosity: when he had to do military service, he was assigned to something as peculiar as preparing breakfast for the Minister of Transport. "Those are things from other times, now difficult to understand for those who haven't known that. The army had well-trained personnel available in all fields, and mine... well, it was gastronomy and high-level service that the government took advantage of," he says, smiling and shrugging as if to say "c'est la vie."
Upon rejoining civilian life 100%, Billard lived professionally between Europe and the United States. In America, he did so with a prestigious Accor brand, at the Sofitel in Miami, where he spent three years: "All that was as unique as that 80s series with Don Johnson," he laughs remembering it. He also held positions of responsibility at the Delano, a classic Art-Deco hotel in Miami built in the 40s and renovated by a compatriot of his: Philippe Starck. Afterwards, he returned to Europe to take charge of the Château de Bagnols, a wonderful castle in Languedoc-Roussillon, a member of Relais & Châteaux, where they did everything possible for him to stay at the hotel, although he could not resist an offer at the legendary Carlton in Cannes.
On the French Riviera, he was in charge of the most VIP area of the Carlton: a casino and the two-Michelin-starred restaurant La Belle Otero, a name not by chance, as it is said that the hotel's domes were inspired by the breasts of Agustina Carolina del Carmen Otero Iglesias, the Galician woman who, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, was one of France's most famous dancers, singers, actresses, and courtesans: La Bella Otero.
Billard experienced the 9/11 attacks while living in New York, during his second professional stint in the United States, working for various restoration firms from 2000 to 2009, until an unmissable opportunity arose again: returning to Paris to be the deputy director of the Plaza Athenée, the luxurious hotel on Avenue Montaigne and one of the prides of the sector in France, to the point that it has been granted the title of Palais for a decade, a consideration that the French Tourism Development Agency has only awarded to 25 hotels nationwide.
The Plaza Athenée in Paris is one of the prides of the sector in France, to the point that it has been granted the title of Palais for a decade"The Plaza period was impressive. The service provided there is a whole philosophy. I enjoyed it a lot, although it was a daily and continuous challenge," he recalls, as was the relationship with the multi-starred Franco-Monegasque chef Alain Ducasse, the hotel's gastronomic director. At that time, Malco Par, general manager of Majestic Hotel Group, approached Billard in Paristhe Barcelona group was looking for a very high-level hotel director profile for its establishment on Passeig de Gràcia with Valencia.
After some costly renovations completed in 2013 for more than 25 million euros, the 336 rooms that had made up the Majestic hotel since the 70s, were reduced to 271, of which 45 are suites. At that time, the only remaining project was to have the largest suite in the city, almost 500 square meters, by renovating the old private residence of the property and hiring a director who would elevate the Majestic to the level of the best hotels in Europe. Billard was the chosen one.
"I found a splendid hotel and was surprised to see how much it was loved in Barcelona. Sometimes hotels are alien to the city and this has never been the case with this house," he acknowledges, adding: "The Majestic could only be in Barcelona. It is a luxury hotel and at the same time essentially family-run. You can tell. By not being part of any international chain, it has its own personality, very local and at the same time very cosmopolitan. It is a curious and wonderful combination at the same time."
One of the first objectives set under his leadership was for the establishment to enter The Leading Hotels of The World, a select group of 400 luxury hotels in 80 countries, a kind of hotel Olympus where up to 1,500 parameters are regularly checked by inspectors who stay anonymously on the property. Also, the gastronomy was revamped, hiring Nandu Jubany as gastronomic advisor to an already excellent team led by David Romero.
"I found a splendid hotel and was surprised to see how much it was loved in Barcelona. Sometimes hotels are alien to the city and this has never been the case with this house," says Billard"We have tried to open the hotel even more to the city and while it is logical that in normal circumstances most of our guests come from outside Spain, you would be surprised to know that 80% of diners at thebrunchof Sundays are local. I love that our home is also that of many Barcelonans."
Regarding luxury, Billard is clear that there are minimum parameters from which one can grow: "Each person is different and has a sensibility. The most important thing is the treatment from our staff, who end up anticipating the guests' wishes and at the same time are sensitive to their personality: there are people who enjoy attention more and others who prefer tranquility, although always feeling attended to. It's something as personal as it is complicated, and we are there to solve it. We are a luxury hotel also for that reason and above all because of a fabulous team."
The director is passionate about Barcelona and does not hesitate to say that the quality of life in this city is infinitely superior to that of Miami, London, Paris, or New York, benchmark cities where he has lived and worked. "This is a wonderful city, with enormous potential and brilliant people. It continues to be an aspirational place where many, many people want to come and live. The city will return 100% with strength, I am sure of that," he assures, although he adds that it cannot be complacent. "There are many localities that want to be like Barcelona, and the city's managers in all its aspects cannot relax. They have homework to do to reposition the city in the world... And we will always be ready for whoever visits us to take the best impression. Everything adds up," he defends, while in a few seconds he glances around, as this elegant hotelier is always attentive to everything that happens in his establishment.