Novotel Montparnasse: Wine list reflecting hotel identity

About Halle Quatre:

In the 15th arrondissement, just a stone’s throw from the train station, the Novotel Montparnasse restaurant, “La Halle Quatre,” takes you on a journey even before you board the train. Stepping through the doors of this establishment is like stepping into southwestern France, thanks to its menu featuring 100% regional products. Renovations undertaken at the hotel a year ago allowed for a complete reimagining of the dining concept. Given the hotel’s location, this new identity naturally focused on products typical of the Southwest regions, explains Valentin, the dining manager with whom we spoke. “We were committed to sourcing products from these regions, directly from small producers, to offer simply excellent products—little-known but with real soul and character.”

La Halle Quatre’s goal: to offer its customers a unique experience, particularly through its wine list.

“For several years now, the Novotel brand has been striving to restore a strong identity to each of its restaurants. We no longer want to be just a hotel restaurant, but a restaurant in its own right.” In the past, everything was standardized; Novotel hotels across France all used the same menu. Wine selections were made at Accor headquarters. In practice, wines were ordered from approved suppliers. With the change in policy, the teams at Halle Quatre were able to create a wine list that reflects their own style, offering their customers wines they aren’t used to drinking. This freedom in selection has brought three main needs to the forefront:

• “Train servers to sell these highly specialized products”
• “Discovering interesting and surprising wines from the regions of western France”
• “Promoting direct sales from producers”

How did La Halle Quatre build its wine list using Les Grappes PRO?

Accounting for more than 15% of sales at La Halle Quatre, wine is a key factor for the restaurant. With Les Grappes, Valentin was able to easily train his team to sell the products he selected. The fact that his servers know how to talk about the wines they offer customers, describe the aromas, and guide them toward simple food-wine pairings is indeed crucial to selling bottles. Thus, having wines with unique stories and original flavors was very important to him and was decisive in his choice of supplier.

“These days, customers really want advice on what they’re eating; they ask us what pairs best with the dish they’ve chosen, compare our different wines, and look for a pairing, so we need a few key phrases.”

Valentin told us: “I really appreciated the guidance I received during the selection process, especially given the wide range of wines available on the site. We’re dealing with true experts who know the wines they offer inside and out. As soon as we explained what we were looking for, they steered us toward the right wines.” The help with selecting wines was very important to Valentin, who, after sharing his plans with the Les Grappes team, said, “I asked Emma [a Les Grappes wine expert] for a selection of wines from western France in several styles: I wanted white and red wines that were a bit more premium. I also told her I wanted to offer my customers unique wines from small producers.”

Reviews from community members and product descriptions were also a valuable and decisive factor in his decision to work with Les Grappes. “The website is very well designed, making it easy to find the product you want. The fact that there are reviews and ratings for each product was a real plus in helping me make the right choice.”

One of Valentin’s goals when developing the restaurant’s new concept was to highlight the work of small-scale winemakers. Knowing and ensuring the provenance of the products he offers his customers is a guarantee of quality. “Having wines that aren’t available everywhere is also very valuable; I didn’t want multinational wine companies, but rather small producers who offer surprising wines.” With Les Grappes PRO, Valentin has direct access to a catalog of independent winemakers, which saves him a lot of time.

The results: A team that believes in the products it offers and satisfied customers

“We were committed to creating a wine list that reflects who we are and that we could truly call our own.”

A motivated team has a direct impact on wine sales and customer satisfaction. When a product is presented and “shared,” customers are more likely to provide feedback and comments: “People are curious; they like being introduced to new products, and they appreciate the direct-from-producer approach.”

Valentin explains that when he features two wines on his menu—a well-known brand and a small-producer wine—customers are more likely to opt for the lesser-known option if it’s presented well. On La Halle’s wine list, for example, you’ll find Domaine Egiategia, which produces its wines in the heart of the Bay of Saint-Jean-de-Luz in tanks located 15 meters underwater, as well as Château Les Graves de Viaud, which practices biodynamic viticulture in the Bordeaux region.