Outgoing SBM president Jean-Luc Biamonti has delivered very strong first-half results for the Société des Bains de Mer, confirming that he will be leaving the company in the best financial position it has been in decades.
Jean-Luc Biamonti presented the revenue results for 1st April to 30th September 2022 at a press conference at the Hôtel Hermitage on Tuesday.
They show that the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) is on track to better the 2007/2008 financial year profit of €64.1 million, which has not been broken since.
The strong figures are a result of “revenge spending” in a post-pandemic world, said Biamonti, as well as effective restructuring during Covid, and the huge return on its sale of Betclic Everest Group.
SBM, which owns Monaco’s most famous establishments including the Hôtel de Paris and the Casino de Monte-Carlo, drew in €432.3 million in consolidated revenue in the first six months of the financial year, an increase of €120.9 million on the same period of the 2021-2022 financial year.
The majority came from hotel and catering revenue at €235.4 million, close to €100 more than the previous year, while operating income almost doubled to hit €91.9 million. Revenue from rental activities increased to €62.8 compared to €58.5 million, with the whole of One Monte-Carlo now occupied.
The consolidated net income of SBM now stands at €918.8 million, compared to €45.6 million euros for the first six months of the 2021/2022 financial year. That’s primarily thanks to the sale and contribution of its entire 47.3% stake in Betclic Everest Group to FL Entertainment, which rendered an exceptional profit of €813.5 million.
Next Friday, SBM will hold an extraordinary meeting to ratify the election of Stéphane Valeri on the board of directors, which took place this summer, ahead of his new role as head of SBM in March 2023.
Monaco is always magical during Christmas, but this year SBM will be encouraging everyone to enjoy festivities “like a child”, and that can only mean one thing: lots of fun and laughter!
With the festive period almost upon us, the Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM) on Monday unveiled its 2022 festive agenda, and it is sure to bring a smile to the young and young at heart.
The festive campaign, titled ‘Like a Child Monte-Carlo’ or Comme un enfant, will kick off on 3rd December with a roller-skating trail on Place du Casino, where people can slalom in the open air through a pine tree forest. And because SBM boasts the most Michelin-stars for a resort in Europe, festivities will also include an incredible gastronomic journey through the Principality’s prized restaurants, as well as some classic Monaco favourites.
Skate “like a child” on the legendary Casino Square
To get the festive season under way, SBM will unveil its first ever roller-skating rink in the heart of Monte-Carlo on Saturday 3rd December. For five weeks until 8th January, children and adults can get their skates on (which can be hired on-site) and slide their way through the pine tree forest on Place du Casino. Highlights include a roller-skating show on 11th, 14th, 18th, 21st and 24th December!
They will also be able to enjoy a festive treat on the “chalet” terrace of the Café de Paris and, when night falls, admire the façade of the Casino de Monte-Carlo, which will be lit up like an aurora, reminiscent of the skies of the Far North where Father Christmas lives.
Christmas in Casino Square, photo by Monaco Life
What is a festive season without glorious food?
With 30 restaurants, four of which have a shared total of seven Michelin stars, SBM is Europe’s most starred resort. Throughout this festive period, SBM chefs will be cooking up a feast with unforgettable lunches and dinners. Between its Michelin starred and signature restaurants, SBM will be offering a delicious gourmet journey: from Le Grill at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo with new Executive Chef Dominique Lory and the Pavyllon Monte-Carlo – a Yannick Alléno restaurant at the Hôtel Hermitage – to the two-starred Blue Bay restaurant headed by Chef Marcel Ravin at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort and Louis XV-Alain Ducasse at the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo. There is also the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo with its breathtaking view of the pine forest on the Place du Casino, and the cosy atmosphere of the Salon Rose or Train Bleu at the Casino de Monte-Carlo.
A sweet children’s toy, the Wind Up Music Box
SBM has pulled out all the stops for its “like a child” theme. On 7th November, Café de Paris Pastry Chefs Cyril Natta and Jonathan Barbagallo won SBM’s in-house festive fare competition. They created a beautiful dessert that celebrates the old wind up music box, combining the sweetness of praline, pecan nuts, gingerbread and caramel with the freshness of mango, lime and passion fruit. The dish will be on sale throughout December at the Café de Paris Monte-Carlo and at Mada One, by order 72 hours in advance.
The sweet Wind Up Musical Box, photo source Monte-Carlo SBM
Christmas traditions at the Hôtel de Paris
Now in its fourth year, the beautiful Christmas Garden will once again feature in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo from 3rd December to 8th January. Twinkling glass houses will be filled with beautiful Christmas gifts and gourmet classics, including Alain Ducasse hot chocolate, to be enjoyed on site or takeaway, as well as fun festive workshops.
The breath-taking, monumental Chopard Christmas tree will again take pride of place in the hotel lobby.
Feeling festive at the Hermitage Hôtel
The Hôtel Hermitage Christmas pop-up on Square Beaumarchais has become a fun new tradition in Monaco! Enjoy a glass of champagne and some treats at this pop-up at the entrance to the Hôtel Hermitage and gardens, while soaking in the festive atmosphere of Monte-Carlo, from 1st December to 9th January, 12pm to 7pm.
Meanwhile, a Christmas-themed afternoon tea prepared by Pastry Chef Nicolas Baygourry returns from 20th to 23rd December at the Salle Belle Epoque, a chic family tea time set to music on Saturdays and Sundays, from 3pm to 6pm.
Christmas at the Hermitage Hôtel, photo by Monaco Life
Arabian Nights at Monte-Carlo Bay
Head to the Blue Gin at the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort from 15th November 2022 to 12th March 2023 for the Sezam pop-up, featuring live DJs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday in a cosy and enchanting atmosphere. A magnificent firework display will welcome in the New Year.
Visits by Father Christmas
Don’t let the kids miss out on meeting Father Christmas in Monte-Carlo on 3rd, 11th, 14th, 18th, 21st and 24th December at the Place du Casino and at all SBM venues. He will be accompanied by a choir on 11th, 18th and 24th December between 2pm and 5pm at the Place du Casino.
Music, dancing and the thrills of gaming to welcome in the New Year
Finally, on 31st December, Queen Machine Symphonic will take over the Salle des Etoiles for a concert featuring the greatest hits by Queen, accompanied by the London Symphonic Rock Orchestra. The party will continue through the night at Jimmy’z Monte-Carlo, for exceptional openings on 29th, 30th and 31st December.
There will also be live music at the Champagne Bar at the Casino de Monte-Carlo, which promises a festive New Year party, in the keeping with the Grand Art of Gaming philosophy.
On the last two Sundays before Christmas, the shops in Monte-Carlo will be open for some last-minute shopping.
Photo above by Monaco Life. This article was first published on 14th November
Festival des Étoilés: A SBM celebration of art de vivre
The world of haute gastronomy looked to Monaco this autumn as the Principality’s greatest culinary talents collaborated at the Festival des Étoilés.
In part a celebration of art de vivre, but also a showcasing opportunity for its organiser, the Société des Bains de Mer (SBM), this second edition of the Festival des Étoilés came to a glittering end on Saturday 26th November with an exceptional gala dinner at One Monte-Carlo.
The glamour black tie soirée – tickets cost 800 euros – commenced with a cocktail served at the Hauser & Wirth gallery, an establishment that joined the Société des Bains de Mer’s “Grand Art de Vivre” movement back in June 2021 and is currently exhibiting works by American visual artist Roni Horn, before moving to the Salle des Arts.
In the presence of Prince Albert II, the four star-studded chefs, who had each hosted a dinner during the festival, then made their entrance.
Yannick Alléno, Alain Ducasse, Dominique Lory and Marcel Ravin had put their heads together for the menu of the closing night, and like headline acts in a musical show, the chefs performed their own art before the eyes of the evening’s 140 esteemed guests, working in unison around a passe-plat on the stage.
As the chefs prepared their plates, four chief sommeliers from across the SBM group opened numerous bottles of wine hand-selected from the Hôtel de Paris’ wine cellar, the largest of its kind in the world.
On the menu
Alain Ducasse and his chef de cuisine, Emmanuel Pilon, from Le Louis XV Alain Ducasse in the Hôtel de Paris were the first pairing to seduce diners with an entrée of gamberoni of San Remo with myrtle and shrimp coral, and an iced pumpkin kefir that was accompanied by a Chablis 2018 chosen by Maxime Pastor, the chief sommelier of the three Michelin-starred restaurant.
Blue Bay’s Marcel Ravin and its chief sommelier, Gérard Veyrat, then took up the mantle for a fish course featuring Indian wood leaves and a coconut water and floral giraumonade blaff that was paired with a Meursault 2017.
Yannick Alléno of Pavyllon Monte-Carlo, which opened its doors earlier this year at the Hôtel Hermitage, put forwards layered Wagyu beef with button mushrooms, capers and mushroom juice. Franck Damatte chose a Chateauneuf du Pape 2015 to complement Alléno’s dish.
The four-course gala dinner was brought to a culinary close by Dominique Lory from Le Grill at the Hôtel de Paris. His offering was a Gisèle Taxil quince granita and Faisselle sorbet that was paired with Alain Ducasse’s Shichiken Sparkling Saké by Patrice Franck.
“I wish to warmly congratulate our chefs and all of the teams from our different Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer establishments who rallied round to make this exceptional dinner and to promote our seven-star resort,” said SBM’s deputy chairman, Jean-Luc Biamonti. “It is through combining all of these talents that [SBM] can best fulfil its mission and create exceptional moments.”
For dance lovers, December will be like having Christmas come early, with a full schedule of performances sure to delight young and old whatever their creative tastes.
The winter season of the Ballets de Monte-Carlo begins with the 2022 Monaco Dance Forum, a yearly event that entices troupes from around the world to come and perform in the Principality in addition to offering dance enthusiasts a number of workshops, talks, screenings and master classes led by choreographers whose works feature in the line-up.
It kicks off on 10th December with a Monaco Dance Forum event by Gauthier Dance and Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart’s presentation of 7 Sins. Aszure Barton, Hofesh Shechter, Marco Goecke, Marcos Morau, Sasha Waltz, Sharon Eyal, and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui turn pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth into a magnificent tableau for all to enjoy at the Salle Garnier of the Grimaldi Forum.
On 12th December, Indian Kuchipudi dancer Shantala Shivalingappa, accompanied by an orchestra of musicians, hits the stage with her show Swayambhu, taking audiences on a trip to her native land..
The Kors’ia company will perform Igra on 14th December at the Grimaldi Forum. Mattia Russo and Antonio De Rosa have imagined a disconcerting ballet that echoes the haunting Games by Nijinsky.
This is followed on 16th December with La Veronal’s return to the Principality with their follow-up to the successful Sienna, a performance titled Sonoma. Called a cross between visual poetry and primitive howling, this performance is a whole-body experience, with drumbeats reconnecting audiences with their most basic origins.
The Compagnie des Ballets de Monte-Carlo will perform Noces by Jean-Christophe Maillot presented together with Opus 40 on 17th and 18th December.
A screening of the 1961 Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins version of West Side Story will also be screened on 18th December as part of a collaboration with the Audiovisual Institute of Monaco.
To end the year in style, the Ballets de Monte-Carlo will perform Jean-Christophe Maillot’s rendition of Faust, the classic tale of the man who sells his soul to the devil in return for worldly pleasure and unlimited knowledge. With scenographer Rolph Sachs, costume designer Philippe Guillotel and supported by the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra, the 50 dancers of the Company will offer the public a final farewell to 2022 from 27th to 31st December. It is not to be missed.
The Grimaldi Forum will be hosting a musical version of Jules Verne’s masterpiece Around The World in 80 days this weekend.
Bring the family on a trip to the edge of the world with this new show from the creators of the Molières-nominated musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
It is London, 1889.
Phileas Fogg is a secretive, phlegmatic gentleman who lives his life with near-mathematical precision. He spends much of his time at the Reform Club playing cards and discussing various matters with the other gentlemen of the club. One day, during a discussion, Fogg announces that it is now possible to go around the world in 80 days. Sir Thomas Flanagan, his lifelong rival, challenges him to fulfill this promise. He secretly hopes to humiliate and discredit Fogg in the eyes of his colleagues and thus be able to become the head of the Reform Club, a position that the two men are fighting over.
Fogg, known for never having left the country (or even London for that matter), nevertheless seems sure of himself and takes up the challenge, putting almost his entire fortune at stake in this crazy gamble. From London to New York via Bombay and Hong Kong, the gentleman and his new French servant Passepartout set off on an adventure that will be strewn with pitfalls.
The performance, in French, is at the Salle des Princes, Grimaldi Forum, on Saturday 3rd December at 7.30pm and Sunday 4th December at 2.30pm. The show runs for two hours and 10 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission. Tickets start at €31.
Major roadworks operations across the Principality this winter will impact drive times and access. Monaco Life rounds up when and where they are – and how they could affect your daily commute.
The first of several operations is in Fontvieillie, at the Ilot Pasteur site, where part of Avenue de Fontvieille will be blocked off entirely until 15th January.
This important large-scale project covers more than 100,000m2 in surface area and will be the future home to several facilities, including new Charles III College and Espace Léo Ferré, the a media library and a public car park with 900 spaces.
A second area of traffic disruption is on Avenue J. F. Kennedy, where traffic will be prohibited between the Quai des Etats-Unis and the beginning of Avenue d’Ostende from 28th November to 16th December, with the minor pauses.
Civil engineering teams will be working on Avenue Albert II between 21st November and 16th December to connect Monaco Telecom facilities to Zone F in Fontvieille.
The works are an important development for the Principality’s international strategy as they will be allowing for the connection of Monaco to the Europe India Gateway (EIG) cable, a high-speed fibre optic system.
Works will be undertaken during the day from Monday to Friday, from the stadium roundabout to the intersection of Rue de la Lüjerneta. The works will not cause any initial changes to the traffic lanes, however deviations will be implemented as the work progresses.
For the duration of the work, the Albert II bus stop will be moved from its current location to the nearby parking areas, which will be partially neutralised.
Photo source: Rishi Jhajhari for Unsplash
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