The Prince Albert II Foundation-backed initiative BeMed says it has a plan to get hotels off the single-use plastic bandwagon and onto a responsible environmental path.
Plastic pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems facing the planet, but it is especially affecting the oceans. 80% of all debris found in the seas is plastic and an estimated eight million tonnes of plastic waste finds its way into the oceans each year.
As the world’s focus shifts to the environment, organisations like BeMed are working towards solutions.
Following a successful pilot project at the InterContinental Marseille-Hotel Dieu in Marseille, where a model was created to lessen and eventually eliminate all single-use plastics from the establishment, BeMed has published the concept.
Environmental and financial savings
Over a three-month period, the InterContinental Marseille-Hotel Dieu reduced its use of single-use plastic by more than 165 kg, while also limiting the transfer of environmental impacts to a minimum. In addition to the environmental benefits, the hotel saved nearly €5,000 in that period, which paid for the investments required to purchase reusable alternatives.
The six-step approach puts forward easily implemented changes and offers advice and feedback on alternatives to single-use plastic that are already available. It also identifies what plastics to prioritise removing, reducing and replacing.
Hotels are a major consumer of single-use plastics and the EU has set a 2040 deadline for the sector to come up with alternatives to the harmful material. Though that is a long way off, modern clientele is becoming more ecologically-minded, meaning that establishments need to keep up with trends, and methods such as the one formulated by BeMed could come into common practice much sooner.
BeMed was created in 2015 through cooperation with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Tara Ocean Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe, the Mava Foundation and the IUCN.
Sign up to the webinar
A webinar on the method will be held on 16th May from 3.30pm to 4.30pm. To sign up, please click here.
Alongside the webinar, access to the interactive platform that presents the method and its methodology in PDF can be found here.
Due to government-imposed water restrictions, brought in on the eve of AS Monaco’s game against Lille, the Louis II pitch wasn’t watered on Sunday, much to the frustration of players and managers alike.
“I don’t know why the pitch wasn’t watered,” bemoaned Lille manager Paulo Fonseca post-match. The Portuguese manager can certainly be forgiven for his ignorance of the latest edict from the Monaco government, which as of last Saturday, prevents the watering of green spaces between 8am and 8pm.
“The playing conditions weren’t good.”
On a slow, unwatered pitch, there was little spectacle in the match between Monaco and Lille, which ended as a scoreless draw. Both teams are known for their free-flowing attacking fluidity, but that wasn’t on show in front of Prince Albert II, Niko Hulkenberg and Ricardo Carvalho, who were all in attendance. The dry pitch ironically dampened the match, as did a tactical shift by Monaco manager Philippe Clement to shore up his defence. With the five-point gap to Lille maintained, this was a result that will suit Les Monégasques much more than Les Dogues.
However, that didn’t prevent Clement from also complaining about the playing conditions.
“I was as surprised as the opposition coach to find out that the pitch hadn’t been watered. We couldn’t water it, unfortunately. There is a big water supply problem in the region at the moment,” said the Belgian coach.
Just one game to go at the Louis II
“The playing conditions weren’t good,” added Fonseca, who will perhaps see the scoreless draw as a missed opportunity to cut the gap. “All season, we’ve played on great pitches. It’s impossible to play quickly on a pitch like that. The LFP should look at its own rules again if they want a spectacle. In such conditions, it is easier for the defending team,” he added.
“The pitch conditions didn’t help us,” said former Manchester United player Angel Gomes in the post-match mixed zone. “It’s very hot and humid here, and the grass is long so we had to adapt to that,” he added.
Minister of State Pierre Dartout has warned that the government will elevate the drought level if the situation worsens. Further measures could provide further disruption, with just one Ligue 1 match to go at the Stade Louis II this season, which will be against Toulouse on 3rd June.
Monaco’s week in review: the International Hydrographic Conference, new ambassadors from around the world, road safety and fresh ideas from the Principality’s Youth Council.
INTERNATIONAL HYDROGRAPHIC ORGANISATION
From 1st to 5th May, 450 representatives from the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) met in the Principality for its third General Assembly.
Prince Albert II and Minister of State Pierre Dartout were both present at the opening ceremony before the group got down to business, discussing new developments in nautical cartography, technology and international technical standards as well as women’s empowerment in the sector. A Memorandum of Understanding with the United States’ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was signed, and there were strides made with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
On 4th May, Prince Albert II paid a visit to the USNS Bruce C. Heezen from the United States Navy with Denise Campbell Bauer, Ambassador of the United States of America to France and Monaco, during which the ship’s captain and crew presented the cutting-edge on-board technologies used to feed the nautical cartography databases.
AMBASSADOR SEASON
The Principality has welcomed several new ambassadors to its shores over the past few weeks, who each presented Letters of Credence to Prince Albert II before being officially sworn in by Isabelle Berro-Amadeï, Government Counsellor-Minister of External Relations and Cooperation, at lunches organised at the Hotel Hermitage.
The first of the newest diplomats came on 5th May, when representatives for Poland, Thailand, Greece and Kosovo were introduced. This was followed by a second ceremony held on 9th May, which greeted delegates from Estonia, Jamaica, Peru and Cuba.
Monaco hosts 47 foreign embassies or consulates within its borders and 138 non-resident embassy locations, mostly, but not all, in Paris.
YOUTH COUNCIL WRAPS UP 16TH SESSION
The Economic, Social and Environmental Council for Young People (CESE) closed its 16th session on 10th May with Minister of State Pierre Dartout.
Since 2007, the CESE has held a yearly forum that allows young people to make their voices heard in public debates on areas of interest within civil society.
High school students from the Lycée Albert 1er, the Lycée François d’Assise Nicolas Barré and the Lycée Technique et Hôtelier de Monaco have met throughout the year with professionals who helped them to develop and present, during this closing session, four draft wishes, which were the subject of the debates.
The wish list included the idea of creating an electric taxi-scooter service, finding better ways to integrate the deaf into society, the installation of geothermal panels in Monaco and updated cyclist safety measures.
MINISTER OF STATE WELCOMES MARITIMES POLICY EXPERTS
Monaco’s Minister of State Pierre Dartout welcomed representatives of the Fondation Méditerranéenne d’Etudes Stratégiques (FMES) on 11th and 12th May. This is a three-decades-old association led by former admirals and defence officials, who explain the Mediterranean’s maritime policies to top executives in the public and private sectors. The idea is that they incorporate these strategies into their own organisations, making for a universal base to work from.
On this visit, which took place at the Oceanographic Museum, the FMES delved deeper into the seabed policies in place in France and the Mediterranean.
Dartout spoke to the 18 attendees at the conference, who came from the industrial, media, sea administration, environmental, yachting, scientific and judiciary sectors, saying, “Monaco’s international audience and the values that drive it, under the impetus of Prince Albert II, oblige the Principality to remain in very close contact with maritime and environmental issues. Monaco is a maritime Principality.”
CURBING BAD BEHAVIOURS BY MOTORISTS
The large public events that come to the Principality mostly run smoothly, but sometimes a few bad apples ruin the barrel. To stop the unplanned gatherings of sports cars, which have in the past given rise to traffic offenses and inappropriate and dangerous behaviours, the government has decided that during the Grand Prix, from 25th to 28th May, and Top Marques, 7th to 11th June, offending vehicles will face an increased immobilisation period.
These measures will be taken to preserve peace and public safety and should be respected by all.
It’s an iconic symbol of the Principality of Monaco, but how did the Grimaldi family come to call this famous Rock their home?
The Principality was been inhabited on and off throughout prehistory and the Paleolithic. Some of the most important archaeological finds of this era were actually found in the caves of the Saint Martin Gardens up on the Rock, and others from 30,000BC have also been uncovered in the nearby area.
But it’s not until fairly recently, around 500BC, that we see the first written down name for Monaco: Monoikos.
Early Monoikos
Over the next few centuries, Monoikos grew in importance as a useful stopping-off point – one theory behind the name is that it comes from the Phoenician or Hebrew words menihh or monêhh, which mean restful – for Roman vessels sailing between the Italian peninsular, Gaul and Hispania. Even Julius Caesar is believed to have passed through Monaco sometime around 50BC.
At the turn of the millennia, Monaco and much of the surrounding regions were under Roman rule. At this time, Emperor Augustus, Caesar’s successor, called for the building of the Via Julia Augusta, which ran just to the north of Monaco.
After the fall of the Roman Empire several centuries later, activity along the Mediterranean coast was much diminished. This time period is often called the Dark Ages; a time when everything from culture and learning to the economy and trade was in decline.
Monaco felt this too and not much is known of this stage in the Principality, but things changed in the 12th century, when the region around the Principality is put under the direct control of the Genoese by the Holy Roman Emperor of the day, Frederick I or Frederick Barbarossa, in 1162.
The first fortress on the Rock
The Genoese built two fortresses in Monaco over the next few years: one where the Palace sits today on the Rock and another a little further down the hill, close to the Pavillon Bosio arts centre. The Palace site was the most important and work began in 1215.
150 years later, tensions over the border in Italy were at boiling point. Two factions were at war: the Guelphs, supporters of the Pope, and the Ghibellines, supporters of the Romano-Germanic emperor. The Grimaldis, a noble family in Genoa that had seen several of its figureheads act as Consul in the city, were on the side of the Guelphs. It is believed they suffered periods of exile from their city given the Ghibelline domination of the area, which is what may have pushed one man to action.
In the dead of night
On 8th January 1297, François Grimaldi dressed himself as a Franciscan monk and stashed weapons beneath his cloak. He quietly entered the fortress on the Rock in the dead of night, killed all the guards and took control of Monaco. It earnt him the nickname Malizia for his cunning; a name keen sailors will recognise from the Yacht Club de Monaco.
François Grimaldi, who took control of the Principality in 1297. Photo by the Monaco Communications Department
A treaty was signed in 1301 between François Grimaldi and Charles II d’Anjou that cemented the foundations of the Grimaldi dynasty. The Grimaldis now had a home and another series of works on the Palace, born out of the Genoese fortress, began.
Conflict with Genoa continued for many years, but Charles I of Monaco, who ruled from the Rock between 1331 and 1357, was able to extend the Principality’s territory into Roquebrune Cap Martin and Menton during his tenure. He was a skilled sailor, ran a powerful fleet and was even appointed Admiral of France; this prowess is what made his fortune.
Monaco as seen from the east and its former territory of Roquebrune Cap Martin. Photo by Monaco Life
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Grimaldis after this, however. The land to the east is lost in 1448, during the era of Jean Grimaldi, but confidence is restored in the Grimaldi line by Lambert Grimaldi – a man who got the name through marriage to Jean’s daughter – in 1458.
More trouble surfaced in the winter of 1506/7, when the Genoese laid siege to the Rock for more than three months. The ruler at the time was Lucien Grimaldi, who led his troops and people to victory, with some help from the French.
“Instituted by God and the sword”
Another important moment came in 1512, while Lucien was still in charge, when Monegasque sovereignty was formally recognised as being “instituted by God and the sword” by Louis XII of France. Lucien was assassinated just a few years later by his nephew in something of a failed coup.
Glorious architecture of days not forgotten. Photo by Monaco Life
Nevertheless, the line of Grimaldis continued and the most significant developments of the Palace on the Rock took place around 1529, but it was yet to be called a palace and Monaco’s rulers were yet to be called princes.
Up until now, the leading members of the Grimaldi dynasty had only been known as lords. But this changed in 1612, when Honoré II took on the official title of Prince of Monaco “by the grace of God”. It was a momentous step in the history of the Grimaldis and the Principality.
The Rock now had a Prince, and it would stay that way.
See more of the Prince’s Palace in our Instagram video below…
A new ranking of the towns and cities in France with the most expensive real estate has placed the French Riviera at the very top of the list, beating even the French capital of Paris.
According to real estate estimates from the Meilleurs Agents website from 1st May, the Côte d’Azur has some of the most expensive properties in France. In fact, all three top spots on its new ranking went to towns along this part of the Mediterranean coast.
A glamourous top three
Number One on the list was Saint Jean Cap Ferrat. The average price per square metre for a flat comes in at €14,559 and up to €20,454 for a villa in this prestigious post code, which boasts amazing views, proximity to Monaco and Nice, as well a level of privacy that is hard to get in this highly developed region.
Saint Tropez came in next, with apartments going for, on average, €10,941 per square metre and houses for €18,914. This legendary spot – known for Brigitte Bardot, high-end beach clubs and a picturesque, cobble-stoned old town – has an enduring appeal, which has meant the market is almost always hot here.
The third local town in the rankings is right next door to Saint Tropez: Ramatuelle. Flats here go for €12,646 per square metre and houses at €16,015, on average. The town has the benefit of beautiful beaches and a quieter vibe than its flashier neighbour, but is still close to the action.
To put these prices into perspective, they all beat out Paris, usually considered to be wickedly expensive. In the French capital, the price per square metre hovers at about €10,000.
Nice has some of the most expensive streets in all of France
A flat, on average, will cost a buyer €5,071 per square metre, whilst a house can be had for €6,253. This discrepancy between the most expensive streets and the lower property prices is explained by the wildly differing costs between districts.
Real estate on the Cap de Nice or the Promenade will be higher than areas inland, where property is considerably less expensive. The Mont Boron and Gairut neighbourhoods are exceptions, with prices there being higher than average.
Stéphane Valeri, the new Président Délégué of Monte-Carlo SBM, laid out his roadmap for Monaco’s largest, most important company on Friday to a room full of local journalists.
The press gathered in the Salle Sincerity of the Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort on Friday 12th May to hear for the first time the vision of the new head of Monte-Carlo Société des Bains de Mer (SBM).
The former president of the National Council, who officially took over from Jean-Luc Biamonti on 24th January, said that he has spent the past three months developing his roadmap for the Monegasque company.
“We now have it, and we can communicate it,” he told the room full of press.
He described his appointment, by order of Prince Albert II of Monaco, as a moment of “pride”, particularly given his family history with SBM. Valeri’s great-grandfather, who worked in gaming, received a 50th anniversary medal in 1913; his father also spent his entire career with the company.
“Loyalty to the Société des Bains de Mer has been found in many families, often for decades,” said the 61-year-old Monegasque native. “And for good reason: our group is the economic flagship and the leading employer in the Principality. The SBM has contributed to writing the legend of Monte-Carlo, under the impetus of our Princes, from Charles III to Sovereign Prince Albert II.”
Valeri revealed that he will bring with him the same formula he has applied throughout his entire professional career: namely listening, respect for people, strategic thinking, and taking risks.
“Deciding means taking risks. We need to take the most limited, calculated risks.” he said. “My management style won’t change. I won’t be led by ideologies or biases.”
Valeri then laid out his roadmap, which has been created in consultation with the SBM Board of Directors.
The lagoon at Monte-Carlo Bay Hotel and Resort, an SMB establishment
A new management team
For his tenure, Valeri has restructured the entire management team and expanded it by three, taking it from six to nine. His mission, he says, is “optimal governance, by changing it according to the new priorities and the objectives that we have set ourselves”.
Firstly, Valeri chose to fill the position of general manager, one that had been left vacant for 12 years. Albert Manzone will therefore be responsible for the day-to-day running of the company.
“I think it was important given the ambitions we have for the development of the group,” he said. “We are now in the pre-summer period, where we have 5,000 employees. I believe it was essential that I be assisted by a general manager who will be in charge of more operations, of implementing actions, which will allow me to have more time for reflection, analysis, strategy and development.”
Another important decision, says Valeri, was the appointment of a new general secretary in the form of Virginie Cotta, who has also been entrusted with SBM’s legal department, real estate assets, culture and heritage, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Meanwhile, the appointment of Pascal Camia to Director of International Development was part of a strategy for expansion abroad.
“It is true the SBM enjoys a great reputation and expertise recognised worldwide in the field of luxury hotels and games. However, this potential for growth has never been developed to date, apart from certain financial holdings in international companies. It is now a question of providing the SBM with a team responsible for preparing its development abroad, in a targeted manner and within the framework of a very precise strategy,” said Valeri.
The ultimate goal, he said, is to acquire hotels, restaurants, and casinos in other countries to develop its international clientele. He also wants to export SBM brands to destinations like the French Alps.
“Strategically, we have to be where our customers go, with an offer that complements the one we have today in Monaco.”
Maintaining a strong workforce
The SBM president acknowledged that it is now very difficult to recruit and retain seasonal workers, a phenomenon faced by the hospitality sector the world-over. Therefore, retaining staff year-round is one of his goals, and he plans to prioritise workers in the Alpes-Maritimes for that purpose.
He says that establishing hotels in the Alps will also help with staff retention during winter months, before they return for the busy Spring/Summer season in Monaco.
Acquiring accommodation in the Alpes-Maritimes, particularly Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, is also a priority.
New projects
The modernisation of Le Meridien, whose contract is up for renewal this September, is among the new rejuvenation projects for SBM. Valerie revealed that the option of knocking it down and starting again is still very attractive.
He also said that an expansion of the Salle des Etoiles is also on the cards for next year as security requirements have reduced its capacity.
More entertainment
The Salle des Etoiles at Monte-Carlo Sporting Club will be open to the public every night this August with the new addition of Billionaire, an “intimate” setting that will be “unrecognisable” with its cabaret-themed evenings.
“It’s up to us to know how to attract new talent, to create new shows, to revive, for example, the famous Mood’s that all of Monaco expects, to also offer more regular entertainment that is more in line with the image that we want to give,” said Valeri.
More impressive Christmas decorations and entertainment falls into that vision.
There will also be the opening of the new Maona vintage bar in June, as well as the Club La Vigie and Blue Bay, which is undergoing a major interior renovation.
The interior design of the new Café de Paris was revealed during Friday’s press conference for the first time. Image courtesy SBM
Monaco’s iconic Café de Paris
The reopening of the Café de Paris, which has been delayed until October, is slightly over its €55 million budget, revealed Valeri. The major project includes the new Amazonico restaurant with large terraces overlooking Place du Casino, but that will not be delivered until April 2024.
Never-before-seen images of the new Café de Paris were revealed, showing a bistro atmosphere on the ground floor, and a chic brasserie with more subdued atmosphere on the first floor.
The future
Valeri highlighted that new luxury brands will open in the seven new retail spaces of the Café de Paris in autumn. There are also plans to develop several areas of Monaco for new economic opportunities.
“Over the next few years, we will have to continue to enhance our land by creating new areas for residences, offices and shops. And then, it will be necessary to plan the restructuring of the Sporting d’Eté peninsula, a great source of future profits.”
Valeri concluded the press conference by acknowledging the strong team that he is surrounded by, saying, “With all of our nearly 5,000 employees, with our new management, we are going to ensure that our future lives up to our brilliant past – and the bar is very high – to continue to write new pages of the legend of Monte-Carlo.”
