Disneyland Paris welcomes back its flagship hotel... The Disneyland Hotel finally reopened its doors on January 25, after two years of renovation. A five-star hotel located right at the entrance to the park, its reputation is now well established. And a refurbishment that changes everything, from a Victorian-style hotel to a royal theme, in homage to fairytale princesses.
And as part of a visit to the establishment on its opening day, Sortiraparis editors were able to meet Sylvie Massara, artistic director in charge of the Resort Hotel for Walt Disney Imagineering. Royal theme, creation of the Bohemian crystal chandelier, space design, Snow Queen suite... She talks passionately about her work and explains the different stages of the Disneyland Hotel's refurbishment.
Discover our interview below:
Sortiraparis: First of all, can you introduce yourself? Can you tell us a little about your background?
Sylvie Massara: "I'm Sylvie Massara, the artistic director responsible for the Resort Hotel at Walt Disney Imagineering. I've been working for these magnificent hotels since 1996, and I've been with the company since... In fact, I did the construction of the park, I followed all the Fantasyland under construction and all the park until I worked for the hotels, where we started to follow all the architectural details and the follow-up to keep people immersed and in the themes of the hotels. So I'm responsible for this follow-up, but also for all the hotel renovation projects that have been underway for several years".
Sortiraparis: How did the idea for this renovation come about?
Sylvie Massara: "The idea came from the royal theme... The royal theme and castles, and so I was inspired by all the castles from different eras and different cultures. And really, the idea is that the guest should be immersed in the show from the momentthey arrive, and create their own royal story. So, for example, if you walk into the hotel lobby, you're immediately in the atmosphere of a great library. In most castles, you have a library. And at Disney, we tell stories, so we were really in the theme with books, and in particular with these open books with different pages - because there are also showcases with lots of stories to read. Of course, the major piece that immediately puts you in the theme of this hotel is the chandelier, the light sculpture at the center of the lobby. But in all the spaces you discover in the hotel, you'll find this royal aspect and this little nod to the castle, to the royal atmosphere in every space".
Sortiraparis: Why did you choose this Disney princess theme?
Sylvie Massara: Well, I'd say it's the royal theme. I repeat, obviously, the princesses live in the castles and therefore in the rooms and suites. You really do have the princesses living there, and you even have immersive suites likethe Frozen suite, the Beauty and the Belle suite, the Cinderella suite, the Rapunzel suite, and so on. So every room and suite will have a princess theme. But really, the common thread running through this hotel is more the royal spirit.
Sortiraparis: So why Royal?
Sylvie Massara: "Why Royal? Because we have a château spirit. We have our own château. It's the entrance to the park, and at the entrance, you're facing our château. And then there's the prestige. The Disneyland Hotel is a five-star hotel, and matched our castle spirit and our castle stories".
Sortiraparis: What were the different stages in the refurbishment process? How long did it take from the moment you had the idea to the moment you carried it out?
Sylvie Massara: "We always work with all our teams to get a feel for the project. So we always start with brainstorming and Blue Sky to set the direction. So that's my first part, and then I launch into concepts for each space, with boards of materials, with visuals that give the spirit of each space in the hotel. Then, once all this design work is done and completed, we move on to the actual design parts, working out all the details. Because asImagineers(as Walt Disney Imagineering employees are known), we like to go right down to the smallest detail in all the furniture, in all the layout, in all the art on the walls, in the perfume too, the costumes and so on. So everything has to be studied, and it takes about two years for everything, from, I'd say, starting the concept - I started in 2018 from memory - to this elaboration of all the design files, follow-up, and working with all the teams also for floral decoration, music... Everything. And then there's a whole follow-up of invitations to tender to buy from all our suppliers, artisans, fitters, everything that's done externally. And we follow that up. And I'm also in charge of all the implementation, the follow-up of these fitters in the factory, and also in the field, room by room, room by room, so that every detail of what has been designed is carried out and worthy of this concept".
Sortiraparis: What are you most proud of in the hotel?
Sylvie Massara: "It's hard to say. What I'm proud of today is seeing the first people arrive and seeing the look on that magical Bohemian crystal chandelier in the lobby. And I think for me, what's important and what I'm proud of, is to create emotion, I think it's really important to have that look. And I think I had it this morning when I saw the faces of the people who first came into this hotel, to see the look on their faces that said " Oh, this is magical " and to feel the emotion, to create the emotion and to think that they're in a royal immersive place. I think that's my pride and joy.
Sortiraparis: We were just talking about the massive chandelier representing Sleeping Beauty's castle in the lobby... What can you tell us about it? How long did it take to complete?
Sylvie Massara: "Well, obviously, I always start with a drawing that I create to scale, with all the elements of the castle. And then we work with a supplier who has really made it by hand, mouth-blown. So it does take time, because there are so many pieces. In fact, there are 12,000 pieces in this chandelier... That's quite a lot! Each piece is mouth-blown, and the chandelier is about four metres in diameter, six metres high, eleven metres long and weighs a ton two... There's also a lot of structural work. So there's the elaboration with this supplier who was in the Czech Republic. We worked with him to develop the lighting and movement, since it's the castle that appears with its stardust, our emblematic castle. And so we worked with this supplier to perfect all this light, this movement and of course the structure so that it's solid, of course".
Sortiraparis: Right now, we're in the Snow Queen suite. What can you tell us about this sequel?
Sylvie Massara: "It's an immersive suite. It's made up of a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom of course, and in the living room, I was really inspired by Arendelle castle, with all its Nordic decorations, posts and stained-glass windows in icy bluish tones, with the added bonus of a vision, since she has triangular stained-glass windows and a bench where she looks at the snow. So we get an impression of icy snow through these luminous stained-glass windows. There are also elements like the clock or the tapestries made by Tapisseries de Flandre, which reproduce all the Snow Queen motifs, including the specific designs of the carpets, for example. And all these bluish-silver icy tones echo the atmosphere of the castle. In the bedroom, it's really her room with the painted wood, I'd say in dark gray, black, and her motifs. There's also a fireplace in the living room, inspired by the cartoon, and everything with the carpeting, the designs, the atmosphere, the tones and materials pick up on this atmosphere to really immerse the customer as much as possible".
Sortiraparis: Do you have a favorite universe for the rooms?
Sylvie Massara: "It's hard to say, because in fact I like all the themes of the suites. I'm very attached to them, and they're very cartoon-like. I wouldn't know which one to choose personally... I was really happy to go into the details of each one and find Belle 's rosesin her room, to find Sleeping Beauty's dress, to find all those details. When I drew them, I went back to the cartoon... And Cinderella 's dress and her screen, well... It's all faithful to the cartoon, so it's hard to say which one I prefer. I really like the atmosphere of the Snow Queen one. I like that calm, bluish look, but I like them all, really.
Sortiraparis: It's being able to navigate from one universe to another...
Sylvie Massara: "And that's what I've always liked about my work as anImagineer... In fact, we're reproducing a Disney set, and so the settings from my childhood, in fact, stories from my childhood, I reproduced in drawing. But at the same time, there's the challenge of having all the comforts of a five-star hotel, so it's really a question of creating a theatrical set, but one that will obviously stand the test of time, that will be suitable for the materials, for maintenance, for all the housekeepers, and that will also make everyone proud to work there".
Sortiraparis: Any final words for our readers?
Sylvie Massara: "Come and see! Come and see this universe, try to create your own royal story in this castle, and come and discover all these spaces that tell these royal stories".
