With Le Bijou, Madeleine Fallegger is revolutionizing the hotel industry. With her company, she rents private, luxurious accommodation. She relies on centrality, individually tailored comfort and high service standards.
The Accommodation as an Experience
Ms. Fallegger, at Le Bijou you rent exclusive apartments to travelers. How many objects do you have now?
We focus on top locations in the big Swiss cities. We currently have over 20 apartments in Zurich. In Lucerne soon there will be six, in Zug seven, and we have more in Basel and Berne.
What is the difference between Le Bijou and Airbnb?
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Madeleine Fallegger, Le Bijou HRM AG
We rent our own apartments, while Airbnb is only an intermediary platform between the landlord and tenant. Moreover, our customers know what they get with us: An apartment in top location, with exquisite equipment and first class service. Our guests communicate with “James”, a virtual concierge. This is our company-owned software, fitted with artificial intelligence and providing all services. This is outdoing the service of a 5-star hotel. An accommodation in the Le Bijou apartment is an experience.
How do you come to the objects?
We are continuously monitoring the real estate market in the big cities and we are constantly in contact with the landlords. As soon as something becomes vacant, we submit our offer for a long term rent. Usually, it is a win-win situation, as the landlords have the security of a long-term leasing, which is particularly for the more expensive apartments on the market difficult at the moment.
Who are your typical Clients?
We do not have the typical customer – but what they have in common is to prefer an apartment to a hotel and to stay centrally and with a certain exclusivity. We have families, business people and couples from all over the world as customers. Even personalities such as Apple founder Steve Wozniak or the former CEO of Pepsi and Apple John Sculley have already stayed in our apartments.
Wherever do you operate and what do you plan?
In addition to the already mentioned cities, we want to expand, especially in Geneva. We want to remain independent. That is why we finance our company exclusively through bonds issued by ourselves, with which private persons are able to co-finance our idea and business already from small amounts and to receive an attractive interest rate.
What does your personal dream apartment look like?
We design, plan and produce Le Bijou apartments with our own team. So we can simply answer that: My dream apartment looks like a Le Bijou apartment. For example, like the one in the making at the Limmatquai 80, with a large roof terrace, open-air cinema, sauna, whirlpool, mini gym, lots of space and beautiful views.
The article “The Accommodation as an Experience” as PDF.
Source: Gala Schweiz
