This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
In Mauricie, very close to the national park, there is a little-known little village. However, after stopping for 24 hours on the way to Sainte-Flore, we feel that something special is happening there. And the Floriel Hotel is certainly part of the magic.
The village of Sainte-Flore, merged with Grand-Mère in 1970, then annexed to Shawinigan in 2002, has 1,600 inhabitants. It also hosts a seven-room microhotel, which we would not be surprised to find in Manhattan as the spaces are bright, the decor is modern and the rooms are unique.
For the record, Audrey Boisvert and Gabriel Wasilko, in their thirties, come from the region and met about five years ago at the Zélé restaurant, located diagonally from what is now their hotel. She was a sommelier there, he worked in the kitchen, but both wanted to have their own project.
“It’s a village which is very close to nature and which has always been renowned for its gastronomy,” says Gabriel Wasilko, who grew up near the “magnificent Lac des Piles”. “Here, it will never be Tremblant or Bromont, but I feel that it pleases and it impresses visitors,” he adds.
For the couple who wanted to welcome people, but to get out of the restaurant industry, it was obvious that this was where they were going to create their dream project: a hotel. “There are good restaurants, but there was a lack of accommodation in the village,” says Audrey Boisvert, who studied hotel management and worked in the hotel industry before becoming a sommelier.
A resurrection
While they were looking for a place to realize their project, it was in the middle of a pandemic that the two entrepreneurs heard that the presbytery, abandoned for 15 years, was for sale. Their vision is impressive because, now, it is difficult to believe that this chic and trendy place dates from 1890, “and maybe even before”, and that they had to tear out everything to redo the interior. “In general, we like to imagine the puzzle that reinventing spaces represents,” explains Gabriel Wasilko. This is how, after 18 months of major renovations, the Floriel slowly opened its doors from December 2022 and has been more officially in operation since spring 2023. “That gave us time to observe and adapt,” says Audrey.
You just have to walk around the place with the couple to see their love for design and successful things. In addition to the striking beauty of the common rooms – a large bar, a huge living room, a shared kitchen, a veranda where you can play chess – and seven bedrooms with bathrooms, each with a different color and style, the particularity of the place is that all of the furniture and decorations come from Quebec.
The two owners speak of a “show space” which serves as a showcase for artisans and retailers. The bathroom tiling, the sinks, the mattresses, the bedding, the lighting… everything has been carefully selected by the couple, who intend to change the atmosphere over time. “If a customer wants to purchase a bathrobe, a pillow or certain lighting fixtures, we have them in stock. For the rest, we direct them to our partners,” explains Audrey Boisvert, who believes that this concept of witness space is more widespread in other countries.
After almost 18 months, the two entrepreneurs, supported by their parents for maintenance or for certain choices related to decoration, are visibly proud of their project, and with good reason. Clients come and return, the place is reserved for business meetings and small weddings. Then, during the fall and the holiday season, they receive people from the United States and Europe.
“I think we offer the amenities of an Airbnb, but with the comfort of a hotel,” says Audrey Boisvert, who wants her or Gabriel to personally welcome visitors as often as possible. After all, “just because it’s high-end doesn’t mean it has to be pinched; we want it to be warm! »
We feel that the couple deeply loves this village and wants to watch over it. “We wanted to encourage others to invest here. Our challenge now is to get people talking about us and discover Sainte-Flore. »
The journalist was a guest at the Floriel hotel.
A few steps from the hotel
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.