This text is part of the special Business Tourism section
A graduate in tourism and doctoral student in occupational psychology, Myriam Corbeil created Hôtel UNIQ in 2019. This concept of ephemeral and eco-responsible accommodation offers businesses the opportunity to go outside the walls and off the beaten track to promote a spirit of cohesion and creativity. .
When she obtained her bachelor’s degree in tourism and hospitality management, Myriam Corbeil was above all looking to create a business that resembled her and that aligned with her passion for the outdoors and travel. After a year of development and research, the young Montrealer, who presents herself as an “intellectual nomad”, found happiness by founding, with her friend Solène April, a company aiming to shake up the well-established codes of the hotel industry. .
In four years, Hôtel UNIQ (for Unités Nomades Insolites Québécoises) has doubled its reception capacities and covered a good fifteen destinations in Quebec. Its glamping tents have been everywhere to respond to a severe lack of tourist accommodation during the summer season, by offering an attractive concept of green tourism concerned with preserving the environment, while mixing the joys of rustic camping with comfort. luxury hotels.
Break away from everyday life
Not everything was easy for Myriam Corbeil, who lost her business partner along the way. But the 32-year-old young woman clung to her dream to develop her project and establish herself sustainably in the Quebec tourist landscape. “The first years, we often changed locations, which required a lot of energy and labor, so we became a little less nomadic,” explains the entrepreneur who developed a more stable side focused on well-being and the outdoors.
“Our mission is to allow people to disconnect from their daily lives, to let go by reconnecting with themselves and nature,” explains Myriam Corbeil. With this motto in mind, the founder of Hôtel UNIQ turned to small and medium-sized businesses wishing to organize strategic retreats going beyond the routine routine of traditional business meetings in marketing, technology or engineering.
From Morocco to Mont-Tremblant
“Nature promotes cohesion and creativity within a team. Getting out of the box really allows new ideas to emerge compared to a traditional hotel between four white walls,” underlines Myriam Corbeil, well placed to know that an outdoor experience can be a source of inspiration. It was in the middle of the dunes of the Moroccan desert that the beginnings of Hotel UNIQ appeared to him, almost like a mirage, after seeing Bedouin tents following him as he went to his bivouacs.
Today, the adventurous entrepreneur has her own nomadic units — around twenty in total — planted from mid-May to mid-October on the magnificent Saint-Bernard estate in Mont-Tremblant. It is in this enchanting setting extending its arms to nature lovers that it welcomes companies to whom it provides, in addition to tents, workshops and courses designed according to their strategic needs, in close collaboration with a kinesiologist.
Be one with nature
As committed to sustainable development as to personal development, Myriam Corbeil is pursuing a doctorate in occupational psychology in parallel with her activities in tourism. His thesis subject focuses in particular on the benefits of teleworking and retreats in a natural environment which can considerably help reduce stress. Focusing on employee well-being can pay off for employers. And the doctoral student intends to prove it through her research on the subject, as well as through practice with Hôtel UNIQ.
“We really try to think outside the box and offer something different, which impacts people, to unite them and enable them to perform better at work and increase their motivation,” she says. Beyond traditional outdoor activities such as hiking, mountain biking or canoeing, which one can indulge in at Domaine Saint-Bernard, Hôtel UNIQ offers other less common opportunities to foster a spirit of symbiosis.
“We have a boreal gastronomy workshop where everyone goes into the forest to explore what it is possible to eat, before making a meal with the fruit harvested,” explains Myriam Corbeil, who is now ready to give a new momentum for his small business of four employees. In addition to continuing to crisscross Quebec with a fleet of ten nomadic units to meet accommodation needs during festivals, the founder of Hôtel UNIQ could soon export to France, where her innovative concept has not yet been established. unnoticed.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.