The Royal Monceau signs a partnership with La Casa to house its employees
In the demanding luxury hospitality sector, characterized by high turnover and employee mobility, it is essential to effectively meet the expectations of employees to maintain a leading position. The Royal Monceau rises to this challenge through its partnership with La Casa, offering an innovative housing concept that enhances the daily lives of its employees. By integrating young recruits into a Casa, The Royal Monceau creates a reassuring and motivating work environment. Discover our exclusive interview with Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, Head of Quality of Work Life at The Royal Monceau, to learn more about this strategic initiative.
La Casa: To begin, could you explain why The Royal Monceau chose La Casa to house its employees? What vision does this reflect regarding corporate culture and quality of work life?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, Head of Quality of Work Life, Health and Disability Projects at The Royal Monceau: At The Royal Monceau, we aspire to align with the evolving needs of our sector by adopting innovative approaches. Choosing La Casa promotes a considerate and caring corporate culture, especially towards our apprentices and mobile employees. We see this as an opportunity to strengthen our employer brand through a family spirit, offering our employees a shared living environment that embodies our values of eco-responsibility.
La Casa: What specific issues is this initiative aiming to address?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, The Royal Monceau: One of the main challenges faced by our young apprentices and mobile employees is the prohibitive cost of housing in Paris and the Ile de France region, exacerbated by high rental demand and a housing shortage. La Casa not only provides affordable housing but also offers a comfortable and friendly environment that facilitates the integration of new recruits. This allows them to fully focus on their careers with us from the moment they arrive, without the mental burden of searching for accommodation.
La Casa: How does La Casa stand out from other housing options you considered?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, The Royal Monceau: La Casa offers a proven co-living model that emphasizes relationships and sharing. For example, while residents have their own private rooms, they share common spaces like the kitchen where meals are taken together. Roles such as "Referents" are assigned to encourage responsibility in the functioning of the co-living space, akin to a family home, which resonates with our values. La Casa promotes interactions and the creation of lasting bonds. By grouping together employees with similar profiles, we can create a sense of community within our company, thereby facilitating the integration and retention of our newly arrived teams in Paris.
La Casa: How does this initiative influence your ability to attract new talent, especially those coming from afar or abroad?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, The Royal Monceau: The geographic proximity of La Casa to our company, its comfort, and the community's conviviality offer a rare luxury: a company that directly invests in the well-being of its employees. This positions us advantageously to attract talent from all horizons, especially those who do not have an established base in Paris, such as foreigners or people coming from other regions.
La Casa: Can you tell us about the anticipated impact of La Casa on the integration of new arrivals into the Royal Monceau culture and Parisian life?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, The Royal Monceau: The La Casa experience will be crucial in making new arrivals feel considered and that their well-being is a priority for the Royal Monceau. This initiative offers them a smooth transition into Parisian life and a setting where they can thrive among colleagues who quickly become supporters and friends. If this option had been available when I arrived at the Royal Monceau a few years ago, I would have been delighted. Imagine: newly arrived in Paris, you move into a beautifully decorated large house with a garden, close to Paris and your workplace via public transport. You meet new people who share your experiences and concerns, allowing you to develop a social circle to rely on. At the same time, you benefit from numerous included services like weekly cleaning and house maintenance. An environment that is turnkey, warm, and affordable, perfect for our young recruits!
La Casa: How did the implementation of this partnership with La Casa go?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, The Royal Monceau: After initial contact two years ago, we monitored the market evolution until La Casa's model perfectly aligned with our needs. The partnership implementation was then very straightforward and quick: La Casa's team was responsive and met our expectations. Today, we are fully satisfied with this solution, which ideally suits our HR objectives, particularly in recruiting and retaining early-career and mobile employees.
La Casa: Could you describe the Casa in Colombes Vats where your employees will reside? Have you had the chance to visit it personally?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, The Royal Monceau: Absolutely, I not only visited the Casa but also saw it during renovation. It is a large house with a garden. You enter through a veranda that leads to a large living area with an open kitchen, dining room, and lounge. The spaces are designed to accommodate a large co-living arrangement. On the upper floors, there are nine bedrooms with shared bathrooms, cleaned by a professional company twice a week for added comfort.
I had the opportunity to return to this house with the entire executive committee and our General Manager. This visit allowed us to personally select the rooms for our employees.
We are also considering organizing a lunch with our executive committee or managers at this Casa. The idea is to fully embrace the space and share a meaningful moment of conviviality and exchange with our resident employees.
"At La Casa de Colombes Vats, there are profiles from different professions, as well as various ages and life experiences. This is an advantage for our employees, who gain openness and adaptability—qualities that are often sought after, both in professional and personal contexts."
La Casa: La Casa, where you rent rooms, hosts both corporate employees, like your own colleagues, and private individuals, young professionals who wish to live in a co-living arrangement. What benefits do you derive from the mix of B2B and B2C profiles within La Casa?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, Le Royal Monceau: This mix enriches our employees' experiences, allowing them to meet professionals from various backgrounds, which opens up new perspectives and contributes to the development of their social lives. Otherwise, everything would revolve around the company they work for, which would lead to a form of insularity.
La Casa: To conclude, can you tell us a bit about the daily collaboration with the La Casa team? How does it manifest?
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo, Le Royal Monceau: Facilitating, friendly, caring, and organized.
Our collaboration with La Casa is very smooth and efficient. The La Casa teams handle all the operational logistics related to the functioning of the house and the co-living arrangements, which also includes community dynamics. La Casa has true expertise in these areas, allowing us to rely on them and significantly improving our internal management. It’s a real comfort. This way, we can focus on monitoring the well-being of our employees and their integration into the company, which remains our priority as an employer.
The housing initiative between Le Royal Monceau and La Casa is more than just a response to the housing challenges in Paris; it reflects a profoundly human and modern vision of human resource management. By providing a space that not only accommodates but also supports and integrates its employees, Le Royal Monceau is redefining the employee experience in the hospitality industry. This approach, which places employee well-being at the heart of the company's strategy, could very well inspire other companies to rethink their own practices. The collaboration with La Casa demonstrates that innovation in hospitality is not limited to guest services but also extends to creating a rewarding and supportive work environment for all those who work behind the scenes.
Les Casas Entreprises
Cécile Evrard Mkavavo
Quality of Life at Work, Health, and Disability Project Manager at Le Royal Monceau
