For the mayor of Saint-Affrique, Sébastien David: “It is inconceivable to let the Cap Vert hotel complex die”

Cap Vert has 72 rooms, a 200-seat restaurant, three meeting rooms and a swimming pool. JMC

Despite the signs, the mayor contests and signs. “To say that the structure is permanently closed would be wrong. This is not the case, quite the contrary.”

On the closed glass doors of the Cap Vert hotel complex, signs mention: “permanent closure of the hotel and restaurant”.The eight employees are being made redundant for economic reasons. The buildings belong to the local mixed economy company Saca, the sole shareholder of SAS Cap Vert.

The town hall and the community of communes are among the administrators of Seml Saca and are majority shareholders at 51% (50% for the town hall and 1% for the community). In a press release, Sébastien David, mayor and president of the community, explains his vision of the situation: “Cap Vert, whose various managers had succeeded one another until August 30, sees its activity temporarily suspended.”

Contrary to what is posted on the doors of Cap Vert, the elected official declares: “dTo say that the structure is permanently closed would be wrong. This is not the case, quite the contrary. In the current framework and format, the activity could not continue despite the unfailing mobilization and motivation of all the staff, right up to the end! Despite all this, the observation is raw and harsh. In this current context, the activity could not continue in a sustainable manner."

Sébastien David then explains that for many years, the operation of the structure with the establishment of different operators, each as professional as the other, has always been in deficit, despite the investment of all the partners of Seml Saca.

"Time to ask the right questions"

“Covid has not helped activity, with internships at Isfme (the Higher Institute for Training in Energy Professions: Editor's note) and The Village (the school for animation and ambiance techniques: Editor's note) melting like snow in the sun. Added to this are buildings, particularly hotel structures, which are now completely obsolete compared to the levels of reception required by some and others.”

Also, for Sébastien David,“The time has therefore come to ask the right questions and, above all, to assess the need in terms of reception and, above all, the quality and volume of the structure. Do we need nearly 300 beds on the site, since this threshold has never been reached? ? Clearly, upgrading work needs to be carried out. Initial estimates show a budget of more than €1.2 million. We must therefore see how this work is carried out and in what economic model. This is the meaning of the work that is being undertaken today."

This is essentially what Jean-Marie Mourgues, president of Seml Saca, was already announcing in our columns at the beginning of the year. This is also what Yvan Bouat, then president of SAS Cap Vert and general manager of Soleil Évasion, was planning for 2022. And Sébastien David concludes: “at a time when the Roquefort revitalization project is taking shape, without forgetting the historical activity of the site with The Village and the ISFME, it is naturally inconceivable for the community to let this beautiful tool die. It is the sense of work that drives the Seml Saca team.”

However, some of the Cap Vert buildings will not remain empty. The ISFME will take possession of the Sorgues building tomorrow to provide accommodation and catering for around thirty trainees per week, starting in mid-September. Watch this space.

On social networks, catastrophic reviews

In recent years, some sports teams hosted as part of the Vaquerin challenge had, for example, indicated that due to the lack of air conditioning they would no longer come, says Sébastien David. In addition, the negative reviews on Booking and other networks were becoming, day by day, catastrophic in their content, and were becoming painful turnoffs for future customers… The Saint-Affricains were no longer responding present on the catering side. »

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