The Relais Thalasso Ile de Ré won a Horizons Trophy for its transition to eco-responsible cuisine. Sylvain Morin, its director, explains how this initiative has brought a new dynamic to his establishment.
L’Echo tourisme: You have upgraded your establishment’s catering to eco-responsible cuisine. How was this initiative born?
Sylvain Morin: When I took over the management of the establishment, in June 2020, there was the ambition to completely renovate the thalassotherapy centre. I suggested that on this occasion we also engage in an ecological transition, that we go much further than a simple renovation, with the objective of becoming the first eco-responsible thalasso. This project has been validated by our owner, Jean-Pascal Phélippeau. We were then accompanied by the Nouvelle Aquitaine region, which aims to become the first sustainable development region in France. And at the same time, the Ile de Ré was also embarking on an ecological transition at its destination. All the planets were aligned…
What were your areas of work to make this approach a reality?
Sylvain Morin:We had four: biodiversity, ecotourism, the energy-climate/energy transition part and digital sobriety. The restoration part is also part of the project. We then gave ourselves a framework: fresh, local, seasonal, with a signature: “the sea for inspiration”. Which seems completely logical in relation to the geographical location of our establishment and the desires of our customers. We have reviewed all the menus in this spirit, by really favoring seafood products. For example, we have made a rather strong choice, by deciding to offer meat only twice a week. We have also reworked all our suppliers. We previously worked with an oyster farmer who did not collect our shells. But for us, that represents 12 tonnes a year! We have therefore changed to a supplier who is nearby in order to have this virtuous system both in the context of our supply and in the sorting of waste. We have also worked to reduce our waste by being accompanied by a specialized firm.
Have you been able to quantify the economic impact of this approach?
Sylvain Morin:We see that this new philosophy leads to clearly exceptional results. We have very good consumption ratios thanks to this approach. Economically, it is very interesting. Beyond this aspect, this transition has enabled us to give meaning and commitment, to create momentum, to unite all employees. It is important that the teams can feel proud of what they are offering, proud to be part of this project, particularly in this tense period in terms of recruitment. There are necessarily benefits to giving vision. And then it sheds light on the establishment. I was very surprised and happy that we got this prize, because it is the recognition of two years of work.
