Villa René Lalique, France – Between the Arts of Glass and Cooking

Villa René Lalique in Wingen-Sur-Moder, France, is a traditional luxury hotel with an attached gourmet restaurant with 2 Michelin stars. This stylish area‘s original owner and namesake is the celebrated glass artist René Lalique. They built his residence here in 1920.

As a homage to its avant-garde creator, the hotel, with its six elegant suites, was designed in classic Art Deco. Located in the heart of the Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, the restaurant‘s fully glass-enclosed dining room draws in the breathtaking scenery. Framed by columns of red Vosges sandstone, a glass rectangle is a modern extension of this noble house. However, it is the architecture that should remain unaltered in its aesthetics. As a result, the air handling technology had to be of an inconspicuous design – weatherproof solutions were not an option. Therefore, robatherm designed nine particularly compact indoor units and customized them to suit the prevailing surroundings.

Where Technology Functions so that Enjoyment is what Dominates
Since the hospitality area, kitchen and patisserie differ significantly in temperature and humidity, separate air handling units were indispensable. The result is an air quality equal to the standards of Villa René Lalique. Impeccable purity goes hand in hand with perfection regarding glass and cuisine. An almost magical venue, where Chef Paul Stradner and his team prepare creations that are as intense as they are colorful. For the past two decades, the Austrian has been a well-known personality in the German and French premium culinary scene. Incidentally, his star-studded tenures also occasionally brought him together with Martin Kaiser, the current Executive Chef of the robatherm Restaurant.

In addition to the cuisine, the wine cellar is a highlighted feature – one of the best in Europe, with roughly 60,000 bottles. Many of the rarities stored there are procured from the winemakers by Head Sommelier Romain Iltis. The exclusivity, of course, is also reflected in the technology used. In the realm of fine wines alone, three robatherm AHUs ensure ideal storage conditions for temperature, humidity, and purity. One for red wines, one for white wines, and one for the so-called Cave de degustation. Certainly, this full-coverage effort can be considered a sheer luxury. Yet, in the end, it is also a passionate plea for pure life pleasures.