The former cognac warehouses of Jean-Gabriel Monnet — built in the nineteenth century on the banks of the Charente and used for decades to age some of France's most celebrated spirits — give Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa its architectural identity and its name. The conversion, completed in 2017, preserved the original chai buildings with their pale limestone walls, terracotta rooflines, and arched openings visible in the forecourt, where a pair of vintage Citroën 2CVs parked on gravel reinforce the property's affection for French patrimony. A striking contemporary spa pavilion in corten steel and floor-to-ceiling glazing, its serpentine structural ribs curving across the facade, was added alongside the historic fabric — an architectural counterpoint that makes no attempt to blend in. Inside, the interiors move between two registers. The bar, fitted into a high-ceilinged warehouse volume, retains exposed timber trusses and rough-cut stone walls, furnished with tufted leather Chesterfield sofas, Thonet-style bentwood stools, and a mezzanine wine and spirits gallery behind dark timber balustrades — the whole effect closer to a Bordeaux négociant's counting house than a conventional hotel lounge. The 92 rooms take a softer approach: pale oak floors, Louis XVI-influenced carved wooden bed frames and upholstered benches, walls finished in warm greige, and curtains in a delicate geometric print layered against sheer linen. Terracotta and olive accent cushions connect the palette to the Charente landscape just outside.

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A contemporary hotel in the heart of an industrial heritage site in France, The Chais Monnet (Monnet Cellars) are one of the most impressive industrial sites in France. Created in 1838 on more than two hectares in the heart of the city of Cognac, they have been a rich part of our history ever since. Bordered by the Charente River and close to the most beautiful cognac houses, the Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa wishes to share with you a unique travel experience within characterful premises. Opened in October 2018, the Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa offers 92 rooms, suites and 12 apartments, a one-star Michelin restaurant, a contemporary French brasserie, a Jazz bar, a rooftop lounge, meeting rooms, and a wellness area including a 25m swimming pool, 4 treatment rooms (one of which is a duo), a fitness room, a Jacuzzi, a hammam and a sauna. Spread over four buildings, the rooms and suites are decorated in a classic French style. The combination of noble and natural materials ensures both aesthetic and sensory comfort. In the "Chais", the charm of a historic building that combines a rich heritage with modernity lives on. The Hotel Chais Monnet & Spa hides a monumental treasure, the "Grand Chai des Foudres", which houses the restaurant areas: the brasserie La Distillerie as well as the gastronomic restaurant Les Foudres in the Chai known as "Cathédrale". Within this building steeped in history the Michelin starred restaurant, orchestrated by Chef Mathis Debize, invites you to discover the gastronomic assets of the Charente region.