Séminaires et réunions, comme à la maison ChateauForm

If your project involves bringing together your executive committee in an intimate and prestigious location, this is the opportunity to discover the natural environment and the exceptional atmosphere of Châteauform’ Suduiraut, which is ideal for encouraging both work and relaxation.
By way of example, let’s follow one particular team, who, when it was time for an aperitif, got to taste a Château Suduiraut 1998 in the exceptional setting of the garden "à la Française". During this interlude of conversation and discussion they went off to explore the vegetable garden and enjoy the sweetness of the evening.
After their work meeting, they arranged a few hours of fresh air and took advantage of the available bicycles. They went on a gourmet excursion and treated themselves to regional speciality dishes, meeting wine growers from neighbouring châteaux who shared their passion for wine during a wine tasting session.
Last day. To make good decisions, you need to get moving in order to stimulate your neurones. They were kitted out for a canoe trip on the Ciron river. To the rhythmic sound of the paddles, they let themselves glide along and enjoyed the peaceful unspoilt countryside passing by, until they reached a verdant patch of mountainside where Patrick, the chef, was waiting for them with a hearty lunch.
And you ? Why not meet at Châteauform’ Suduiraut this autumn for your next executive committee ? After your meeting you can benefit from the warm atmosphere in the library with a glass or two, or in the wine bar where you will discover the flavours of vineyards both big and small. And at dinner time when the chef treats you grilled vine shoots you can ask him if he can incorporate the cèpes you picked under the trees in the parkland of the château. Finally to relax at the end of the day you can take advantage of the covered pool and the saunas …

Sun, sangria and tapas… the conviviality of Châteauform’s “home from home” welcome continues to spread its charm in Spain with the opening of a finca near Madrid…

Situated in luscious countryside, this traditional house sits around colonnade patios and promises breath taking views of the surrounding landscape. This is a perfect match if you’re looking to take your seminars to a more exotic location. Plus, a direct Paris-Madrid or London-Madrid could possibly take you a lot less time than battling the rush hour city traffic from Porte de la Chapelle to Versailles.

Our Spanish family is growing…and your seminar address book is too ! We are delighted to inform you of our most recent family member, el Bosque : the second Châteauform to be created in Spain, is set to open its doors this September. Only 35 minutes from the international airport of Barajas de Madrid, El Bosque is situated in Pezuela de las Torres in a 200 hector Estate at the heart of a nature reserve.

This magnificent stately home (“finca”) offers the same delights as all of our other Châteauform’s. Our special attention to companies will ensure that your meetings and seminars are a real success. The château has 44 bedrooms, a lecture theatre, 9 meeting rooms and an Executive Committee room, all of which are fitted with the most up to date technology.

The Estate is ideally located in peaceful surroundings, allowing you maximum tranquillity for all your meetings. You can choose from a number of meeting venues, whether in one of our seminar rooms, in the shade of the trees or colonnade galleries… For more informal occasions, why not by the poolside ?

El Bosque, you can find retreat in one of the lounge areas, games rooms or tennis courts. Or why not try out our mountain bikes, swimming pool, table tennis, volleyball, archery, bowls, etc. After a long day’s work, we have a range of outdoor activities open to you, which can be adapted to your individual or group objectives.

What is the château’s special activity attraction ? Horse riding ! This site is equipped with real riding stables and 6 lovely horses are available to confident riders. Horse riding is a major local tradition here, forming an integral part of the finca and also providing a regular theme for your meeting rooms and bedrooms.

To get to El Bosque, you have the choice of 2 low cost air companies which each fly once a day to Madrid for very reasonable prices :

 Ryanair from Paris Beauvais Airport : 1 morning flight a day (www.ryaniair.com)

 Vueling from Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport 4 flights a day (www.vueling.com)

Your host couple, Céline and David, chef Yann and nanny Natalia will endeavour to make your stay a truly exotic experience filled with local delights yet maintaining the Châteauform hallmarks of “home from home”, conviviality and homely atmosphere that we know appeal to you.

See you soon by the pool with a cool sangria !

Châteauform’ offers transfer for Spain and Switzerland !
Then, why not think about organizing your next seminar at Châteauform’ Mas Sant Joan in Catalogna or at the Chalet de Champery in the Swiss Alps ?

Feel free to contact us : +33 1 30 28 69 69.

Châteauform’ Neuville Bosc with its circular meeting room “Tournesol” (Sunflower) offers the chance for trainers to innovate and rethink their training techniques in a room gifted with a new shape and architecture.

The circle encourages interaction : around the circumference each participant can express his or her point of view, everybody has a VIP seat !!

The sloping staircases create a theatrical setting : A real tool for trainers to work symbolically around the theme of the upcoming and down going circulation of information, the relativity of different points of view, the constitution and evolution of team building around a leader.

Through its equipment and shape this room enrols itself in modernity : a space for debates and opening up of minds, the room favours the rehearsing and creation of actions ;

Spoil your delegates at the Chalet de Champéry !

You are organizing a seminar in the Swiss Valais to enjoy the fresh air and challenge the team spirit of your work mates ? Give your delegates the opportunity to stay a little longer at the Chalet de Champéry before or after their seminar : Weekend rates after a seminar (all year around)
48-hour rates from friday evening to sunday afternoon
- in winter, it also includes the 2-day ski passes for the Portes du Soleil domain
- in summer, it includes a good shape & well-being" pass (Val d’Iliez hot water spring, olympic-size swimming pool, massage)
For 1 person = 610,00€
For 2 people = 830,00€

Our participants have expressed a wish for internet connections in their rooms.
Telephone sockets were installed in each room some time ago for that very reason. However these connections provided limited access and no broadband. After studying various solutions to the problem of bringing broadband to the bedrooms we have opted for Powerline or CPL. Powerline transforms an electricity network into a computer network. In other words, each electrical socket is also a broadband socket. No specific equipment is necessary for the participants. Any computer, whatever its configuration, can be connected via Powerline. On the desk in every Châteauform’ bedroom, the participants will find three electrical sockets and a broadband network cable. There will be no extra charge for connections which will, of course, be covered by Châteauform’. All our châteaux will be supplied with Powerline by June 2006. This technology broadens horizons for the future. In fact, thanks to Powerline we have set up a whole network through which we can broadcast music, video on demand (VOD) and an abundance of other multimedia.
We keep a sharp eye on technological progress so that our participants may benefit from it as soon as possible. Michaël Viala, your Information Technology Manager

Each of our Châteauform’ now has an executive meeting room dedicated to the special needs of your board members and top management...
Each of our Châteauform’ now has an executive meeting room dedicated to the special needs of your board members and top management : bright, isolated meeting room with one main wooden table, leather chairs to work, but also large comfortable chairs and a coffee table with teas, coffees, cigar box, open bar, etc.

At Champéry, in Switzerland, the snow has started to thaw which is the ideal time for a rafting trip downriver for a teambuilding experience.
Accompanied by a guide who will explain the basic rules for managing a raft, your participants, kitted out with neoprene suits and life-jackets, helmets and paddles, will throw themselves into the rapids and avoid the rocks by synchronising their movements in order not to capsize, involving real teamwork !… But as Fernand, the guide, is quite a joker, they will nevertheless find themselves in the water more than once, with the photographer never far away !!!! (but don’t tell them !) And for the more foolhardy at altitude the Champéry Via Ferrata is a ‘must’ – and certainly the most beautiful in the region ! The Via Ferrata is a sport half-way between walking and climbing and allows your participants to tackle the vertical world in total security surrounded by beautiful views… After a walk through the forest, roped together and equipped with snap hooks, your participants will follow a route in total security that twice crosses the mountain stream on suspended bridges from which they will discover the village of Champéry from quite a different angle. However, in order to advance they must wait for each other… yet again, requiring real team work.
If the mere suggestion of plunging into white water, or a drop of 140m makes you shudder, then take your participants walking in the mountains and discover the local traditions in the village of Champéry. When the snow thaws the ski runs turn into fertile meadows across which you will be led by the guide to explore the traditions and ‘terroir’ of the Swiss Alps… stopping at midday at the mountain chalet for a grilled lunch, and to hear the sound of the Alpen horn. You will then leave on foot to a mountain farm and taste their cheeses. Denise will be there to explain the secret ! …back to the village on foot, stopping off at the foundry where Jean-Denis makes bells using traditional methods. He will explain how he is one of the last remaining bell founders in Switzerland and will show you his workshop in which he has about twenty different moulds, into which 9 generations have poured their secret mixes of metal.
Client feedback by Madame Jocelyne Icart, Peugeot “It was heaven ! Quite exceptional ! We all came back so glowing with happiness that the effects are still there. The atmosphere was frankly incredible, and work colleagues became friends following all that happened at our seminar. We felt so well looked after that even the most timid amongst us relaxed. There is no more tension at the office, and as soon as a problem arises we are now able to talk it over and share it. The people who were timid and reserved have opened up more and even come and say ‘good morning’. We are all amazed at the effect it has had. We experienced something exceptional and moving. It was great. Châteauform’ is now the thing for me and I shall organise future seminars through you. We were all so happy. Now I would like to take them to Spain. Cyril, one of the participants, went on holiday and brought us back some salamis. He asked me if we could organise a drink around them “like at Châteauform’”, which we duly did, taking the opportunity to pass round photos from the seminar.

So, see you soon in Champéry !”

The Espace Balneae is an environment (unique in France), for relaxation, meeting others and for enhancing creativity.

Tepidarium, caldarium, laconicum, Jacuzzi bathtubs, seaweed baths…find out how the Espace Balneae is set-out and works and, above all, what it adds to your seminars.
Katy Horovitz, Interior Planning Manager at Châteauform’, tells us :

Cf’ : We are all aware of thalassotherapy, Jacuzzis, hammams and saunas, Thai and shiatsu massages, amongst others, but how did you come up with the idea of baths or balnea ?>BR> KH : With the modern craze for alternative medicine and sea or spring water hydrotherapy, there is definitely a call nowadays for urban balneotherapy. Sometimes called a spa, balneotherapy is a form of hydrotherapy, different from thalassotherapy because of its use of freshwater rather than seawater. It can be considered as alternative medicine because of its naturally soothing effects, which is an obvious reason for integrating this new form of relaxation into our seminary locations.
The original idea was quite simple : when you go to a hotel and you feel like having a relaxing massage, it is so often not possible because hotel health centres are frequently only open by day just when people are working, and function on a non-reservation basis. Then if they are open in the evening, it is difficult to get an appointment. We wanted to create an area in which one could relax and also have a massage after a long day of training, and just when you really need it ! The aim was to try and find 40 people interested in massaging 40 participants from 6pm until 10pm, but it turned out not to be possible. So we then looked for massage and relaxation activities that our participants could use on their own, such as our bathtubs with their 150 nozzles and jets with 20 different programmes to allow you to be massaged from head to foot in just half an hour !
Cf’ : Will the participants be able to manage on their own ? KH : The principle of “like at home” applies to everything on offer at our Châteauform’ locations.
This also applies to the Espace Balneae. We wanted to create a pleasant, friendly environment in which everyone could really relax without having to call on the expertise of a professional. This independence is all yours, but rest assured that you are not left entirely on your own. If you need it, a Châteauform’ member of staff will be at your disposition to guide or assist you. Independent – yes, but abandoned ? No.
Cf’ : Will the baths be mixed ?
KH : Since antiquity, thermal baths have been open to men and women alike, but at different times of the day. La Balneae de la Princesse will be open to all. Certain teams will want to enjoy them all together, but the two tepidaria, the 16 bathtubs available in four different sizes, or the laconica and caldaria could also be easily divided between different teams or between men and women. Cf’ : Will it be freely accessible and included in the Châteauform’ all-inclusive price ?
KH : Of course ! Every location has something special to offer : from Suduiraut you can visit the famous local wine cellars, you can learn curling and enjoy the hot springs from the Chalet de Champéry or enjoy the swimming pools of Fief des Epoisses or Les Prés d’Ecoublay. Now the Mello châteaux offer their own selection of relaxation activities and this superb environment in which to relax.
Cf’ : The atmosphere, architecture and interior decoration in every Châteauform’ location are always warm, comfortable and original. How are the baths designed ?
KH : The Château de la Princesse has a huge area of more than 550m2 beneath the Orangery whose vaulted ceilings naturally offer a kind of intimate atmosphere. It was the obvious area to adapt as a convivial place for relaxation.
The feeling of well-being in the baths is linked in with the ‘like at home’ concept. In order for everybody to be able to enjoy them and, taking into account the busy training programmes and seminars, the baths will be open everyday from the end of the afternoon through to the end of the evening. There is a cosy, private space of two rooms filled with cushions, where, wrapped in a soft towel, you can go and have a tea or squeeze yourself a fresh orange juice. To stay on a while longer, there are home-made soups available to guests in the kitchen from 6pm onwards, which you could enjoy together with your friends. Cf’ : How can one include these extraordinary amenities within a company’s seminary objectives ?
KH : The Romans would go to the thermal baths for health and beauty reasons, but these places also had an important social function. They were an integral part of city life in Roman times ; it was there that they went to wash, but also, where they would meet with friends, eat or even discuss business.
A ‘3 year strategy’ meeting or a seminar of team building following a merger or a change in management can often be conclusive and stressful. The Châteauform’ locations are chosen for their rural beauty and relaxation is strongly encouraged by us, as it can be forgotten in planning busy seminars. However, it is often during these informal moments that links are established, ideas formed or decisions taken. That is why, to give you an example, we have set out baths in groups of 4 facing each other so that you can continue a discussion whilst being massaged !
Take the time to take care of yourself after a busy day of meetings – it is ideal for relieving stress, or simply allow your participants to enjoy themselves by combining what is useful with what is pure pleasure !
Cf’ : Do you foresee relaxation areas for other Châteauform’ locations in the future ?
KH : Certainly ! If the location suits ! For example, we are awaiting the opening of the Rochefort en Yvelines site in 2007 which is an ideal site for relaxation as this superb château is situated on an 18 hole golf course !

Thank you and see you soon.