It took almost 20 years of hard work and a $400 million investment to make Le Massif an international tourist destination.
Behind the magic of a circus, we forget the hours of exertion, the falls and the restarts. The same applies to business success when it comes about.
After Cirque du Soleil, of which he co-founded, Daniel Gauthier began realizing a new dream by purchasing the Le Massif ski resort in 2002. He has a crush on the mountains and the region.
Then came the idea of making it an international tourist destination to ensure its sustainability.
400 million US dollars invested
Without a wand in his pocket, it took him 20 years to get there, years longer than he had thought. And $400 million in investments, including $55 million in government loans and $52 million in grants, primarily for public infrastructure.
“The cake rises,” he says happily.
“The biggest compromise was agreeing to a sequel, even if it took a very long time. We ran a deficit for years. We’re paying the bank and it’s only been a few years. Before that, dear shareholders, we had to inject more money to keep everything going.
Looking in the rear-view mirror at over 20 years, Daniel Gauthier sees both the successes and the pitfalls he has encountered. There were costly contingencies.
“Time was the hardest part because it’s expensive and it affects morale. We also lose talent when it’s long.
10 years commitment to a Club Med
But today, he says, all the pieces are in place: the Baie-Saint-Paul hotel hub, the mountain, and the railway line serving the Charlevoix region. And then the partnership with Club Med.
Not being a hotelier himself, he had partnered with Germain Hôtels for Baie-Saint-Paul. In Petite-Rivière-Saint-François, Daniel Gauthier wanted to find a chain with an international network. He picked up the phone and opened the conversation with Club Med. It took ten years before an agreement was reached and the massif became the first Club Med mountain in North America.
Last winter, the global giant was able to operate in Quebec without health restrictions for the first time. Every week people from Mexico, Brazil, the USA and Europe raced down the slopes.
It remains to convince them to come in the summer and for this it will be necessary to develop the offer of activities. Swimming pools, spa, playgrounds are part of the projects. And on the eve of discovering the nocturnal spectacle The Flight of the Mechanical Bird on his mountain, Daniel Gauthier is happy to believe that anything that will develop the region will also nourish the reputation of the destination.
It is still being worked on
Daniel Gauthier had seen his father retire after 34 years of service for the City of Montreal. He told himself that after 17 years with the Cirque, he could give so much to the Massif and then take it easy. But there is still a lot of work ahead of us.
Due to climate change, it is still necessary to invest in automation due to not finding enough staff, and allocate about $15 million for artificial snowmaking. There could also be a second hotel in the mountains.
If it had to be done over again, Daniel Gauthier would not build in the same order. The panoramic train, for example, arrived at the station too early. Gourmet rail cruises have not found their clientele. That was before Club Med and its wealthy international tourists.
Today, a more accessible rail shuttle criss-crosses the rails. The formula works; of hotels in Charlevoix sell lodging-train packages.
Even though his group has finally achieved its main goals and profitability, we don’t see a hint of victory in Daniel Gauthier. There were moments of discouragement along the way and it is more of a reassured man that we behold. Reassured to have had a viable vision 20 years ago and not have been an illusionist.
Le Massif group
Founder: Daniel Gauthier
Foundation, endowment: 2002
The headquarters: Quebec
number of employees: 700+
Profile of: Daniel Gauthier
Work: CEO
Age: 64 years old
Studies: Art