Christiane Germain takes care of the branding of the Germain Hotels. His brother Jean-Yves, Finance. That’s why we often say of them that they complement each other. But it’s much more than that: They are business partners as well as brother and sister.
“Both are part of the equation,” says Christiane Germain, who has heard too many times that business and emotions don’t mix.
“I don’t believe in that. I think in business there are feelings. And it’s a mistake to ignore it. You have to deal with it because it’s part of the equation. This also applies to our children. It’s not just a business, it’s a life project,” she muses.
“A family business has something that the others don’t have,” adds Jean-Yves Germain.
That something is a strong bond, meaning that history is written over decades.
Like their parents, from whom they bought the Saint-Honoré restaurant, Christiane and Jean-Yves Germain are pioneers. The parents had opened the first steakhouse and lunch counter in Quebec. They founded the first Quebec hotel chain in all of Canada, in a world dominated by foreign giants.
Germain Hotels
Jean-Yves and Christiane Germain, Co-Presidents and Co-Founders of Germain Hotels
pioneers
“We were successful in Quebec, but people wondered if we could do it in Montreal? In Toronto they said we could do it in French, but could we do it in English? Jean-Yves remembers the skepticism of those around him.
It all started with a trip to New York in 1985. Looking for inspiration, Jean-Yves and Christiane discovered the Morgan, a hotel run by the founders of the famous Studio54.
“We saw the light there! The Morgan was unlike anything we’d seen before. We stayed there for a few days and thought we had to do that in Quebec!” Christiane remembers.
Le Germain-des-Prés opened in Sainte-Foy in 1988; the first of 20 hotels and soon to be the 21st in Ottawa. At the beginning, nothing was to be thought of as a hotel chain. It took eight years to open the second hotel and 11 years to leave Quebec. Then, in 2007, the alt-banner hit the market to drive the expansion.
“We realized we needed a second exclusive brand to develop Canada. Le Germain has four stars and that limited us to the cities where we could base ourselves. All three-star brands looked the same and we thought that by developing something new we could easily establish ourselves in cities like Saskatoon or near airports,” says the businesswoman.
To fund growth, the Germains have teamed up with local partners in each market and set up a fund for alts.
The worst crisis
It took boldness and perseverance to constantly invest in their project. In 2020, when the hotels had to close, the Germains experienced the worst crisis in their history.
“90% of our people left after March 13th. Letting her go was the hardest part for us,” says Jean-Yves, also recalling that it was necessary to install locks to lock the doors of certain hotels – something unthinkable.
2023 brings back all hopes as the year is shaping up better than 2019.
And the adventure continues as the Germains transition into the third generation of entrepreneurs.
“There are no Betty Crocker recipes in there. These are trials, progress and setbacks,” smiles Christiane.
She and Jean-Yves still have the flame, as well as the desire to leave space for their children without suddenly disappearing.
Germain Hotels
- Foundation, endowment: 1985
- Founder: Jean Yves and Christiane Germain
- The headquarters: Quebec
- Number of employees: 1500
- Profile of: Jean Yves and Christiane Germain
- Positions: co-chairs
- Age: energetic sixties!
- Education: hotel