Europe, Middle East, Africa Quick Takes | May/June 2021
Le PAL’s New Hotel Ready to Roar into Action in France
Le PAL amusement park and zoo in Allier, France, is ready to welcome guests to its 16 million euro Le PAL Savana Reserve hotel this season. Park President Arnaud Bennet promises guests “a totally new, immersive experience,” which will make them feel like they are “in Africa, not in a park.”
Le PAL took inspiration from Kruger National Park’s best hotels, creating accommodations that are distinctively South African in its architecture, style, and setting. The team combined authentic materials, artifacts, and decorations to recreate the game reserve experience.
Le PAL Savana Reserve includes 60 suites and 300 beds, spread over three levels in five buildings. Guests staying in the two-bedroom suites can enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding wildlife. The hotel overlooks a 4-hectare savannah where giraffes, white rhinos, antelopes, ostriches, zebras, and Cape elands roam. From the resort’s waterfront restaurant and bar, diners will be able to watch the animals gathering to drink. The magnificently decorated Le Victoria restaurant offers 180 seats; there are 150 seats on the covered terraces outside. Children can play in a themed wooden play area nearby while their parents relax. Guests can come and go freely between the hotel and the park.
The new hotel triples Le PAL’s accommodation capacity. It builds on the success of the 31 safari lodges, first introduced in 2013. The lodges are booked with more than 16,000 overnight stays each season.
Sustainability continues to be integral to Le PAL’s development. Savana Reserve is Green Globe certified for its eco-friendly practices.
Reimagining Rembrandt in the Netherlands
Rembrandts Amsterdam, a digital art experience making its debut in the Netherlands this spring, sheds new light on an Old Master. Creative entrepreneurs Simeon van Tellingen and Martin Poiesz brought Rembrandt’s remarkable story to life using video, lighting, audio, and special effects. Their company—Citysaurus, Experiences with Impact—aims to develop, manage, and operate culture-inspired experiences, starting with Rembrandts Amsterdam.
In this immersive attraction, guests will travel back in time to the 17th century. They will discover a reconstruction of the Dutch artist’s lost studio, where he created his last works, including his late self-portraits. There, they will meet Rembrandt, his mistress Hendrickje, son Titus, and daughter Cornelia. According to van Tellingen, the attraction reveals “different and untold aspects of Rembrandt’s life,” including his bankruptcy.
Visitors will also receive a free map of Amsterdam—as it looked in the 17th century—allowing them to explore real-life locations with links to the artist’s life. Rembrandts Amsterdam is located at Leidseplein square, home to entertainment, restaurants, and cafes.
