Michèle Deschamps

A family-run hotel business

After teaching finance, she has been running her own small business – the hotel-restaurant-spa La Lune de Mougins – for almost ten years in a deliberately warm and friendly manner.

A hyperdynamic finance teacher, she was previously Bachelor’s Degree Programme Director at the EDHEC Business School. “I spent the best ten years of my life there. But with the evolution of higher education in France and the considerable increase in student numbers, I didn’t fit in anymore,” explains Michèle Deschamps. In 2008, this avid reader resolved to create
a literary hotel in Cannes. “I was on my own, my children had grown up, and
I sold my house to buy this 16-room establish-ment that we completely renovated with visual artist Romain Gouot. Eventually, I had an opportunity to sell it. After some hesitation, I accepted.” In 2014, she began a new adventure. “La Lune de Mougins was up for sale. My son was living in Hong Kong at the time. He wanted to move back to France and work with me. So, we decided to take up the challenge!” the entrepreneur enthuses. 

Gastronomy and well-being

“We have continued to develop the historical business clientele, taken over management of the spa and deliberately adopted a Corporate Social Responsibility approach by trying to move in the direction of energy savings and respecting the environment.” One of the fundamental changes, encouraged by Operations Director Nicolas Deschamps, is to offer gourmet catering on the premises. And Florent Benoît – who has worked in the Miramar kitchens – is now doing the cooking. “In the life of a company, you also have to face difficulties, like when our spa was devastated during the awful floods at the end of 2019, and we had to do a complete rebuild. I also developed an autoimmune disease, which fortunately stabilised at the beginning of 2023. That prevented me from working, and without my son, I don’t know if I would have been able to continue,” explains the woman who watches over the establishment from the first floor where she lives. “Some guests tell me that it’s very nice here, that we should try to get a fourth star, but I want to keep this cocooning and family atmosphere. I know my customers, and some have even become friends.”

La Lune de Mougins

The 3-star hotel in Mougins cultivates the charm of the Midi. “The fact that it was well located attracted me, with guests able to commute to Sophia for work and also visit the small villages nearby, not to mention Nice and Cannes,” explains Michèle Deschamps. “The establishment, founded in the early 80s, was subsequently sold and no longer had any services for corporate customers. My predecessor relaunched the business by going back to basics, with transport for business stays, a swimming pool, tennis court, and the creation of a spa.” With an outdoor swimming pool surrounded by olive trees and a lounge bar with a terrace, the hotel has also developed a treatment menu with partner brands such as Yonka and Charme d’Orient and a restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine.

Création : 1980

Localisation : Mougins

Activité : Hôtellerie-restauration

Présidente : Michèle Deschamps

Collaborateurs : une trentaine