Article Jan 20191 Oct 2020 13:59
Cédriane de Boucaud Truell - In Evolène, the Truell couple plans to invest 125 million in a health project. Meeting with Cédriane, a mountain enthusiast and businesswoman above all.
Cédrian de Boucaud Truell welcomes us in the timeless setting of the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus d'Arolla. Although she will only become the manager of the historic building in the spring, it is she who guides us, through the kitchens, between the terrace and the large living room. Since their arrival in the region in 2010, Cédriane de Boucaud and her husband Edmund Truell have not hidden their desire to invest there. Accompanied by financial partners, they provide for a commitment of 125 million between Evolène, Arolla and the hamlet of Mayens de Veisivi. A change of scenery for this London couple at the head of a capital of more than 300 million in an investment portfolio estimated at 4 billion.
Cédriane de Boucaud is not extravagant, she prefers exchange to monologue. She talks about her ambitions with relaxation, a certain firmness in her positions, but the sweetness in the smile. Meeting with a lover of the mountains and sport, although a businesswoman above all.
Cédriane de Boucaud Truell, how did you get to Evolène?
Having always been close to the mountains, I told Edi Truell, my husband, that despite the advantages of London, living far from them was impossible for me. We worked with a real estate developer who showed us wonderful chalets in Verbier, Zermatt, Grimentz, but this was not what we were looking for. If we wanted to invest in the mountains, it was to be in the mountains, not to meet our neighbors in London. On the map of Valais, the developer had shown us chalets on either side, but nothing in the middle. We asked him, " What is it there?" He replied that there, in the Val d'Hérens, there was nothing. Edi and I looked at each other and said, “ Perfect! The promoter was annoyed to see his commission pass under his nose, but that's how we landed one day in Arolla, where we fell in love with two abandoned barns that we visited in big snow boots. [Laughs] The little chapel of Arolla, the Mont Collon, the Grand Hôtel & Kurhaus, the arolles, the majestic high glaciers… We immediately felt in our place.
You say you fell in love with the nature of the Val d'Hérens. So do you completely reject the image of ultra-urbanized ski resorts?
Big ski resorts are a product, but it's not the one I want to offer. I think there is a great demand in our time to have a different experience. The wild mountains, the built heritage, soft tourism, traditions. A place where you can enjoy nature, climb the highest mountains in the Alps. In Verbier, it's something else. I can party and ski, but I can't find myself, I can't breathe.
Sign In
Follow the stocks
