Assas Hotels Opens Soléo Prado in Marseille City Center


Assas Hotels inaugure le Soléo Prado au cœur de Marseille. Soléo Prado réception, photo by Soléo Prado

TAP Air Portugal


The Assas Hotels group officially announces the opening of Soléo Prado, its second Marseille address located just steps from the iconic Velodrome stadium.

Following the July 2025 inauguration of RockyPop in Marseille, the operator continues its expansion in the South of France by radically transforming a former Citadines hotel residence.

This ambitious project, led by project manager and director Philippine Razou, required nine months of comprehensive renovation to adapt the building to the evolving uses of modern hospitality.

Located at 9/11 Boulevard de Louvain, in immediate proximity to major transit routes and the Parc Chanot exhibition center, the hotel offers a flexible 98-key proposition, distributed among standard, superior, and executive rooms, as well as 18 apartments and studios equipped with kitchenette areas. This diversity enables it to welcome long-stay business travelers as well as families and groups of friends up to five people.


A design inspired by Marseille’s identity

The interior architecture, entrusted to Marie-Paule Clout, founder of the Noir Nuance agency, draws directly from the light and the Marseille way of living. The color palette revolves around hues of pastis yellow, calanque green, terracotta red, and azure blue.

The materials favor authenticity with an omnipresence of linen, raffia, raw or glazed terracotta, and light woods.

From the entrance, living spaces invite conviviality through a large lobby equipped with a self-service honesty bar offering coffee, syrups, and herbal teas.

At the rear of the establishment, a tree-lined terrace surrounded by flowering laurels provides a true calm cocoon away from the urban hustle and bustle. A fully equipped fitness room and a generous breakfast buffet blending homemade cakes and savory flavors complete the offerings.


Sustainable management on a daily basis

Soléo Prado integrates an environmental and social approach in line with the guidelines of the Assas Hotels group. The establishment aims to obtain the Green Key Label as well as a positive assessment via the FairScore audit by 2027. Concrete actions unfold daily through combating food waste, monitoring energy consumption, and promoting short supply chains.

In a biodiversity-preservation approach, the hotel has also banned nearly all of its cleaning chemicals in favor of an ozonated water system.

The property features an underground private parking with electric vehicle charging stations and a reception that is open around the clock.


Pricing positioning: the end of the puzzle for traveling families

The opening of Soléo Prado by the Assas Hotels group marks the introduction of a highly agile business model in the heart of Marseille’s Prado district.

The hotel offers family rooms with bunk beds or interconnecting rooms linked by a private vestibule that isolates noise. It maintains a very accessible average rate, typically between 120 and 130 euros per night for five people, excluding exceptional events.

For its business clientele and for hosting professional seminars, management chose not to invest in constructing bulky internal meeting infrastructures. The hotel has thus entered into a win-win commercial agreement with a local association located in office buildings facing the property.

The hotel rents and valorizes the workshops and meeting rooms of this organization when they are unused, allowing companies to lodge their staff at Soléo Prado while working just a stone’s throw away.


The story of Philippine Razou: from a life change to leading a hotel

Philippine Razou didn’t fall into the hotel industry right away.

This former Parisian chose to leave a permanent contract after business school and four years in human resources to pursue this sector out of passion.

Driven by a strong desire to undertake, she first learned the ropes of operational roles on the ground at a four-star property in Paris.

It was while exploring new opportunities that she seized the chance to partner with the Assas Hotels group to revive this former Citadines hotel residence, whose transformation potential immediately captivated her.

Philippine Razou thus led the nine-month construction as project manager, working in close collaboration with the management group throughout the renovation phase before officially taking the helm of the hotel for its opening.

Amara Nambinga

Amara Nambinga

I write about tourism, culture, and emerging destinations with a Namibian perspective. Through my articles, I try to highlight the places, people, and travel stories that show how Africa and the wider world are changing.