Ruby, the urban lifestyle hotel brand under IHG Hotels & Resorts, has finally landed in France. Its first property, Ruby Lilou, has opened in Marseille — and it makes an entrance by taking over a building with serious local history: the former BNP Paribas headquarters, gutted and reimagined by architecture firm Gensler.
The conversion turned office floors into a 237-room hotel, with workspace, retail and public amenities layered into the mix. Gensler worked with the original structure rather than replacing it, adding contemporary touches while keeping the building's architectural bones — a fitting approach for a city that has spent centuries reinventing itself.
Location is the big draw. The hotel sits between the Vieux Port and La Joliette, moments from Le Panier, Marseille's oldest quarter. That puts guests within walking distance of the harbour, cultural sights and a dense cluster of cafes, with easy reach of the business district. Design-wise, Ruby Lilou leans into the city's split personality: soft lavender, sun-bleached stone and Mediterranean blue, cut through with bold graphic patterns that nod to Marseille's scrappy creative streak.
Rooms come in four categories — Nest, Cosy, Lovely and Wow — all styled with a nod to luxury yacht design. Expect oversized beds, walk-in rainfall showers, blackout curtains and Marshall amplifiers with Bluetooth speakers in-room. Music runs through the whole property, from curated playlists to evening live acts, and a 24/7 bar and café covers barista coffee, local wines and cocktails around the clock. Up top there's a 300 sqm rooftop terrace with panoramic views across the city towards the Med, open to guests and locals alike.
Alongside the hotel comes another French first: Ruby Yani Workspace, with more than 126 flexible workstations, private offices, meeting rooms and phone booths. Members get rooftop access too, and memberships flex from a single day to a dedicated office — handy for freelancers and remote workers who want to base themselves somewhere with a sea view.
For travellers, the pitch is straightforward: a design-led, tech-enabled base right in the middle of one of Europe's most underrated port cities, with the Calanques coves a short hop away. Ruby is positioning these hotels for lifestyle-focused urban travellers, and Marseille — raw, harbour-proud and far less polished than its Riviera neighbours — fits the brief neatly.
