Meet
Thierry!
He’s convinced that hospitality can help make the world a better place.
This serial entrepreneur, iconoclast, and philanthropist is now putting his energy at the service of regeneration:
a revolutionary approach to travel, firmly rooted in its time.
“Stop showing off your worth.”
What has framed your own trail?
People often build a career by following a particular direction. I’ve done just the opposite, imagining my life more like a jigsaw puzzle, with pieces being put in place over time. First theatre and directing, then La Pâtisserie des Rêves, then events and hospitality. Each step was dictated by creativity, emotional intelligence, and encounters. Only the hotel business was the result of a frustration: that of not finding a place to be welcomed when traveling with my young children.
What do you believe in?
The power of beauty and poetry. Recently, I discovered a guy on the Internet who films water explosions in ultra slow motion. It’s fascinating stuff. If you train your eye to see beauty, it’s easier to spot it, even in the details. I also believe in generosity, a value that has been totally forgotten in the hotel industry. Every day, I strive to re-enchant my profession with these ideas.
What’s the belief you’ve totally ditched?
In the representation that is taking place in our societies. Even vacations have become a way of showing what we’re worth socially, instead of being a simple time for fun and relaxation! I think we’re on the wrong track, in every field. In hospitality, for example, we create a lot of dependency with communities when we should be accelerating their autonomy. Before each of my 700,000 Heures Impact projects, I ask the locals if they need us. If they do, we work to make the area better than we found it. If not, we go elsewhere.
“Those who advise are not those who pay.”
Got any hacks for a simpler life?
I tend to procrastinate and leave the things I don’t want to do on a list. I recently made a big decision—not to simplify my life but to elevate it: as of my 60th birthday (in February 2025), I’m not turning on my phone or working in the morning. Knowing that I can play hooky, read a book, go to the movies, and do all those things that make me feel good is my ultimate luxury.
What belief have you rebooted along the way?
My approach to giving unsolicited advice is something I’ve had to reconsider. I’ve gone back on ideas several times, apologizing for having defended them so vehemently. Recently, we were at a restaurant with my daughter, and when it was time for dessert, she ordered a café gourmand. Instinctively, I reacted by saying, “Café gourmand? That’s just lame.” As a result, she didn’t take anything, and I felt awful. It reminded me of the importance of respecting other people’s pleasures without giving unsolicited advice.
Who’s flipping the script for you?
I have a galaxy of artists, chefs, and creatives who give me food for thought with their lifestyles or their words. Spending time with Perla Servan-Schreiber is extremely inspiring, as she constantly challenges these ideas. So is Fany Péchiodat, with her method of structuring things… and her nerve. We met at a dinner party that was boring as hell. At one point, she asked where the bathroom was and left. I’ve dreamed of doing it 100 times but never dared.
What makes life truly worth the ride?
This sounds a bit like a barroom joke, but I’d say being anchored in the present. Not living in the past, not running to the future. Making the most of every minute. It’s no coincidence that I call my business 700,000 Heures. That’s the average time we have to live as humans, and it’s a good way of reminding us that we don’t have the luxury of losing ourselves in things that aren’t worthwhile.
Got any words for a “non-believer”?
That those who advise are not those who pay. It’s good to listen to advice, but it’s even better to listen to your instincts. Take inspiration from children, who always ask themselves very simple questions to try and understand why we do things. Life’s opportunities often blur the lines, and real choices are rare—and therefore precious.
Meet Thierry Teyssier on Instagram, at Dar Ahlam or in one of the 700,000 Heures destinations.
