 |
WELLNESS – MATHILDE DERANCOURT, SOPHROLOGIST AND FOUNDER OF NATURECO: "EVEN IN THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PROPERTIES, FALLING ASLEEP AWAY FROM HOME CAN BE DIFFICULT"
Through guided relaxation audio recordings, in rooms and even at the restaurant, Mathilde Derancourt offers a simple solution to the challenge of connecting emotionally with oneself and one's surroundings, something that hotels, their staff, and their guests are all seeking. |
Category: Worldwide - Industry economy
- Interviews and portraits
- Suppliers
- Sustainability - Providers - Interviews
Interview made by Vanessa Guerrier-Buisine on Wednesday 13 August 2025
 Mathilde Derancourt, sophrologist and founder of Natureco
Photo credit © Natureco
Through these audio recordings, Natureco meets a dual need: that of travellers seeking sensory experiences and that of improving employee well-being. Easy to use via a simple QR code and a digital interface, this solution invites you to slow down, reconnect with yourself… and with your surroundings.
Since the concept was created in 2023, properties such as the Hotel Maison Aurelia Sanur in Bali and the restaurant La Table des Dames at the Hotel La Croix de Savoie in Haute-Savoie have already recognized it as a valuable lever for enriching the guest experience and taking care of their teams by offering them moments of recovery designed to boost their energy, concentration, and well-being on a daily basis.
In an interview with Journal des Palaces, Mathilde Derancourt gives us a behind-the-scenes look at this original and deeply human approach, born from a simple desire: to offer everyone a moment suspended in time, a bubble of calm, a lasting trace of beauty.
You have designed different themes, from mindful tasting to sensory escape. Could you describe the products offered by Natureco to the hotel industry and how the idea of offering relaxation audio recordings in hotels came about?
I realized that what touched my private clients the most were the guided visualizations I created for them based on their memories. These inner journeys allowed them to calm down, tap into their inner resources, or simply escape.
I wanted to share this experience beyond individual sessions. The hospitality industry quickly became an obvious choice: two of my clients, who were general managers, immediately embraced the idea.
So I designed 3- to 15-minute audio recordings that can be listened to independently in a guest room or wellness area to relieve stress, facilitate sleep, offer a moment of calm, or ensure a gentle awakening. These recordings are ready to use but can also be customized to highlight the heritage, surrounding nature, or brand universe.
I quickly identified two key points: even in the most beautiful properties, falling asleep away from home can be difficult. And on the hotelier side, there is a real appeal for an innovative, discreet offering that enhances the quality of the guest experience. Some see it as a way to subtly express the DNA of their location.
Today, several properties have adopted them. These audio recordings give guests an extra touch of soul, a sensitive and memorable addition to their stay.
What concrete benefits can hoteliers expect from integrating your audio content into the experience of their guests and staff?
Integrating my sophrology audio recordings into hotels addresses two distinct challenges. On the one hand, it enriches the guest experience. On the other hand, it offers staff a simple and practical tool for their well-being.
For guests, the benefit is immediate: autonomous access via a QR code, available 24 hours a day, to simple and effective relaxation tools based on breathing, body relaxation, and visualization, which they can practice in the comfort of their room. This type of attention creates a lasting memory, reinforces the image of an attentive and refined property, and contributes to guest loyalty, complementing the measures already in place for the well-being of guests.
For hoteliers, it is a differentiating, turnkey tool that is easy to implement and requires no additional workload. Some properties can customize the content to reflect the atmosphere of the place and highlight their brand positioning, adding a unique sensory dimension to their signature.
Finally, for staff, a selection of specific audio tracks can also be offered to reduce stress, improve concentration or recharge between shifts. It's a simple, gentle gesture that promotes overall well-being for both those who welcome guests and those who are welcomed. We often underestimate the importance of taking care of those who take care of others, even though the benefits are tenfold.
Could you give an example of how this has been used at the restaurant?
Yes, absolutely. Last fall, I collaborated with the restaurant La Table des Dames, located in an exceptional mountain setting in Haute-Savoie. The project was to create a complete sensory experience for a series of dinners centred around fall.
The menu was developed by the restaurant's two chefs, in collaboration with a naturopath, to meet the body's physiological needs during the change of season. To enhance this offering, I created an audio guide to help guests relax and immerse themselves in the experience before the meal.
It was a short 6-minute audio clip to listen to just before sitting down to eat. I guided them through a simple relaxation exercise to slow down and release the tensions of the day, then invited them to open themselves up to their senses: to observe the mountain landscape, the decor, the choice of materials and tableware; to listen to the sounds of the restaurant, the clinking of glasses, the surrounding murmurs; to smell the aromas from the kitchen awakening their taste buds. The idea was to bring them fully back to the moment, to awaken their senses before they even took their first bite.
The audio ended with a tribute to the three women who gave the restaurant its name: Mother Nature, associated with the two chefs, Edwige Tiret and Léonie Dugat, who bring her to life on the plate. It was a way of celebrating the deep connection between humans and nature.
This partnership has been a real pleasure: our values resonate with each other, and this type of project shows how well-being can be incorporated into the restaurant industry in a subtle, elegant way and create a memorable experience.
How are the teams responding to this new tool? Is there any training or support for the teams to explain the product to guests?
For the implementation of this service, which is still new and little known in the hospitality world, support for the teams and their understanding of the concept are key factors for success.
The best example of team support is the one set up in close collaboration with Pauline Mottoule, General Manager of the Maison Aurelia Sanur Hotel in Bali.
Five audio recordings in English were created for the turndown service in the hotel rooms. To introduce the concept to the teams, we designed a customized “Morning Routine” audio recording that is played weekly to the teams at the end of the week.
To be completely honest, the Indonesian teams were a little surprised when they first heard it. But after a few weeks, Pauline told me that it had become something they looked forward to every week. So it was a success!
The teams also have access to the same audio recordings as guests in the canteen and changing rooms so that they can practice sophrology regularly and talk to guests about it more effectively. And that's what I love about this collaboration: the guest well-being policy is inseparable from the employee well-being policy. Pauline would say: “Happy employees = happy guests!” We share the same vision.
Can you describe the technical aspects of how the audio recordings are integrated into the spaces? Is access via a digital platform, a QR code, or something else?
I looked for a solution that would preserve the best audio quality while making it as easy, quick, and convenient as possible to listen to. So I suggested putting a QR code engraved on a solid wood display in each room to keep it prominent, attractive, and high-quality, in a compact format.
Guests can scan the code to access a streamlined, personalized listening platform where they can find the audio files selected by the property. Guests can then access the audio file of their choice and leave their phone on standby on the bedside table. For an immersive experience, guests can connect their headphones or use a Bluetooth speaker provided by the hotel. This solution guarantees good sound quality in just three clicks.
This digital platform also allows you to choose audio tracks that change with the seasons, for example, or for special events at the hotel such as Christmas, Easter, etc.
What is your business model?
I offer two options for these audio tracks: a universal option and a personalized option.
The universal package includes audio recordings on themes such as falling asleep, letting go, and escape, recorded in French or English. These are non-personalized and can therefore be used in various properties. The hotel chooses the themes and language to be included on its platform, which works with a subscription to the platform. The price depends on the number of rooms with the service.
For the personalized package, the audio recordings are tailor-made. After discussions with the property, I create one or more audio recordings inspired by the location, its history, and its natural heritage, in French or English, of the desired length. Prices are available on request.
How do you see your offering evolving, and what collaborations would you like to set up with hotels or brands in the industry?
I want to continue developing the universal package because I want sophrology to remain accessible to everyone.
I'm also very keen to do more personalized projects. I dream of co-creating tailor-made audio recordings that connect guests emotionally to their location: paying tribute to the history of a Relais & Châteaux hotel, showcasing an exceptional estate, revealing the soul of a listed park by anchoring it in visualizations inspired by its heritage or the surrounding nature.
The power of guided visualization is to engrave these moments in the memory, to invite travellers to marvel, to live life to the fullest, and to experience each moment intensely.
And because happy employees take better care of guests, I am committed to continuing to make these tools available to the teams who do such passionate and demanding work and who deserve to be looked after.
I also attach great importance to respect for the environment, biodiversity, and people. I dream of collaborating with brands or hoteliers for whom these human and environmental values are essential.
 Natureco's mission is to offer your guests a bubble of relaxation
Photo credit © Aurélie Follain /
|
|
