Mama Shelter brings its rule-breaking hospitality concept to Asia
From left) Serge Trigano and his son, Jeremie, co-founders of Mama Shelter, and Cedric Gobilliard, COO of Mama Shelter (Photo: Albert Chua/The Edge Singapore)
The 115-room Mama Shelter Singapore is set to debut in 4Q2025 on Killiney Road, in the Somerset precinct, just off Orchard Road. It is the brand’s first hotel in Asia and 20th globally, following the opening of its flagship hotel in Paris in September 2008.
The Singapore property will showcase Mama Shelter’s signature lobby with an open-plan restaurant and island bar, which will also feature pet-friendly tables, arcade games and a raised stage for live shows. The property also features a rooftop bar and restaurant, along with a swimming pool.
“We are going to have live music, DJs and comedy shows,” says Jérémie Trigano, who co-founded Mama Shelter together with his father Serge and brother Benjamin.
The restaurant, island bar and raised stage on the first level of Mama Shelter Singapore (Photo: Mama Shelter Singapore)
From the outset, the Triganos set out to redefine the hotel experience. “We saw ourselves foremost as a restaurant, then a hotel,” recalls Jérémie. “This is how we rewrote the rules. Before, in France and in Europe, you would not have restaurants inside hotels.”
They envisioned an all-day, vibrant open space anchored by a lively restaurant and bar, with a menu crafted by a top chef and drinks created by a leading mixologist. The bar includes seating for solo diners. Inclusivity is key. “It’s multi-generational, we welcome people of all ages and groups,” says Jérémie.
Given this F&B-driven model, over half of Mama Shelter’s revenue comes from food and beverage. “The restaurant is crucial — we want locals to return regularly, with themed programmes on weekdays and weekend brunches,” adds COO of Ennismore Europe and Mama Shelter, Cedric Gobilliard.
Mama Shelter Singapore’s flamboyant interiors are by French design duo Dion & Arles, who have also worked on the brand’s hotels in London, Lille, Paris West and Rome. A psychedelic ceiling mural by Lyon-based artist Benjamin Saillard (Beniloys) — whose work also appears in Mama Shelter properties in London, Luxembourg and Toulouse — celebrates Singapore’s maritime and cultural heritage.
The Mama Shelter in Paris East, which opened in 2008, was the first location (Photo: Mama Shelter website)
Expanding footprint
The first Mama Shelter opened in Paris in September 2008, in collaboration with designer Philippe Starck and Michelin-starred chef Alain Senderens.
Today, the brand operates three locations in Paris — in the East, West and La Défense — and has a presence in numerous other cities in France, including Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon and Nice.
Beyond France, Mama Shelter has expanded to Belgrade, Prague, Lisbon, Luxembourg and Rome. Its first venture outside Europe was in Los Angeles in 2015, followed by London Shoreditch (2019) and Dubai (2024).
The restaurant at Mama Shelter London Shoreditch, which opened in 2019 (Photo: Mama Shelter website)
In 2025, Mama Shelter added Zurich in July and Singapore in November. Its first African location, in Casablanca, is scheduled to open next year, with Bangkok planned for 2029.
Mama Shelter plans to reach 50 locations worldwide within the coming years. “We aim to have at least one Mama Shelter in every major destination,” says Gobilliard.
The swimming pool at the rooftop of Mama Shelter Dubai, which opened in December 2024 (Photo: Mama Shelter website)
Selecting cities
The Trigano family chooses cities with which they feel a personal connection. “We visited Singapore many times before choosing this location. We love Singapore as we do Los Angeles, Paris, and Lisbon,” says Serge.
Adopting an asset-light strategy, the family partners with real estate owners who wish to carry the Mama Shelter brand. About seven years ago, they met David Batchelor and Norman Winata, founding partners and directors of Singapore-based private equity firm Lucrum Capital. They, in turn, own the freehold property along Killiney Road that now houses Singapore’s flagship Mama Shelter.
“We took time to get to know each other, and they visited our restaurants and concepts in Paris,” recalls Jérémie. “Over time, trust was built, and now we collaborate closely on the new location.”
When selecting sites, the team at Mama Shelter favours mixed-use, commercial–residential neighbourhoods that draw a diverse crowd. “We want Mama Shelter to be a game changer and a hotspot for locals, tourists, and business travellers,” adds Gobilliard.
The team at Mama Shelter favours mixed-use, commercial–residential neighbourhoods that draw a diverse crowd. Hence, they chose the property at Killiney Road for its Mama Shelter Singapore (Photo: Mama Shelter Singapore)
Ennismore and the Accor alliance
Mama Shelter formed an alliance with Accor in 2014. Seven years later, in 2021, it became part of Ennismore, following a joint venture between Ennismore and Accor.
Founded in 2011 by London-based entrepreneur Sharan Pasricha, Ennismore today oversees a portfolio of 16 boutique hospitality brands. Besides Mama Shelter, these include The Hoxton, Mondrian, 25hours Hotels, Hyde and Morgans Originals. Today, Ennismore operates more than 180 hotels and over 500 restaurants and bars, with another 400 outlets in the pipeline. In 2022, Accor sold a stake in Ennismore to a Qatari consortium, valuing the company at over US$2.3 billion ($2.9 billion).
In August this year, Bloomberg reported that Accor was considering listing Ennismore on a US stock exchange. Accor, which is listed on the Paris Stock Exchange, remains a key shareholder in Ennismore.
One of the rooms at the Mama Shelter Luxembourg (Photo: Mama Shelter website)
Affordable luxury and sustainability
Building on Mama Shelter’s success — now fully owned by Accor’s Ennismore — the Trigano family is launching “Oh Baby”, a new hotel concept that combines affordable luxury with sustainability and features timber as its primary building material.
They are once again collaborating with Philippe Starck on the design of the interiors, and with French architecture firm Valode & Pistre on the architectural design.
A LinkedIn post states that the Trigano family has raised EUR220 million ($331 million) with Atream, a French real estate and private equity asset manager. Together, they intend to develop 15 hotels under the Oh Baby brand, with the first targeted to open sometime this year.
The Trigano family collaborated with Philippe Starck on the design of the interiors of Mama Shelter in Paris East, are now working again with Starck and French architecture firm Valode & Pistre on the architectural design of Oh Baby hotel (Mama Shelter website)
‘Mama Shelter for seniors’
Serge Trigano’s hospitality pedigree runs deep. His father, Gilbert, co-founded Club Med in 1950 and led it until 1993, when Serge succeeded his father as CEO and president of the group. After leaving Club Med in 1997, Serge dabbled in several other hospitality ventures until 2008, when he co-founded
Mama Shelter with his sons.
In 2021, Serge and Jérémie also launched Casa Barbara, a hospitality-driven senior living concept that applies the same ethos as Mama Shelter — blending wellness with healthy eating and community activities. “Casa Barbara is like Mama Shelter, but tailored for seniors,” says Jérémie. “We want to create senior hotels, not just residences.”
According to Serge, the three issues that concern people most as they age are maintaining good health, staying physically fit, and eating a balanced diet. This led to a collaboration with the famous French chef, Pierre Gagnaire, to offer fresh, seasonal, and balanced meals to the residents of Casa Barbara.
The first Casa Barbara Hotel in Nice opened in mid-2023, positioned as a luxury senior living residence with 100 one- to three-bedroom apartments (Photos: Casa Barbara Hotels website)
The second is to have a community, so that the elderly are not left alone and isolated, watching TV all day. The third is to provide activities for residents to continue staying active.
The first Casa Barbara in Nice opened in mid-2023, positioned as a luxury senior living residence with 100 one- to three-bedroom apartments. The second location, opening in summer 2025, will be in Molières-sur-Cèze, France, and will focus on an artistic and
cultural community.
Serge sums up the family mission: “The DNA of our family is to bring happiness to people through game-changing hospitality,” he says. “It started with my father at Club Med. It is what we are doing at Mama Shelter, and what we plan to do at Casa Barbara and Oh Baby.”
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