Par Camille Ducrocq
Published on
After Meudon and Reims, the UCPAan association specializing in sports stays in France and abroad, has opened the very first Sport Station Hostel at Paris on June 13, 2022. This is a “ hybrid place which mixes youth hostel for young international travelers and a sports complex for the inhabitants of the territory”, sums up Frederic Carlierdirector of the center.
A 3,000 m sports multiplex2
It is at the heart of “The Fertile Island”the first zero carbon district of Paris, built on the former industrial wasteland of the 19e district, where the building is located.
Spacious and modern, the UCPA Sport Station in Paris houses a sports multiplex of 3 000 m2. In addition to padel, squash and badminton courts, a bouldering room and four fitness rooms (weight training, cross training, group lessons, etc.) complete the sports offer.
For racket sports, it is possible to reserve a court on an ad hoc basis or to subscribe to different packages. The principle is the same for the climbing room or fitness, even if annual subscriptions are “more preferred” for the latter practice, according to Frédéric Carlier.
The layout of the complex, with a circular corridor that allows you to “walk” between all the rooms and grounds, responds to “a strong desire to decompartmentalize the spaces and the practice of sport,” explains Frédéric Carlier. “Once you enter this part of the building, you want to provide access to all sports. »
A 2,500 m youth hostel2
What makes the UCPA Sport Station in Paris atypical is the fact that the sports multiplex sits alongside a 2,500 m youth hostel2including 59 rooms spread over eight floors. There are rooms for two, with private toilets and bathrooms, or dormitories for four or six people, with shared toilets and showers.
It is necessary to count 99 € per night for a room for two, where “we offer a service similar to the hotel industry since when the customers arrive, the bed is made and towels are made available”, explains the director of the center. On the other hand, for dormitories for four or six people, a “bedding package”, including sheets, duvet and pillow, is placed on the bed and the night costs 34,90 €.
In these last rooms, the bed furniture was created surmesure. “When we travel to a hostel, our main expectations relate to security and privacy,” reports Frédéric Carlier. This is why each bed has a lockable wardrobe with a padlock and you can create your own privacy zone with a curtain. »
On the decoration side, if the whole remains quite sober, the design resumes sports codes while adding “touches” linked to tourism with frames reminiscent of the tourist sites of Paris.
A multicultural openness
This UCPA center is called to be “more than just a place of accommodation or a simple sports complex, insists Frédéric Carlier. This is a place to live where you can both do sports but with a multicultural openness because we can exchange with international travelers. »
This “living space” is symbolized by the central common space, with a bar and a restaurant, which connects the youth hostel part and the sports multiplex. Epicenter of the Sport Station, this place hosts various events every evening to “encourage encounters”.
As the UCPA association has historically been focused on outdoor sports, with stays by the sea and in the mountains, “it was important to offer hostel guests, who came exclusively to discover Paris, gateways towards sports activities other than those offered in the complex”, continues the director of the center.
Thus, they can, from the center, discover Paris by bike, take a walk on the 19e borough on a scooter or running at La Villette. These activities are each offered once a week and are supervised by sports educators. The center has about fifteen, among the 45 employees recruited on the site.
A “very good start”
The UCPA Sport Station in Paris can boast of having a youth hostel occupancy rate of “90%”, less than a month after its opening. “We are off to a very good start”, proclaims Frédéric Carlier.
We are located in a relevant, booming district, we offer a financially and geographically accessible complex while offering the possibility of immersing yourself in Parisian life, through meetings made here or through activities to discover Paris.
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