Tuba Club’s co-founders Greg Gassa and Fabrice Denizot: «80% of the raw materials are from Marseille and southern France» – roughness and commitment on the rocks of the French Riviera
Tuba Club, Marseille: a hotel inaugurated in 2020 in Côte d’Azur – a Luc Besson’s location from the movie Le Grand Bleu
Located near Marseille, Côte d’Azur, in the South of France, it is the kind of place that greets guests with a glass of wine. To be seen as a boutique hotel – which it is – is not Tuba Club’s intent. Instead, it vies to create a homely space. Lampoon Magazine in conversation with Greg Gassa and Fabrice Denizot, co-founders of Tuba Club.
«We bought the building in 2019 and opened Tuba Club in July 2020. The site used to be the location of a snorkeling club. It was once a place where Jacques Mayol – the French diver portrayed in Luc Besson’s film, The Big Blue, or, as it was released in France, Le Grand Bleu – used to snorkel».
For Tuba Club, location is key. Its identity is anchored to it. «When we found this location, it was a ‘wow’ moment. One look, and straight away, we knew what we were going to do here. We moved forward with the planning and paid homage to its story of the past while upgrading it with our own philosophy».
Tuba Club, Marseille: history and recovery project – «It was once a hotel, after a club, and later a scuba diving center»
To Gassa and Denizot, the primary functions of Tuba Club were to be a gathering space for friends and a canvas for collaboration among their creative set. «The focus of Tuba Club is to embrace our philosophy of location. It was once a hotel, after a club, and later a scuba diving center. Then we opened Tuba Club. It is a place where you can forget the rest of the world».
Built in 1908, the foundations of Tuba Club remain unchanged to this day. Its presence along the French coastline has been consistent for over one hundred years, and co-founders Gassa and Denizot have no intention of altering this. This is one of Tuba Club’s differentiators from the hotels along the Côte d’Azur.
«We wanted to respect the history of the venue. Its proximity to the sea. The flora. The Fauna. We kept original maps of diving spots. We kept the bar, the tables where Jack Mayo actually had lunch fifty years ago and we decided to upcycle as much as we could. We wanted to give the venue a timeless atmosphere».
Artists and creative for Tuba Club Marseille: rough design interiors, preserving tradition using local raw materials
Tuba Club is the fruit born from a collaboration between a series of artists and creatives. «Among our friend group – a collective of Marseille locals – we have a leader involved in each department of the hotel. Marion Mailaender, a long-time friend of ours and Fabrice’s cousin, is responsible for the interior design. We asked Emmanuelle Luciani, another friend with a presence in the art world, to design the entrance. Thomas Mailaender – Marion’s husband – is the connoisseur of artists’ residency at Tuba Club. Further, Elvire Bonduelle was responsible for designing clothes drying racks for the guests».
The building’s heritage is still visible inside and out, and Marion Mailaender, the interior designer for the project, played a role in its recovery. Since the co-founders wanted to maintain the essence of the location, Denizot and Gassa explain: «We used local methods to create the walls and the floors. We used stones, vintage materials, and we repurposed all we could. Upcycling was also a concern for us. Eighty percent of the materials came from Marseille and the south of France, while some of the design elements were sourced from Paris». From furnishings to materials, the Riviera’s imprint characterizes Tuba Club.
Upcycling materials for waste reduction, aiming to have «the smallest impact on the environment» at Tuba Club– local artisans and manufacturers for the design of the spaces
To maintain the original essence of the diving club, Denizot and Gassa, as well as their team, collaborated with local artisans and manufacturers, as well as designers from «Atelier Laissez Passer» who work only in upcycling port materials. «We wanted to have the smallest impact on the environment».
What came as a surprise for the co-founders was how easy it was for them to find local artisans and products. «We had no difficulty finding what we were looking for, whether that was local Limestone, materials, or furniture. The wood was a little harder to find during Covid as there was a shortage and we had to wait but that’s it».
Fabrice Denizot reveals that they «would not have been able to do that in Marseille twenty years ago». Since Marseille was selected for the European Capital of Culture in 2013, the coastal city was rediscovered and many creatives have since moved there, including the co-founders and a group of their friends. «In terms of geography, Marseille is one of the few cities of France that has a national park right next to it. A lot of people like myself, Marion, or Greg found our way back here» clarifies Denizot.
Tuba Club, the five original Cabanons and the expansion: the Villa with the junior suite
Initially, Tuba Club consisted of five bedrooms, or Cabanons overlooking the sea. The cabanons, inspired by the works of Le Corbusier, are simple and reference the diving club the venue once was. With whitewashed walls, woodwork, rope lamps and nautical interpretations, the rooms pay homage to the history of the venue.
In June 2023, Tuba Club opened an additional three bedrooms after purchasing and expanding the building right above the club. Denizot explains «that it enabled Tuba Club to have three additional rooms: one street one, one junior suite and one standard room and a very large terrace with a new bar called Le Bikini’s». They refer to this as the Villa.
In contrast to the Cabanons, the Villa is slightly different in terms of design. Although the rooms were designed with the same vibe as the Cabanons, the new rooms and the common spaces of the Villa «offer more space for guests and reflect the spirit of a cruise. With an additional focus on design and art, guests can enjoy a common space in the Villa where they can sit out in the sun if the calanques are too busy».
Tuba has its own private beach where guests can enjoy the sun and the sea. There is a boat, masks, and snorkels available for guests to use.
The Tuba Charter, a hotel committed to sustainability. Waste reduction: suggestions on saving water, avoiding plastic, and collecting trash
Tuba is committed to being as sustainable as possible. The commonplace practices are in place. No single-use plastic in the hotel – except the kitchen – eco-responsible bath and cleaning products, the use of recycled paper, a commitment to reducing waste, and recycling across the board. «We have what we call the ‘Tuba Charter’. This shares with our guests and staff suggestions on how to have a low impact experience while staying or working with us».
Entries on the Tuba Charter include «save water, shower together». Moreover, the Tuba Charter suggests that guests put their phones on silent for the duration of their stay. To disconnect with the outside world is a part of the experience.
In addition to this, guests are offered a trash bag to bring with them on their snorkeling excursions. If the guests return with a bag filled with trash or plastic found in the ocean or from along the shoreline, they earn a free cocktail. Furthermore, Tuba also organizes large trash collections once or twice a year, collecting around 1.2 tons of trash around Tuba. These initiatives double down on Tuba Club’s commitment to the sea and respect for the location in Calanques National Park.
The Tuba Club Restaurant and the Bikini’s bar
The Tuba restaurant is open to all guests who wish to experience the atmosphere of the club, so locals or tourists who are not staying at Tuba can also visit the old diving school turned boutique hotel.
As a restaurant on the sea, guests can expect local and seasonal fresh fish and seafood dishes prepared by the Chef Sylvain Roucayrol. Originally working in Paris, Greg Gassa discovered Roucayrol in 2021 and invited him to tuba for a pop-up. For a year he continued to consult with Tuba and eventually became the executive chef. Denizot expresses that Roucayrol «knows how to cook fish and seafood, how to accommodate those with wine, cocktails, sauces with influences from around the world».
In contrast, situated on the terrace above is Bikini’s. The bar offers a tapas bar with options of finger foods for snacking.
Tuba Club, Marseille
Located next to the Calanques National Park just outside of Marseille, Tuba club is an eco-friendly boutique hotel that offers guests a timeless experience of the French Riviera. It opened in 2020 and expanded with three additional rooms in June 2023.
