Everything happens for a reason. For entrepreneur Hélène Marchon the stars aligned with her values, lighting the path to purpose—and success.
A graduate of a business school in Nancy, and originally from Thionville, Hélène began her career in Luxembourg. It was there that she met entrepreneur Jérôme Grandidier, who recruited her to Dreamcar, a luxury vehicle leasing business.
“Very quickly, he told me: ‘You’re not made to be an employee — start a company with me.’ He saw something in me I hadn’t seen myself,” says Hélène from the lounge of her Marrakech riad. In 2011, the duo founded Majordome, a concierge company that Hélène eventually ran on her own. “I was truly the captain of the ship, and I was able to grow the company the way I wanted, with his help, his network, and his business sense. It went really well.”
Three years later, John Paul, the European leader in concierge services, was looking to expand into the Benelux region. They acquired a stake in Majordome, which then became John Paul Luxembourg. “When we created Majordome, our service was designed for company employees. We took care of them. But with John Paul, we took things to another level — we were now managing services for the companies’ clients. Our HQ was in Paris, with global clients and strong marketing—giving us credibility and big results.”
In 2017, Accor Hotels acquired John Paul — Luxembourg branch included. “They asked me to stay for three years and bought part of my shares, giving me enough capital to buy an apartment in Luxembourg.” In the end, she left the company after two years. “I was getting bored, and right at that moment, a headhunter reached out to me. The law of attraction, I guess…”
From real estate to interior design
Sodexo, a large French group based in Luxembourg, was looking for a new sales director and approached Hélène. “I had experienced the world of start-ups, SMEs, and then larger companies with John Paul — so I thought, ‘Why not try a senior role in a multinational?’” She sold the remaining portion of her shares to Accor Hotels, which she had held onto “carefully,” and began her new chapter. “But it just wasn’t for me,” she laughs. “I had never really been an employee before, and when you’re an entrepreneur, it’s hard to fit into a big corporate structure. Later, all the headhunters told me the same thing: “Big corporations like to hire entrepreneurs, but they have no idea how to manage them.’” Still, Hélène sees the experience as a valuable lesson. At the time, she already had a new idea taking shape. During COVID, she studied interior design remotely, then at École Boulle, earning a real estate agent certification.
“That’s how I launched Home & Design, my interior design and real estate agency in Luxembourg. I wanted to leverage my network and connections to start building a client base,” she explains.
But Morocco kept calling — a country she had only visited for holidays and long weekends until then. “I wanted to bring Morocco into the mix, and I managed to do it through my agency. Clients started entrusting me with their properties to rent and decorate. And to avoid doing typical interior design, I began sourcing furniture and décor in Marrakech. And people loved it!” It resonated so strongly that Hélène created her own design brand, Maison Solange, named in tribute to her beloved grandmother. “The brand kept bringing me back to Morocco. I had a vision: to create a collection of guesthouses and villas, almost like a boutique hotel chain, where you could find the same quality of bedding, decor, and ambiance in different cities. I wanted to have my own place to experiment and create. After meeting several riad owners, I became increasingly interested. And once I made the decision, everything aligned.
“I wanted to have my own place to experiment and create. After meeting several riad owners, I became increasingly interested. And once I made the decision, everything aligned”
She found her riad in just four days, thanks to the second half of the buyout of her shares, as well as a loan.
From Marrakech to Essaouira
That decision led to 13 months of intense renovations. It was far from restful. Hélène split her time between Luxembourg, where she still ran her business, and Marrakech, where she renovated her 250-square-metre riad, built a team, launched the marketing, and finally opened the doors of Riad Solange to her first guests. “We’ve been open since the end of November! My entire journey has led me to what I do today. I apply everything I learned from concierge services: a deep sense of hospitality, and a sincere desire to make people happy. My real estate experience helped me find and negotiate my riad, and I finally got to immerse myself 100% in interior design, which I love. I also put together a team.”
She says that managing a team is a real profession in itself. She tries to create an environment where they feel good so they can do their best. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes, and my biggest one was assuming that what’s obvious to me should be obvious to others. Now, I explain things more, I pass on knowledge, and I give people the tools to succeed.”
Now that her Marrakech chapter is flourishing, Hélène has her sights set on a new destination: the enchanting coastal city of Essaouira, with its wind-swept ramparts and iconic blue fishing boats. “I want to create a seaside refuge for my clients,” she confides. Again, it’s a project led by instinct and heart — because for Hélène, that’s where the difference lies. “I believe women approach business differently. At least I do — with heart and passion. We’re more in tune with our emotions, we listen to ourselves more. That’s an asset. I gave everything to this riad — my energy, my time, all of me. And in the end, it became a place where people feel good.”
She says she never wanted to be purely profit-driven. “You have to do things because you love them. And if you do them sincerely — with good planning — it will work.” She closes with what might as well be her personal motto: “I always try to make choices that are true to myself. My freedom has no price. Maybe some women are less daring — but we just need to work through our fears. And once you overcome them, there are no more obstacles. No more problems. Only solutions.”
This article was published in the 6th edition of Forbes Luxembourg.
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