I am often asked what drives my quest for excellence and this unconditional love for beauty and transmission. The answer lies in the story of my own life, in the immeasurable value I place on every moment and on the bonds that unite us.
Committed from a very young age to the field as a social worker at 20, then as a Brussels parliamentarian at 29, I have dedicated my life to observing and understanding human beings. But beyond this public commitment, a more intimate reality has shaped my entire existence: I was born with high psychic sensitivity, an acute extrasensory perception of the world and of people. Far from clichés or fortune-telling, I sought to understand, analyze, and intellectualize this natural faculty. It was by combining it with socio-anthropology and coaching that my Double I® intuitive intelligence method was born: a way to make the power of our subtle perceptions understandable and accessible.
Throughout this intense life, I have also endured hardships. I have loved, and I have lost loved ones. These departures, imbued with infinite modesty and emotion, placed a profound awakening on my path: our body is only fertilizer for the Earth. At the end of the road, we possess nothing, we take no material things with us. Neither our successes, nor our titles, nor the objects we have accumulated.
It is in this regained lightness that I understood the timeless magic of beautiful hotels and preserved places. An exceptional hotel does not belong to us, and yet, everything is there. One then realizes that it takes very little to touch absolute happiness: a simple suitcase, the beauty of a decor designed with intention, and the freedom to be fully oneself. Experiencing the moment in a sublime setting teaches us that we do not need to accumulate much, but rather that we must prioritize the absolute quality of what we experience.
The only thing that truly belongs to us, the only treasure that traverses time, is the quality of the moments we have agreed to live. The depth of the moments when we have been fully present to ourselves, to others, and to the knowledge we choose to transmit.
It is guided by this consciousness that the Maison ORTRES® unfolds its universe — a house whose name, in a whispered anagram, shelters the word trésor (treasure). This treasure is not what we possess: it is the clarity of our mind, the beauty of our intuition, and the sovereignty of our being.
The secret of places: the science of a frequency
My perspective as a socio-anthropologist, nourished by this sensitivity to imperceptible energies, has revealed a constant reality to me: the environment in which we settle is never neutral regarding our inner state.
Whether it is stepping through the door of a beautiful, unusual place for a coffee, crossing the archway of an old residence an hour's drive away, or retreating into the quietude of a secluded cove for a weekend, the mechanics remain the same: the body settles, the shoulders drop, the mind finally goes quiet.
It is not magic, it is frequency. Stone carved by centuries, the grain of a precious wood, the silence of a desert, or the harmony of an exceptional salon: these noble materials dialogue directly with our nervous system and our intuitive field. They realign us. This knowledge regarding the memory and frequency of places does not depend on the duration or the distance traveled — it depends on the rightness of the environment we choose.
Why I choose our partners with high standards
When I am asked about the rigor with which I select the addresses that host Maison ORTRES® and the Double I® School, it is to this sacred value of time, simplicity, and knowledge that I defer.
I seek neither the largest, nor the closest, nor the farthest. I seek alignment. A four or five-star hotel, a historic estate a stone's throw from your home, an exceptional beauty space, or a secluded refuge on the other side of the world — all can carry this frequency, provided that the intention is pure.
Just as we designed our violet glass bottles to protect the frequency of our olfactory essences, I require that the place welcoming you be of real clarity, not just for show. If this subtle light and this quality of presence are missing, I prefer to say no. This is not a matter of superficial prestige, but a duty of coherence: beauty awakens beauty, and my role is to guide you only toward places that are at the height of your own elevation.
A body of knowledge, a community — much more than just a deck
What we bring to our partner venues will always go beyond a simple ritual. Double I® is not just a box, not just cards: it is a rigorous method of intuitive intelligence, a transmission, and a living community.
It is with my daughter Ghalia that we designed and wrote this deck of 36 cards, co-creating this tool as a bridge between our sensibilities and our vision of the world. Behind each set, there is the Double I® School, a circle of initiates who practice, exchange, and grow, as well as a network of practitioners whom we train in this posture of clarity. Because physical well-being cannot be dissociated from mental sovereignty. A true break consists of stopping long enough to let intuition emerge and give voice to what you already know, in the depths of yourself.
A pause, wherever you may be
In the spaces I select for you, luxury is not measured by what we possess or the distance traveled. It resides in the lightness of the moment, the quality of attention given to you, and the decision to honor your own time.
It is there, in this regained intimacy — for the time of a coffee, a treatment, or a stay — that you will discover our Double I® set. Placed like a discreet invitation, this deck of cards co-authored with Ghalia does not dictate anything to you: it holds up a sovereign mirror. In a few minutes, you reactivate your own inner compass.
Because, at heart, choosing an exceptional place to stop is not about escaping the world. It is about accessing your own treasure. Life is a journey... so, settle in.
In search of an exceptional setting for your next break?
Find the intimate selection of our chateaus, 4 and 5-star hotels, beauty spaces, and exceptional partner venues by visiting the Our Partners tab on our site.