It took a little more than an appeal to the gods for Valéry Grégo to transform a convent in the heart of Nice into the stylish Hôtel du Couvent. Now complete, with 88 rooms, three restaurants, and Roman-inspired baths, the decade-long project cost $100 million and included a battle over a building permit. Grégo hasn’t become one of Europe’s most influential hoteliers by avoiding challenges. It all began in 2011, when he acquired Le Val Thorens. Perseus’s first seaside property, Les Roches Rouges, reopened in 2017. At Hôtel du Couvent, Grégo and his team have managed to locate the sensuality within the serenity. Designed by Festen Architecture, the hotel is beautifully simple. The convent contains 38 rooms. “We created the hotel with the knowledge that it will be just a passage in its history,” says Grégo. —Alexander Lobrano