Bruno & Christophe Massucco
Great Minds Think Alike

Words Scott McGillImages Marc Schäfer

After years of hotel-hopping, the rebellious twins Bruno and Christophe Massucco settled into a hotel of their own, pioneering design hospitality in Dijon, France.

When asked what inspired them to go into hospitality, the Massucco twins answer almost in unison: “It was our destiny,” they chirp. “We were literally born in our parents’ hotel.” Despite the fact that their parents—who also ran a hotel and a bar in Dijon—tried to dissuade them from following in their footsteps, the brothers remained resolute. “They tried to warn us, saying ‘Don’t do that job, it’s a crazy job!’ ” Crazy or not, the Massuccos now run a handful of hotels in Dijon, France.

Bruno and Christophe are like most twin brothers—as close as can be. They shared a desk at school, still support the same football team (Juventus), run marathons, and no doubt make mischief together. But they are adamant that that their parents are proud of them despite the rebellion. They credit their telepathic teamwork skills for their success. “That’s the difference between brothers and twins. Brothers make their own lives, but we are one person in two—we have the same visions, ideas, and objectives,” explains Christophe.

“It’s very hard, but we love what we do,” Bruno explains. “You’ve got to really enjoy it, otherwise it’ll bring you down and you won’t be successful or happy.” After a few years of extensive traveling around the world, the pair had a fairly good idea of what hospitality should and shouldn’t be, and the enthusiasm to back up that vision. “Vertigo Hotel is a mix of the world of hospitality that we’ve seen,” they say, having drawn inspiration from design-driven luxury hotels everywhere from America to Italy and Asia. After living the life as guests, the two developed acute eyes for hotel design that embellished their innate talent for hospitality. “There was no such thing as a design hotel in Dijon,” they say. “You have them in all the capitals in the world, but not in Dijon. So we created one in the city center.”

Preferring not to call their profession “work”, the brothers insist that they live out their passions every day. While keeping their noses to the grindstone with all the duties that come with being top-class hoteliers, they also spend their time at the hotel bar with guests, locals, friends, family, and those that blur the boundaries between all four. Dictating more than just the hotel’s black-and-white color scheme, the twins’ life-long love of Juventus Football Club—inherited from their parents, as the club is from their parents’ hometown of Turin, Italy—often results in the hotel bar being packed when the team plays, with Bruno and Christophe being the life and soul of the party, naturally. As well as the games that bring people together, the hotel also hosts unique events, such as mixology lessons, chocolate-making sessions, and even tattoo expositions featuring a local artist.

“We are happy, and we try to give our guests the same happiness.”

“Everything is perfect for us in Dijon,” the two agree. “We have apperitivi with friends, family visits us, we can watch the football games, drink coffee or beer at the bar, and do our work. We don’t want to make a worldwide company. We are young, our staff is young, and we work together like a family. We are happy, and we try to give our guests the same happiness.”