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PARISIAN APPEAL
Seven high-end hotels are opening in the French capital and causing a stir in the city’s luxury market segment. We take a look at the pipeline and how the spas will make their mark
he capital of couture, culture, cuisine and all things chic, Paris is consistently ranked as the most popular city in the world for tourists and 2010
was no exception. Last year, it attracted 15.1 million international tourists, ahead of London and New York. And it’s bounced back from the downturn – according to the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau: “Hotel overnights [in 2010] broke the record reached in 2007: up by 5.7 per cent com- pared to 2009, they reached 35.8 million.” T e numbers were bolstered by French
visitors (up 8.8 per cent) and impressive growth in new markets such as China, Eastern Europe and South America. Busi- ness travel was another key element, with business overnights up by 11.1 per cent compared to 1.7 for leisure overnights.
PALACE POSITIONING In early 2011, the French Department for Tourism introduced a new ‘palace’ hospi- tality label, following the overhaul of its entire hotel grading system in 2009 which replaced its 1986 system. So far, the palace title has been awarded
to seven hotels (below) that stand out because of their history and location and recognition by clientele and tourism pro- fessionals. All palaces fulfi l a set of fi xed
Palace status hotels in Paris so far are:
• Le Bristol • Le Meurice • Hôtel de Crillon • Plaza Athénée • Hôtel Fouquet’s Barrière • T e Ritz • T e Four Seasons Hotel George V
However, the numbers for mature markets – with the US and UK clearly top – have not fully recovered yet. As the tourism and hospitality industries
begin to pick up pace once more, it’s no surprise that many of the big international hotel chains see Paris as an obvious target. It has the visitor numbers, but it also has a lack of high-end facilities: there are only 16 fi ve-star hotels in the city. And with the introduction of the country’s ‘palace’ label this year – which signals the ultimate dis- tinction in super luxury hotels (see below) – only a handful of operators are set to gain this coveted title. It’s this exclusive rank, however, that a number of leading Asian hotel brands such as Raffl es, Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental and Peninsula are aim- ing for as they enter the market... and their spas need to measure up too.
criteria such as the size of bedrooms (a min- imum of 24sq m or 258sq ſt ); the quality of service; and the number of restaurants and additional facilities such as a spa and swimming pool. Price is key and hotels are judged on the average room price and what they’re sold at – typically this ranges from €600 (us$864, £530) to €800 (us$1,150, £707) for one night in a standard room with breakfast, in comparison to €260 (us$374, £230) on average in a four-star*
T ose awaiting classifi cation include:
• Le Royal Monceau – Raffl es Paris • T e Shangri-La • T e Mandarin Oriental • T e Peninsula
*Source: Paris Palaces 2011, Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau
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Spa My Blend at Le Royal Monceau – Raffl es Paris
R
affl es of Singapore was the fi rst Asian operator to launch in Paris in Octo- ber 2010 with the reported €69m
(us$100m, £61m) overhaul of Le Royal Mon- ceau by renowned French designer Philippe Starck. Close to Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe, the original 1928 hotel – now fully owned by the Qatari Diar real-estate investment fund – was a favourite of the rich and famous such as Coco Chanel and Walt Disney. Today, the fl amboyantly refurbished hotel
complete with its own cinema, features quirky, artistic touches that have become the hallmark of Starck: such as the elaborate seashell walls in Il Carpaccio – just one of fi ve beautiful restaurant and bars. T e fl air extends to the 149 guestrooms which, rem- iniscent of the 1940s and 50s, have elegant touches such as fl oor to ceiling mirrored bathrooms and dressing rooms that pay homage to haute couture boutiques. Eight months on and Le Royal Monceau has
something else to celebrate with the opening of its €40m (us$58m, £35m) luxury Spa My Blend by Clarins. T e 1,500sq m (16,000sq ſt ) spa has
“Le Royal Monceau had an excellent reputation, Raffles is a top luxury operator and Philippe Starck was doing the design – what more could we ask for?”
SPA BUSINESS 3 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011
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