STARCK CHIC AT THE ROYAL MONCEAU – BY KATIE BARNES
reported €69m (£61m) overhaul of Le Royal Monceau by renowned French designer Philippe Starck. Close to the Champs-Élysées, 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 flamboyantly refurbished hotel complete with its own cinema, features quirky, artistic touches that have become the hallmark of Starck –
R
Domestic tourist stays also grew by 9.6 per cent between 2004 to 2010, to reach 1.9 overnights.
RISE AND FALL While arrivals from traditional mar- kets like the US and UK have suffered, the ‘newer’ markets of Asia, South America, the near and Middle East have grown, according to the OTC’s report Tourism in Paris: Key Figures. In 2010, figures show the Chinese
represented the largest increase in overnights – up 33.5 per cent – but still only represented 1.5 per cent of foreign overnights. Data from the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau shows at the Paris Ritz for example, 30 per cent of customers are from North America and just 8 per cent from Asia. There is clearly much room for growth and it is expected that the
ISSUE 4 2011 © cybertrek 2011
affles of Singapore was the first Asian operator to launch in Paris in October 2010 with the
such as the elaborate seashell walls in Il Carpaccio – one of five beautiful restaurant and bars. The flair extends to the 149 rooms which have elegant touches reminiscent of the 40s and 50s, such as floor to ceiling mirrored bathroom and dressing rooms that pay homage to haute couture boutiques. In June, Le Royal Monceau had more
to celebrate with the opening of its €40m (£35m) luxury Spa My Blend by Clarins. The 1,500sq m spa has also been created by Philippe Starck, with treatments by Clarins, and its striking white décor defies the fact that it’s on
Le Royal Monceau was a haunt for artists and intellectuals when it first opened in 1928. The refurbished hotel has a strong emphasis on original artworks, and there is now a permanent 'art concierge' to inform guests on Parisian art and design
the lower ground. What really adds to the open feel, however, is a 28m pool – one of the largest in any Parisian hotel – which sits directly beneath the garden pond with a glass tile base that forms the roof of the pool. The result is an underwater world bathed in day- light that is reflected in the abundant mirrored surfaces. For more in-depth details on new spa openings in Parisian hotels go to
spabusiness.com/digital
Expected to be completed by 2013, the capital’s well known La Samaritaine department store is due to be transformed into a mixed-use development by Japanese firm SANAA, and will include an 80-room hotel. A five-star hotel will also be part of the €2.5bn (£2.2bn) Hermitage
Plaza, in Paris’s La Défense business district, which is due for completion in 2016. Designed by Foster + Partners, the development will consist of two 323m glazed towers will be just 1m short of the Eiffel Tower’s height. Facilities will include restaurants, offices, concert hall and art gallery.
prominent new Asian brands settling into their new Parisian home will begin to attract more of this clientele. Another hotel brand now eyeing France is Malta-based Corinthia, which opened its flagship five-star hotel in London (Leisure Management, Issue 3, 2011) in April. Director Simon Naudi says Paris is next on its hit list. Naudi believes that affluent visi-
tors from China and Brazil will feed the
growth of European tourism, as they have elsewhere. "The number one cus- tomers at the Burj Al Arab in Dubai are now the Chinese – that’s an extraordi- nary change in the market," he says. These new tourists will be drawn to the culture of European cities, but they also want cutting edge facilities. As Paris renews its hotel stock, the 'City of Light' looks set to be a new beacon to tourism’s new big spenders. l
Read Leisure Management online
leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 59
INTO THE FUTURE
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