by Lisa A. GrimaldiDecember 1, 2011
Why Here?
As if the City of Light needs any further luster, the French capital adds to its timeless appeal with two new upscale properties -- the Shangri-La Hotel and the Mandarin Oriental -- having opened in the past 12 months, and with three more in the works.
Making Waves
The city will begin operating public transportation along the Seine River in summer 2013. The water shuttle will operate three lines between the suburbs of Paris and the city center.
Local Update:
The long-awaited 138-room Mandarin Oriental, Paris, debuted this summer. The upscale property features a 9,000-square-foot spa, four meeting rooms, an indoor garden and two dining outlets -- Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx, a gourmet restaurant that seats 44, and Camelia, which accommodates up to 70.
The Shangri-La Hotel, Paris, opened late last year in the 16th arrondissement. The property features 81 guest rooms designed by Yves-Pierre Rochon, approximately 9,700 square feet of meeting and event space, two restaurants and a fitness center.
Luxury goods firm LVMH is developing a 80-room hotel/mixed-use development in the former La Samaritaine department store. The property is expected to open in 2013.
The 91-room Hôtel W Paris-Opéra, Starwood Hotels & Resort's first W-brand property in France, is slated to open next year. The hotel, which will have a spa, a restaurant and a signature lounge, is adjacent to the Paris Opera and the Galeries Lafayette department stores.
The 200-room Peninsula Paris is set to open in 2013 in a former government building in the city's center.
Accor has sold the 135-room Sofitel Arc de Triomphe to a consortium of French private investors for approximately US$500 million. Accor will continue to run the hotel under a long-term management agreement. The property, which has six meeting rooms, will undergo a US$36 million renovation as part of the deal.
The famed Ritz Paris is slated to close next summer to undergo a 27-month renovation, during which the property's public areas, cooking school, 162 guest rooms and seven meeting rooms will be upgraded.
Meeting Hotels Properties include the 1,025-room Le Méridien Etoile, 966-room Concorde Lafayette, 953-room Le Méridien Montparnasse, 764-room Novotel Paris Tour Eiffel, 757-room Paris Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel & Conference Center, 514-room InterContinental Le Grand Hotel Paris, 507-room Hilton Arc de Triomphe, 438-room Westin Paris and 245-room Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris. For a more extensive list of hotels, go to mcvenues.com.