After 2 years of undergoing important renovation work, one of the most prestigious Parisian Hotels, Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris, which had closed down in June 2008, opened its doors on October 18th. With suites and private apartments, restaurants and bars, a spa by Clarins, a 3D cinema, kids room and a‘Royal Eclaireur‘ boutique (Trendland’s favorite Parisian shopping spot), the new Royal Monceau is now the trendiest hotel in Paris.
Impelled by Qatari Diar and Alexandre Allard the creative director, designer Philippe Starck completely transformed the place over the last two years, and re-invented its spirit so as to make Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris the first hotel in a new generation of Parisian palaces.
The Royal Monceau is Starck’s attempt to say what “real French modernity should look like … artistic, delicate, open, poetic”.
Le Royal Monceau opened for the first time in 1928, immediately becoming the favorite haunt for artists and intellectuals. Parisians and foreigners alike loved the garden, the immense bar, the rooms set aside for bridge, ping pong and billiards—not to mention the hair salon.
As for the private rooms, they hosted a number of historic events, starting with the social and economic meetings held under the Third Republic. Politicians crossed paths with the likes of Josephine Baker, Maurice Chevalier, Ernest Hemingway and Mistinguett.
Requisitioned during the Second World War, Le Royal Monceau regained its independence in 1945—notable guests included General Eisenhower, Field Marshall Montgomery and the headquarters of the allied forces—before opening for business again the following year.In 1947, Ho Chi Minh stayed at the hotel for seven weeks during the Conférence de Fontainebleau, which determined the future of the Franco-Vietnamese relationship, and in May 1948, David Ben Gurion and Golda Meir signed the act marking the creation of the state of Israel at the hotel. Prestigious guests continued to stay: Joseph Kessel, Walt Disney, the Maharajas of Indore and Cashmere, King Farouk of Egypt, the Aga Khan… And later: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Robert De Niro, Lou Reed and Sofia Coppola.
Today, the Raffles Hotel group is establishing itself for the first time in Europe, and is in charge of the management of the hotel while Sylvain Ercoli was appointed managing director, after holding the same position in some of the most prestigious hotels in the world.