Shangri-Ooh-La-La!

The Shangri-La Hotel Paris opens today, marking the Hong Kong-based hotelier’s European debut. As elegant as one would expect, the 16^th-arrondissement hotel sits between the Place des Etats-Unis, the Place d’Iéna and the Trocadero--in the 110-year-old palais of Prince Roland Bonaparte, grand nephew of Napoleon. It’s walking distance from the Arc de Triomphe, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. I’m told the neighborhood has one of the highest concentrations of museums in all of Europe.

Upon acquiring the building in 2006, Shangri-La took immediate steps to register it with “Monuments Historiques,” demonstrating their respect for its historical and cultural significance. Then they put prominent architect Richard Martinet to work on the restoration while legendary designer Pierre-Yves Rochon handled the interiors. All told the project took four years, the same amount of time spent building the palace in the first place. Inside, the 81 rooms and suites are the largest in any Parisian luxury hotel; some have Eiffel Tower views from the tub. Outside are beautifully secluded gardens. A vast indoor pool and 24/7 fitness center are under construction. There’s four staff for every guest.

And who’s in the kitchen? The highly pedigreed executive chef is Philippe Labbé, who comes, most recently, from the 36-room Château de la Chèvre d'Or, a Relais & Châteaux in Eze on the Cote d’Azur. There, he earned 19/20 from Gault Millau and maintained two Michelin stars. Philippe also worked at the Carlton and Martinez hotels in Cannes and the Plaza Athénée in Paris. 

Originally from France’s Champagne region, he says his goal is to serve the finest Asian and French cuisine in Paris.

The first of the hotel’s three restaurants, La Bauhinia, opens this week serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and drinks. The menu is modern European, sprinkled with Southeast Asian. La Bauhinia sits in the heart of the hotel, under a magnificent 1930s steel-and-glass cupola.  

The next restaurant, the gourmet and very-French L'Abeille, will be ready to go in February. A third, Shang Palace, will follow serving high-level Cantonese cuisine prepared by a brigade of five Hong Kong chefs.

Shangri-La now owns and operates 70 hotels worldwide, under the Shangri-La (five-star) and Traders (four-star) brands. Early next year they’ll open an historic hotel in Vienna and then another, near London Bridge, in 2012.

Rates at Shangri-La Paris begin at 750€. For info and reservations, click here.

Shangri-La Paris Hotel

10 avenue d'Iéna
75116 Paris
T: 01 53 67 19 98
F: 01 53 67 19 19

shangri-la.com/en/property/paris/shangrila

slpr@shangri-la.com


Photos: Deluxe Suite, Entrance, Duplex Suite, Grand Salon.