Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts opens Shangri-La Hotel Paris

The group’s first property in Europe blends Asian hospitality with French art de vivre starting 17 December.

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announces the opening of Shangri-La Hotel, Paris in the French capital’s 16th arrondissement, on 17 December 2010. The hotel is the group’s first property in Europe, a unique flagship of smaller scale and historical significance. Built in 1896 as the private home of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte’s grand-nephew, Prince Roland Bonaparte, Shangri-La Hotel, Paris achieves a balance between the group’s signature style of hospitality and French art de vivre.

The restored landmark retains its residential heritage and offers 81 rooms including 27 suites, making it the most intimate of all Shangri-La Hotels worldwide. Internationally acclaimed interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon crafted each room individually to retain the residential ambience while providing all modern day comforts. Accommodation includes five duplex suites; the Suite Imperiale, which originally housed Prince Roland’s private rooms, and the penthouse Suite Panoramique, with over 100 square metres (1,076 square feet) of outdoor deck. Unique in Paris, 40 per cent of the rooms and 60 per cent of the suites feature unobstructed views of the Eiffel Tower and the River Seine below. Nearly half of all rooms offer balconies and terraces that allow guests to take in the sights and sounds of the “City of Lights.”

Executive Chef Philippe Labbé is in charge of the hotel’s culinary division. La Bauhinia, the all-day dining restaurant and lounge in the centre of the building, features a newly uncovered and restored glass cupola modelled after the Eiffel Tower. The French gourmet restaurant L’Abeille and the city’s first authentic gourmet Cantonese restaurant, Shang Palace, will open in early 2011. Chef Labbé will also oversee the cuisine for Le Bar and the former residence’s banqueting rooms.

“Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts is honoured to have been entrusted the preservation of this significant part of French heritage,” said Alain Borgers, general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Paris. “Whether for accommodation, dining, entertaining or celebrating special events, we are eager to welcome Parisians and visitors to reveal this Parisian treasure and offer our signature style of hospitality.”

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts dedicated four years to meticulously restore Roland Bonaparte’s Palais Iéna to its original splendour, the same amount of time it took to build the original home from 1892-1896. The building is listed with the French heritage institution, Monuments Historiques, to preserve this important Parisian landmark in full. Perched on Chaillot Hill, amidst one of the highest concentrations of museums in Europe and a short walk from the famous Trocadero, the hotel offers guests an incomparable mix of culture, from Imperial to modern times.

The 16th arrondissement on the right bank of the River Seine is one of the city’s premier residential districts, yet within a short walking distance from the capital’s main attractions, shopping areas and parks.

Hong Kong-based Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, one of the world’s most respected hotel companies, currently owns and/or manages 68 hotels under the Shangri-La and Traders brands, with a room inventory of over 30,000. Over almost four decades, the group has established its brand hallmark of ‘hospitality from the heart.’ The group has a substantial development pipeline with upcoming projects in Austria, Canada, mainland China, France, India, Macau, Malaysia, Philippines, Mongolia, Russia, Qatar, Turkey and United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts announced the opening of Traders Hotel, Malé, Maldives today. The 117-key property was previously owned by Male Hotel Associates Pvt Ltd. and opened in September 2009.
Traders Hotel, Malé, Maldives is located in the administrative and business district of Malé, a short walk from the Fish Market, Sultan Park and the Old Friday Mosque and a five-minute speedboat ride from Malé Airport. It is an optional stopover point for guests at its sister property Shangri-La’s Villingili Resort and Spa on Addu Atoll, just south of the equator.

The 14-storey hotel is the tallest hotel structure in downtown Malé and takes advantage of the views of the Indian Ocean from its rooftop restaurant and lounge. Sixteen of the guestrooms, including the Deluxe Suite feature balconies to enjoy the sunset breeze.

Traders Hotel, Malé, Maldives offers three restaurants including 24-hour Panini café on the lobby level, Lime for Asian and International fare and Azur, the rooftop lounge for European and Japanese fusion cuisine. In addition, room service is available around the clock to accommodate travellers on layover or with jetlag.

A striking feature of the hotel is its rooftop 18.5 metre infinity pool which appears to blend into the Indian Ocean beyond. A fitness centre with cardio vascular and strength training equipment completes the recreational facilities.

For special events, banquets or meetings, Traders Hotel, Malé, Maldives offers three separate facilities including the 254 square metre ballroom for up to 300 guests, according to a Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts report.

‘I am very excited to lead the conversion of Traders Hotel, Malé, Maldives’, said Hotel Manager Ester Marcaida. ‘Since the opening the hotel has already become a landmark on the island and provides the perfect start or finale to a relaxing beach holiday.’

Traders, Shangri-La’s mid market brand caters to today’s business and leisure traveller, who is looking for simple, efficient, down to earth functionality presented with a smile. The integration into the Traders’ portfolio will allow the hotel to take advantage of Shangri-La’s global sales and distribution network and the brand’s Golden Circle guest recognition and airline partner programmes.