Hotel Raphael

Luxury tourism at its best

Paris, the city of light, attracts millions of visitors and has fired up the creative energies of novelists, painters, dramatists and filmmakers. The Quais of the Seine, Montmartre and the Place Vendôme are just a few of the many of Paris’ mythical places immortalized in books and on the screen. A great many of these legendary sites are situated in the 8^th district or arrondissement where luxury reigns supreme. The Place de la Concorde, the Arch of Triumph, Madeleine, the Crazy Horse Saloon and the Lido not to mention the renowned Champs Elysées are all here, representing in one area, a microcosm of the Parisian spirit. The 8^th arrondissement is a place of power and prestige and undeniably one of the most visited areas in the capital. It’s here that a number of luxury hotels are located, meeting the demands of a wealthy clientele in search of exceptional places which best embody the French “art de vivre”, a notion that one has to feel and, above all, experience. And this French “savoir faire” achieves perfection in a very private family owned hotel whose with a very well-deserved reputation.

Discretion, luxury and “art de vivre.”

The Hôtel Raphaël is located on the Avenue Kleber in the embassy row quarter. Opened in 1925 by Leonard Tauber and Constant Baverez, it is managed today by the latter’s great granddaughter. It’s one of the rare Parisian palaces which is independent, family owned and French. As a symbol of luxury and French “art de vivre”, it attracts a faithful and very select number of visitors including politicians, diplomats, celebrities and intellectuals all of whom appreciate the discretionary nature of this hotel, which from the time it first opened, has been dedicated to serving a VIP clientele. Calm and chic, the Hôtel Raphaël has a club like spirit which can be found in the patina wood furnishings and the mouldings. The entrance hall is a long hallway of honey colored French walnut enhanced by gilded decorations.

Although the hotel was modernized a few years ago to meet the demands and changing tastes of visitors, great care was taken to maintain the original spirit of the hotel down to the last detail like the curtain tiebacks which add to the romantic charm of the hotel. The 83 rooms and suites are in the Rococo style with Louis XV, Louis XVI, Empire and Directory style furniture. Each room is a miniature kingdom which guests find hard to leave if not for the English style bar which is also very popular with the Parisian elite, who enjoy the subdued lighting, the intimate booths and the red velvet armchairs. The Hôtel Raphaël also possesses a gastronomic restaurant, “La Salle à Manger” and a terrace, the “Jardin Plein Ciel” (Open Sky Garden) with a magnificent 360-degree view of the city. It’s only natural therefore that its list of guests have included Ava Gardener, Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, Paul Newman, Francoise Sagan and Michael Jackson. Musician Serge Gainsbourg lived here for an entire year.

“Hotel Chevalier” a short film by Wes Anderson starring Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman was entirely shot here in one of the Raphaël’s suites. It’s the prologue to the full-length film, “Darjeeling Limited.”