The Peninsula Paris

Paris

Although Paris attracts the mind boggling number of 29 million tourists a year, the French capital refuses to rest on its laurels. The city’s rich 2000 years of history has blessed it with an exceptional number of monuments, museums and a wide variety of neighborhoods.  Each year however, new hotels are created, adding to the history of this eternally active city.

Famous the world over, the Champs-Elysées running from the Place de la Concorde to the Arch of Triumph owes its nickname as the world’s most beautiful avenue to the incredible perspective from the Louvre and to its magnificent boutiques.

The Arch of Triumph which rises above the Place de l’Etoile is a Parisian landmark and along with the Eiffel Tower, one of the city’s most recognizable monuments. The avenue however, is also a popular venue for Parisians and tourists who come here every December 31^st to ring in the new year. The quarter itself is highly frequented by visitors many of whom consider it to be the shining symbol of the French capital.

The charm of Paris personified

When the Peninsula hotel group set up shop in Paris, they did so on a large scale…a very large scale in fact.  They chose a classic Parisian building with Haussmann and neoclassical touches, which had already been a luxury hotel as early as 1908! Afterwards, it became a UNESCO building, and today, this magnificently restored and redecorated space possesses large volumes and the opulence of a top of the scale luxury hotel; in other words, a palace!

Upon entering, visitors are struck by the sobriety of the white walls which contrast with the imposing work exposed in the center: a delicate and timeless glass representation of the leaves of plane trees suspended as they rise, forever frozen in space in a crystalline movement. Poetry and enchantment thus greet the guest giving him a preview of the luxury and refinement of one of the most spectacular establishments in the capital.

While discovering the rest of the hotel, highlighted by the very visible and elegant space, the eye is constantly and pleasantly caressed by the gentle ambiance and the nobility of the materials used. The visit is further enhanced by the works of art present throughout the hotel and especially the sculptures and other installations from the Sabrina Fung Fine Art consultancy firm in Hong Kong, sophisticated touches that accent the contemporary character of this haunting venue.

The Peninsula’s 200 rooms offer, as one might expect, comfort and refinement worthy of the 21st century, but especially that of a truly unforgettable establishment. State of the art technology is present in all the rooms and suites with a system designed especially for Peninsula group hotels, creating a special sense of well-being where everything is accessible from every room via a tablet. The future is already part of the accommodations at the Peninsula Paris.

But what would a five star Parisian hotel be without the finest in gastronomy? The Peninsula is far from an exception to this principle. On the contrary, once again, excellence prevails!  The Lobby restaurant proposes French and international cuisine in a period type setting with high ceilings and restored gold leaf panels. The Oiseau Blanc, on the sixth floor, is a gastronomic French restaurant which pays tribute to the pilots of World War One who attempted the crossing of the Atlantic in 1927. The restaurant possesses a unique collection of souvenirs related to aviation including a 1/75^th replica of the Oiseau Blanc biplane, making the room a truly original Parisian site. Lili is a gastronomic Cantonese restaurant in which we find the artistic talents of the Peninsula group with a theatrical and Baroque décor invoking both Chinese and French opera.

Although it opened in August, 2014, the Peninsula is already steeped in history. The Paris peace talks agreement, created by Henry Kissinger, puting an end to the Vietnam War was signed here in what is now the Kléber Bar. It was here as well in 1928 that George Gershwin composed his epic work, “An American in Paris”