Wild growth in super chic 'hotel palaces' in Paris

paris - Tourists who do not have enough of a five-star hotel can visit an even more luxurious 'palace' in Paris. The number of super chic hotel rooms doubled in recent years, but the market seems insatiable.

In the Mandarin Oriental do not stay the least. Today, a bunch of young girls are standing opposite the entrance on Rue Saint-Honoré, one of the most expensive shopping streets in Paris. The discreet hotel staff says they do not know which star they have in the house, but the girls call Rihanna's name from the sidewalk.

The hotel opened in 2011 and was given the status of palace in 2014. This title was devised in 2010 by tourism agency Atout France, which wanted to add an additional classification to the star system. The Mandarin Oriental belongs together with the Shangri-La and Peninsula to the Asian palaces. In total, Paris has a small fifteen, of which the largest part is in foreign hands.

The Mandarin Oriental also has two more restaurants of star chef Thierry Marx. 'To get the title palace, you need something extra', says Émilie Pichon from the hotel. 'Besides our service, spa and the restaurants of Marx, that is our location. We are close to the Place Vendôme shop hotspot and the Louvre is just around the corner. 'Rooms start at 1000 euros per night, but for a suite with dining room, spacious lounge and terrace overlooking the Eiffel Tower you pay no less than 20 mille.

The competition for the Mandarin Oriental is considerable. In July, the completely renovated palace Le Crillon opened again, in 2018 Le Lutetia and Le Cheval Blanc, which are now being renovated. Paris is next year in a number of 1800 luxury hotel rooms, against 1150 in 2009. Pichon calls that an advantage: 'The more palaces, the more attractive Paris becomes. '

After the terrorist attacks of 2015 in Paris and last July in Nice, things are getting better again with tourism in France, especially in the more expensive segment. Four and five star hotels already had 10.6 percent more guests in the first quarter than the year before. The figures therefore agree with Pichon.