Palace: 6 good reasons to stay at the Shangri-La Hotel Paris

63 rooms and 37 suites, three restaurants (two with Michelin stars), a bar, and reception rooms with real history. The Shangri-La Hotel Paris, which opened in December 2010, inspires, attracts, and piques the curiosity of its guests in a welcoming yet delicate atmosphere that combines Asian hospitality and French art de vivre. Just a stone’s throw from Place du Trocadéro, the first European hotel from the Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts group was awarded Palace status in July 2014.

Prince Roland Bonaparte, Napoleon’s great-nephew, acquired this vast 3000m² estate upon Chaillot hill, opposite the Guimet Museum, in 1891. He chose the architect Ernest Janty, who had worked on the reconstruction of the Louvre and Tuileries in 1854, to build him a private mansion. The hotel’s cut stone facade draws particular inspiration from Louis XIV. Part of Prince Bonaparte’s private apartments, the eponymous Apartment is a real treasure, and the only apartment that is listed as a French Historic Monument.

The Palace is home to three restaurants: two with Michelin stars and each with its own atmosphere and culinary style. Diners can savour a less formal culinary experience beneath La Bauhinia’s great glass roof, sample the truly exceptional cuisine of the twice-starred L’Abeille, or set off on an authentic gastronomic journey at the Shang Palace, the only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in France. L’Abeille, a French fine dining restaurant named in tribute to Napoleon’s favourite symbol (abeille is French for bee), serves sophisticated cuisine crafted by Chef Christophe Moret.

On the Palace’s sixth floor, the Gustave Eiffel suite is worthy of its name. Luxurious and bathed in light, this suite is a distillation of the authentic Parisian apartment. And best of all, its wide windows open out onto a private 30m² terrace with outstanding panoramic views of the Eiffel Tower.

Going to a conference, wedding, or banquet in one of the Shangri-La Hotel Paris’ salons evokes images of the finest Paris society receptions in the late 19th century, which were held at the residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte, of course. The Grand Salon, Salle à Manger, and Salon de Famille are three historic – and adjoining – salons. The first even served as the venue for the dinner celebrating Princess Marie Bonaparte’s engagement to the Prince of Greece and Denmark in 1907.

Always attentive to its guests’ need for rest and relaxation, the Palace opened an opulent spa that boasts a spacious 15m pool bathed in natural light. The spa contains two treatment rooms where guests can enjoy treatments from the British brand The Organic Pharmacy.