Concocting an atmosphere from creativity, art, and culture... Revisiting the history of a Palace of the Golden Years to bring some poetry, fantasy, and largesse to its guests’ wildest dreams. Fully redesigned by Philippe Starck, the Royal Monceau Raffles Paris is reinterpreting the codes of Parisian glamour, striking where elegance meets irreverence.
Each of its 149 rooms and suites with the sober lines of the 1940s and 1950s is designed as an invitation to travel, where reverie is inspired by the smallest details: a pile of bedside reading, a note scribbled on a lampshade, and an artist’s sketch weave mysterious links between travellers past and present.
Spread across five floors, the hotel’s 64 suites are a world apart. This “Private” ensemble even has its own entrance at 41 Avenue Hoche. The largest suites (which come in sizes of up to 350m² for the presidential suites) are truly exceptional Parisian apartments with steam rooms, fitness suites, and home cinemas.
Il Carpaccio, the Michelin-starred Italian restaurant, delves into all of Italy’s regions to unearth dishes for its refined menu where Sicilian caponata rubs shoulders with tarallo biscuits from Puglia, topped off with revisited delicacies from Pierre Hermé. Chic and fresh, the decor is inspired equally by sizzling Sicilian baroque and the fashion for cool grottos dotted with shells that were all the rage in the 18th century.
Forging a link between Japan and... Peru. This is the daring gambit of the menu at the Matsuhisa, the first establishment in France from the famous Japanese chef, Nobu Matsuhisa. Jalapeno peppers give way to algae sashimi and tacos with sea urchin and black truffles, promising an unprecedented culinary adventure!
A gallery, modern art bookshop (with some 700 titles), and a luxury cinema equipped with cutting edge technology... Art with a capital “A” is right at home in the hotel’s communal areas. And to guide guests through on their cultural Odyssey, an Art concierge is at their disposal.
The Royal Monceau Raffles Paris’s private art collection sneaks it way into each of the hotel’s rooms and suites to give the interior a finishing touch, with special place given to art photography, from Guy Le Querrec to Harry Gruyaert and Arlette Kotchounian, who has produced outstanding portraits of Ray Charles, a regular at the Royal Monceau.
Time slips leisurely by around the long indoor pool (23m), installed snugly in the white cocoon of the My Blend by Claris spa. Occupying 1500m², this hedonistic bubble contains seven treatment rooms, including one double, as well as a sauna, steam room, and sensory showers. Why not combine it with a more active programme in one of the coaching spaces, which include a boxing gym and yoga or Pilates studio?
Zoom in: - Discover the Royal Monceau Raffles Paris
By Anne-Claire Delorme
Globetrotting journalist anneclairedelorme@yahoo.fr
