Keep 'em peeled for posh Paris pads

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  Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris

Few of us need any real reason to make a pitstop in Paris, but a host of big name hotels are set to open in the coming months, shaking up the luxury status quo in the French capital and making it worth another look.

The Raffles Group is planning to unveil its renovated Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris with interiors by Philippe Starck imminently and is claiming the largest number of high-end suites in any Parisian hotel (54 in total), designed as private apartments.

Meanwhile, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts has chosen Paris for its European debut (Vienna and London will also be joining the collection in the not too-distant future) having acquired the historic palais of Prince Roland Bonaparte which will open as the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris in December. Shangri-La CEO Greg Dogan said recently he thought it would be one of the group's best hotel yet. Located at 10, avenue d’Iena, near the Trocadero, the 81-room hotel will have views of the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower.

Hot on their heels, the 90-room Hôtel W Paris-Opéra is pencilling in February 2011 for its opening. France’s first W will offer cutting edge design - as ever - but mixed with old-school style, as it will be opening in an 1870s Haussmann era building close to the Galleries Lafayette.

Fashion credentials will also be important for the Buddha-Bar Hotel Paris, due to open autumn 2011 close to Saint Honoré faubourg, bringing the well known restaurant and bar’s theme of contemporary Asian-Colonial interiors into a hotel setting.

By June next year, the Mandarin Oriental, Paris will have positioned itself amongst the other palace hotels of the city. With a pre-eminent address at 247-251 rue Saint Honoré, this redeveloped 1930s building will have 138 rooms including duplex penthouse suites overlooking Place Vendôme, Montmartre and the Opéra.
Parisian stalwarts such as Hotel Le Bristol have taken the nudge of new competition to undergo a multi-million euro refurbishments.

But for something a bit more off beat, Pavillon des Lettres in the 8th arrondissement is newly refurbished and each of its 26 rooms represents a letter of the alphabet.

The cultural landscape of the city is also in for something of a revamp. The Musée Picasso reopens in 2012 after renovation, a Louis-Vuitton foundation for creation makes its debut in September 2013 and look out for the renovation of the Monnaie de Paris museum by Philippe Prost, which will include a 500m sq zen garden and a restaurant by Guy Savoy by the end of 2011.

Location: Paris