When the Royal Monceau reopened its doors to the press in October 2010 following a two-year make-over, all eyes were on the interior decoration signed Philippe Starck, as well as on Philippe Starck who came to congratulate himself on his efforts to give new and French wings to this high luxury hotel between the Champs-Elysées and Parc Monceau.
The public spaces
Before seeing whether or not he deserved applause in the bedrooms and suites, the press was able to get acquainted with his work in the hotel’s main dining room, La Cuisine, where we were also invited to partake of a sumptuous array of brunch offerings and graciously served coffee, tea and the occasional hot chocolate. Altogether, the room and the breakfast were a clear sign that the Royal Monceau intends to assume its role as a palace, as high luxury hotels are called in France.
La Cuisine, which proposes classic non-gastronomic French fare for lunch and dinner, is also the most successful of the Royal Monceau’s public spaces for the way in which it allows for either intimacy and publicity, for its insouciant play of materials (cotton, leather, metals, glass), and for the backlit array of wine bottles along the walk. The room isn’t particularly unique, but even at a breakfast reception the opening felt grand indeed.
The hotel also has an Italian restaurant, Il Carpaccio, a more intimate setting, with an attractive coastal atmosphere thanks to seashell motifs leading in and out, the airiness of the space beside the hotel courtyard, and its encrusted, octopus-like chandelier.
By law, smoking isn’t allowed in the public spaces, so the hotel has created the Fumoir Rouge, a red speakeasy of a cigar-smoking room. Fans of fine cigars might wish to take note whether lodging at the Royal Monceau or not.
The reception area, bar, lobby, concierge desk mostly feel busy and crowded, and that’s even before the guests arrive. There are some surprising touches—whether amusing (e.g. the troop of wooden elk at the bottom of the brick-walled staircase), photogenic (e.g. the gathering old chandeliers by the stairs off the lounge), or annoying (e.g. the fun-house restrooms beyond those chandeliers)—but on first glance the lobby area and bar are not places that call for one to linger.
The bedrooms and suites
More importantly, does one want to linger in the bedrooms and suite?
Philippe Starck gave an impassioned explanation at the press opening as to how he tried to emulate in decorative and in design terms the way in which a writer (André Malraux was his example) might use a chair for a nightstand, or tape a drawing to a lampshade, or draw an itinerary on a city map on the desk. Those are nice images of the creative spirit or at least of a certain kind of decorative nonchalance. But once inside the rooms and suites it was clear Mr. Starck had translated those images of the creative spirit a bit too literally. Or could it be that Mr. Starck had only been speaking of himself all along?
In dominantly white rooms of decent size, lampshades are tagged with black brushstrokes or words and desktops take the form of maps “personalized” with “handwritten” remarks. The intent, of course, is to declare that a creative person once occupied this room, and for added emphasis every room has a guitar in it. It was the guitars that got me thinking of the décor of the Royal Monceau as a cross between 1930s Art Deco and The Beatles’ White Album. It would be a stretch to call Philippe Starck’s work here inspiring. Drole would better describe it.
It was therefore surprising to hear Mr. Starck say that he intended for his work here to intellectually and artistically inspire visitors, because guitar or no guitar, however comfortably one may feel at the Royal Monceau—and there is indeed comfort here—I don’t imagine that a stay in the Royal Monceau would be any more stimulating than a stay at, say, the Meurice or the George V or the Bristol or the Ritz, and there are large suites in lesser hotels with plenty of character to stimulate one’s creativity.
The idea, naturally, isn’t simply to appeal to visits from the creative set but to invite the well-to-do visitor to think of him- or herself as an artiste or as hob-nobbing with well-accomplished artistes. In a further effort to demonstrate its artfulness, the Royal Monceau also has an art bookshop, an art concierge, and a very comfortable cinema.
Qatari Diar and Raffles
After being invited to consider the artfulness of the hotel, the press heard from a representative of Qatari Diar, the real estate arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, and hence of the State of Qatar, which owns the Royal Monceau. He didn’t give a clue as to whether the Emir of Qatar ever felt the need to be creative or play the guitar, but he did say that he thought the Royal Monceau was a good investment.
The Royal is managed by the Raffles Hotels & Resorts, making this Raffles’ point of entry in Europe following its development of properties in Asia starting in the 1990s and in the Middle East beginning in 2007.
The location
The Royal Monceau is situated between the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau, within a 10-minute walking radius of the Champs-Elysées, the Jacquemart-André Museum, Salle Pleyel, a number of stellar restaurants, and a variety of high-end galleries and fine boutiques. The so-called Golden Triangle of Paris lies on the opposite side of the Champs-Elysées and has a higher density of restaurants and luxury than the Monceau zone, so the Royal Monceau can feel askew with respect to that, which may be part of the appeal for the return traveler seeking out a neighborhood of residential/international business loveliness. Ternes and Charles de Gaulle Etoile are the nearest metro stations.
Le Royal Monceau, 37 avenue Hoche, 8th arrondissement, Paris. Tel 01 42 99 88 00. www.leroyalmonceau.com.
The palaces of Paris
France awards a special “palace” designation to high luxury hotels of the 5-star category. Subsequent to the initial publication of this article the Royal Monceau joined that elite group alongside the Meurice, the Four Seasons George V, the Bristol, the Ritz, the Crillon, the Plaza Athénée and others.
© 2010, Gary Lee Kraut