Dispatch from the Shangri-La Paris

Shangri-La Paris Christmas Lobby

It’s not just the city of Paris that goes all out with holiday decorations, but the palace hotels also get in the spirit with incredible décor and festive events. In the case of the Shangri-La Paris, the couture decorations by luxury trunk-makers Pinel & Pinel are a work of art which required a painstaking 1,000 man-hours of work. Luxury Travel Advisor stopped by the Shangri-La Paris, one of our favorite properties worldwide, to scope out the lobby’s yuletide décor, and we loved the series of Christmas trees, fashioned from leather. In La Bauhinia restaurant, the Christmas tree is red in color, and resembles a Chinese pagoda, in reference to the hotel brand’s roots.

This year’s advent calendar is a series of numbered mailboxes affixed to a giant Pinel & Pinel travel trunk. Each day, restaurant clients are invited to pick an envelope from a bowl; if they select the winning envelope, they are invited to open the day’s Advent letter box, which contains a prize. (Like an overnight at the hotel.) Festive indeed!

Since its opening in December 2010, the hotel has quickly gained a faithful American clientele. (In fact, the American market is number one for the property, and families love it.) Insiders tell us that with the current closure of three palace hotels, the Shangri-La is attracting the former clients from the Crillon, Ritz Paris, and the Plaza Athénée. What differentiates the Shangri-La is its historic setting—the gilded palace of Napoleon’s grand-nephew—and unparalleled views of the Eiffel Tower, almost close enough to reach out and touch.

Shangri-La Paris, Address: 10 Avenue d'Iéna, 75116 Paris, Tel: +33 1 53 67 19 98, www.shangri-la.com/paris

Shangri-La Paris Christmas Lobby