Forbes is noting a recent crop of hotel openings by some notable global brands in Paris. Here are a few more to watch:
Following in the footsteps of the Shangri-La, Paris and Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris (opened in late 2010) and the Mandarin Oriental, Paris (summer 2011), Starwood’s W Hotel will open on Valentine's Day in a 19th-century Haussmann-era building. Just down the street from Opéra Garnier (the oldest opera house in Paris), the story says the 91-room hotel is "Old-World on the outside and playfully modern on the inside." Original architectural details are preserved (think ornamented columns, vaulted ceilings and marble staircases) and are mixed with the sleek silhouettes and textures for which W hotels are known.
In fall, Starwood’s Luxury Collection will reopen Le Prince de Galles. Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon heads up the refurbishment of the hotel on Avenue George V. While the building has been a part of The Luxury Collection since 1998, it closed completely in February 2011 for a multi-million dollar renovation. Guest rooms and suites will be updated, as well as the public spaces; a presidential suite will be added on the ninth floor with private elevator access and an outdoor terrace offering panoramic views of Paris.
Hong Kong-based Peninsula Hotels group is gambling on its new Paris location scheduled to open in 2013—it’s the first European hotel for the Asian luxury chain. Opening in a gorgeous Beaux-arts building in the exclusive 16th arrondissement, The Peninsula Paris will have 200 rooms, Asian-influenced design details and a spa. Once home to the Majestic Hotel, the building is a short walk to the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Élysées, virtually solidifying the hotel’s future status as a visitor hotspot.