It's a big year for the Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris. Celebrating its 100th anniversary with all manner of festivities, the Dorchester Collection's palace hotel on fashionable avenue Montaigne has just announced its closure in October for a restoration. We broke the news in our Paris story in Luxury Travel Advisor's May issue; the hotel had bought up several neighboring buildings with plans to join these to the hotel. Now it's official. To be unveiled in May 2014, the project will integrate a townhouse on 29 avenue Montaigne; a townhouse on rue Clément Marot; and the building where Le Relais Plaza is located.
There will be six new guest rooms, eight additional suites designed by Marie-José Pommereau, a ballroom and two event spaces. Also in store: a makeover of the Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée restaurant and Le Bar by the Paris-based Jouin-Manku agency; and a redo of La Galerie des Gobelins, La Cour Jardin and Le Relais Plaza by Bruno Moinard.
Though it was possible to keep the hotel open during the project, François Delahaye, COO of Dorchester Collection and General Manager of Hôtel Plaza Athénée, decided it best to close so as not to inconvenience guests (many of whom are loyal repeat clients).
Note: You can snag some of the hotel's furniture and art-- like designer Patrick Jouin's famous bar-- during the October auction at Artcurial in the Hôtel Marcel Dassault.
In one of the most exciting hotel markets in the world, Paris luxury properties keep upping the ante. Both The Ritz and the Crillon are currently closed for top-to-bottom overhauls.