Atout France, the French Tourism Development Agency, has newly awarded two luxury hotels in Paris the “palace” distinction. Along with the Shangri-La Paris, the Mandarin Oriental has nabbed the coveted title. The “palace hotel” category is reserved for the exceptional ultra-luxury hotels that are a step higher than five stars. There are 16 hotels in France with the title, including Le Cheval Blanc in Courchevel, Le Château de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez and the Grand Hotel du Cap-Ferrat.
Paul Vincent Benedict Brown is the new GM of Coco Prive Kuda Hithi Island in the Maldives. Trained by the Household of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Brown is the founder and owner of White Glove Consultancy Services, a company that specializes in educating resorts, villas, private households and butlers on everything pertaining to first class service.
Mondrian London at Sea Containers on the London’s South Bank opened up reservations in advance of the official opening on September 30. The first-ever Mondrian-branded boutique hotel outside the United States will be close to the Tate Modern, Borough market and the Southbank Centre.