Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH) opened its first Cheval Blanc hotel in Courchevel in 2006 as a luxurious expression of French hospitality and art de vivre with a focus on customized service. Over the past 12 years, the group has expanded to the Maldives, St. Barth's, and most recently, Saint-Tropez, where La Résidence de la Pinède—a long-time destination for the jetset with a fabulous restaurant—was transformed into a Cheval Blanc hotel after a multi-phase renovation.
On the immediate horizon, the Paris project is highly anticipated. In the heart of the city near Pont Neuf, the former La Samaritaine department store is undergoing an ambitious transformation, which will result in a luxury hotel and apartments. Word on the street is that the Cheval Blanc Paris will open in 2020.
The most recent news, reported by both The Telegraph and Vogue Australia, is that LVMH has set its sights on London for its next Cheval Blanc property, with a $935 million project in the Mayfair area. After demolishing three connected sites on Grafton Street, New Bond Street and Burton Lane, the plan would be to construct the ultra-luxury hotel from scratch, complete with a spa, Louis Vuitton café and restaurants. Vogue Australia suggests that “its goal will be to entice well-to-do hotel guests to shop at luxury LVMH stores nearby, like the existing Louis Vuitton and Dior boutiques. There are rumors that Celine and Fendi (also owned by LVMH) will open retail stores in the complex.” The building proposal has not yet been approved; the hope is that groundbreaking could take place in 2020 for a hotel debut in 2022.
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