Paris de luxe

Perched alongside the many monumental icons in this neighbourhood is a 19^th century palace, which has been transmogrified into a luxury hotel, and whose lobby of marbled hallways, high frescoed ceilings and gilded staircases have been scrupulously restored to its former glory. And it is at this refined setting that the Shangri-La group has chosen one of the city's most historic addressess to mark its first hotel foray in Europe−the former residence of Emperor Napoleon Bonparte’s grandnephew, Roland Bonaparte.

With a space that spans 215, 000 sq ft, it becomes palpable to any guest why it took four years of punctilious restoration work, driven by architect Richard Martinet and interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon together by a team of French masons and artisans, to bring the 1896 institution to life, and, hence, how it became a listed building with Monument Historiques in 2009.