Plaza Athénée
1867 saw the opening of the Grand Hôtel Athénée on Rue Scribe by Louis Raphaël Bischoffsheim to provide accommodation to the guests of the Athénée Theatre. On 20 April 1913 the "Plaza Ath&eac...
Prince de Galles
The Parisian hotel with two names! And it all started with a kiss! More than anybody else, Edward, the Prince of Wales (1910–1936), influenced the naming of this house. So it was called (see above) Prince of Wales Hotel and ...
Ritz Paris
First of all, obtain your very own and personal copy of Marcel Proust’s A La Recherche du Temps Perdu. Inform reception tha you extend your stay. Sit down in the garden. Breath the air Proust never enjoyed (he was an indoor fanat...
Grand Hotel du Louvre
Other Paris hotels may have the glamour, but the Grand Hotel du Louvre has the history. A stone's throw from the Louvre, its unmistakable facade stands as a timeless symbol of the birth of Hausmannian Paris, the modern city we know and love today. Of...
Grand Hotel
"Two words sum up this grandest of Parisian hotels: Opera and Empire. Its history is intertwined with that of the Opera Garnier next door. Both buildings were commissioned by Napoleon III in the days of the Second Empire and both are characterised by...
Bristol Le, (Paris)
It may be just one of the almost criminally large number of Paris grand hotels, but Le Bristol manages to distinguish itself with an elegant-but-quirky character. Blame that on its history -- the mid-18th-century building was originally a home and di...
Westin Paris (Former Continental)
When The Continental, as it was first called, came into being in the 1870s it formed one part of a golden triangle of Parisian palaces along with the nearby Louvre and Grand hotels. A favourite of Empress Eugénie, The Westin Paris is a symbol ...
Westminster Opera
Sitting elegantly next to Rue de la Paix, which is of course the most expensive property on the Paris monopoly board, The Westminster has a rich history dating back to the days of the Ancien Régime before the French Revolution. The building wa...
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Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich (former Savoy Baur en Ville)
Johannes Baur, born in Austria in 1795, was a visionary entrepreneur who profoundly shaped Zurich’s hospitality industry. In 1837, at the age...Read More
Raffles Hotel
The historic building (top, slide to the right): The "new" Raffles main building in 1899. It opened on 18 November 1899, featuring the all new...Read More
The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Since decades “The Oriental”, as it is affectionately known by travellers from all over the globe, leads the lists of most...Read More
Half Moon
In 1952, a group of wealthy individuals including Donald Deskey, the fabled designer (among his works the Radio City Music Hall); Harvey Firestone,...Read More
Mount Kenya Safari Club
You don your safari gear during the day, but you always dress for dinner. Because Mount Kenya Safari Club Nanyuki is an exclusive retreat. High on...Read More