Raphael

How the Stage was Set HISTORY IN BRIEF 1925: The hotel opened for business. 1985-1997: The hotel was given a major overhaul and fitted with a range of new features during a 12 year renovation programme. HISTORY IN DETAIL 1898: Creation of a company called Hotel Regina Paris S.A, which planned to open a collection of palace hotels in Paris. 1900: Opening of Hotel Regina, a 120-bed property in the first arondissement of Paris. 1907: Opening of Hotel Majestic, at the time the largest luxury hotel in Europe, with a staggering 450 rooms. 1925: Built under the auspices of Sir Leonard Tauber and Sir Constant Baverez, The Raphael opened its doors for business in the spring of 1925. It responded to a specific market need: the most illustrious guests weren’t willing to stay at a very large property such as The Majestic, instead craving the intimacy of a smaller hotel. With it 86 luxurious bedrooms, The Raphael offered just that. 1938: The Raphael was sold to the estate of the Hotel Majestic 1940s: during World War 2, at a private dining room, Hitler dined with General Stumnagel. 1961: Opening of the current Hotel Majestic, an intimate property with 30 large bedrooms and suites. 1981: Françoise Baverez was appointed president of the Regina and Majestic hotels, following in the footsteps of her father. 1985: Françoise Baverez assumed control of the Hotel Raphael and implemented a major renovation programme that would take over a decade to complete. 1997: The renovation programme was complete. The most notable additions to the hotel were the new duplex and triplex suites, the rooftop terrace and the seasonal restaurant. 2000: The Raphael celebrated its 75th birthday. 2002: Opening of the fitness centre 2004: A WI-FI system was installed. 2006: The Raphael became A Select Member of The Most Famous Hotels in the World

Among the guests to have graced The Raphael: From the World of Entertainment Al Pacino Shirley Bassey Ingrid Bergman Marlon Brando Charles Bronson Pierce Brosnan John Carpenter Francis Ford Coppola Timothy Dalton Michael Douglas Faye Dunaway Federico Fellini Henry Fonda Clark Gable Ava Gardner Judy Garland Glenn Close Whoopi Goldberg Cary Grant Anthony Hopkins Katherine Hepburn Grace Kelly Sergio Leone John Malkovitch Demi Moore Steve McQueen Roger Moore Paul Newman Sydney Pollack Anthony Quinn Oliver Stone Quentin Tarentino Raquel Welch Walt Disney Jeff Goldblum Michelle Pfeiffer Jean Reno Leonard Cohen Ben Kingsley Sofia Loren Luc Besson Penelope Cruz From the World of Sport Yannick Noah Carl Lewis Andre Agassi