In the Golden Triangle of the Ville Lumière there's a new Bvlgari Hotel Paris

It was just a question of time. It was destiny. The link between maison Bvlgari and Paris goes back in time, to the early 20th century when the Italian brand founded in 1884 by Greek jeweller Sotirio Bulgari landed in the French capital to refine the unique style of its magnificent jewels, featuring lively colour combinations, volumes with an elegant balance and unique motifs that celebrate the Roman origins of the maison. And so, after opening in July in Place Vendôme its largest boutique in the world, a triumph of lights and colour, on the 2nd of December Bvlgari also opened the doors to the Bvlgari Hotel Paris, in the heart of the Triangle d’Or, the epicentre of Parisian luxury. «With the opening of the hotel in Paris, we add a French jewel to the group's hospitality», said general manager Jean-Christophe Babin. This is indeed the case, as the brand [bought by LVMH in 2011] since 2001 is, on top of fine jewels, beauty and accessories, also a collection of exclusive hotels, the Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, located in the greatest cities of the world, and in international luxury destinations, including Milan, London, Shanghai, Beijing, Dubai, Bali, on top of Luca Fantin's restaurant in the Ginza Tower in Tokyo. There's more. In 2022 there will be new openings in Rome, Moscow and Tokyo, in 2024 it will be the turn of Miami Beach and in 2025 of Los Angeles.

Meanwhile in Paris Studio Antonio Citterio & Patricia Viel designed and recreated an elegant setting, the expression of Italian excellence. It's the ‘most’ special of the brand's seven hotels, starting from the façade: golden calcareous stone and bronze doors and windows, redesigned with Valode&Pistre inspired by the Parisian Art Deco of the buildings surrounding the nearby Eiffel Tower. Inside, a lot of emphasis is given to relax and joie de vivre, with a focus on cosy spaces, low ceilings and an intimate, warm atmosphere, with tones of yellow, red and saffron. It's a triumph of marble, silk, granite, tapestries wisely mixed with artworks from the greatest French artisans and design items. The ceramics are originals from Gio Ponti per Ginori, awarded in 1925 with a Grand Prix at the World Fair in Paris; the vases are from Carlo Scarpa; the portraits of celebrities come from the Bvlgari archive. And then there are the Pinecone lights from Fontana Arte; the essential Atollo lamps; the artworks on the walls, including a rare Filiki rug in angora and the books on the shelves, many chosen by Silvio Ursini himself, the vice president of Bvlgari and artistic director of the Hotels & Resorts.

Only suites, a total of 57, that overlook the city from high windows and terraces, decorated with attention to detail, with the precious support of project director Roberto Mariani of Studio Citterio & Viel. On the top floor, there's the fabulous 400 sqm penthouse, with a private gym and hammam, and a 600 sqm garden of oak trees, magnolias, and philadelphus, together with cottage style redcurrants, apple and pear trees, and a private terrace overlooking the roofs of the entire Ville Lumière, bestowing a view that embraces the Sacré Coeur, the Grand Palais and the Tour Eiffel, so close it seems within reach. With its 1300 sqm the majestic spa is one of the largest in town, as well as a tribute to Italy, with a swimming pool covered with mosaics and a second one with the same decors of the Baths in Caracalla. But the partnership with Italy returns also in the dining room, in the Il Ristorante Niko Romito, where the chef from Abruzzo with his great contemporary Italian cuisine seems to have already conquered Parisians. With him, there's resident chef Davide Capucchio, young pastry chef Guillaume Smagghe and sommelier Gabriele del Carlo, already Best Sommelier of Italy. While in the bar Leonardo Zanini studied cocktails that launch the Italian-style aperitivo in Paris.

But let us be guided in the discovery of the new Bvlgari in Paris by the director of this new estate, Sylvain F. Ercoli, at the helm of the brightest and most precious jewel of Bvlgari's impeccable hospitality.

Bulgari Hotel Paris is the seventh hotel of the prestigious brand. Why the Ville Lumière?

On top of being the most visited city in the world, and a hub for luxury, there's always been a very strong connection between Bulgari and Paris. It all began in the first decade of the 20th century, when the founder of Bvlgari, Greek silver jeweller Sotirio Bulgari, sent his two sons to Paris. Costantino and Giorgio here turned from silver professionals to master jewellers and then masters of coloured gemstones. Since then, the connection between the famous jeweller and the Ville Lumière has grown unceasingly. For instance, in July the brand opened its largest boutique in the world, in Place Vendôme. Opening a Bulgari Hotel was always in the plans, it was only a matter of time, of finding the perfect location.

Opening a hotel in such a difficult time is a risk and an exciting challenge. How can you guarantee safety and 5-star services to your clients?

The safety of our guests will always be our top priority. It is very important for us to open in a safe environment, hence we decided that the establishment would be in one of the safest neighbourhoods in town. On top of this, we've been able to create from scratch, with our highly experienced director of security, our team and our security systems, working 24 hours per day, 7 days a week with the same efficiency and discretion. And for clients who request it, we have a dedicated route that will lead them directly from their car inside our private parking to their suite.

What is your target? Where do your clients come from?

The Bvlgari Hotel Paris attracts a very distinguished international clientele, for whom style and comfort go hand in hand with quality and sincerity. In other words, Bvlgari Hotels attracts and satisfies every generation! We noticed that our genuinely authentic kind and careful team touches every soul, and compared to other modern design hotels, the welcoming and contemporary atmosphere designed by Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel is perfect for guests of all ages. Our clients come from all over the world and we're very happy to see that the local community appreciates our innovative model and France is our first market since we opened.

In what area of Paris have you opened?

The hotel opened in 30 Avenue George V, in the heart of the Triangle d’Or, a part of the 7th arrondissement of Paris, marked by Avenue de Montaigne, Avenue George V and Avenue des Champs-Elysées, and cut by Rue Pierre Charron, François ler, Marbeuf. Here the luxury and splendour of the capital is concentrated, in the heart of the Rive Droite. Before we decided to open here, they've offered us many different locations but for us it was important to have Bvlgari Hotel Paris where clients love to go for shopping, culture, entertainment. We also wanted to offer an establishment that could offer a beautiful view of the Ville Lumière, a courtyard and a large spa. We discovered that this would be the perfect location for all these aspects.

What makes Bvlgari Hotel Paris different from the other hotels of the brand? What are its strongpoints? Services, culinary offer – Has Niko Romito created something special for Paris?

Every hotel and resort in the collection oozes local culture. Bvlgari Hotel Paris benefits from the clear vision of Antonio Citterio and Patricia Viel of whom guests appreciate the colours and luminosity. As Patricia and Antonio said: «Paris and Milano have always been competing for luxury, fashion, interior design. With Bvlgari Hotel Paris they signed an armistice». Many details in the design are a tribute to the architectural tradition of Paris, like the patterns on the carpets in the bedrooms and suites that hint at the "Point de Hongrie" parquet or the traditional "Serpent" glasswork in the bathrooms, inspired by the famous glass designer René Lalique. As for gastronomy, we talked with Niko Romito at length to add some Parisian ‘touches’ to his delicious Italian cuisine. This, for instance, resulted in our French version of his breakfast. Speaking of services, we have introduced a chat service that allows clients to communicate with our team 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, so they can ask what they want from their mobile phone, from any message system and in their language. This allows us to assist them timely and more efficiently, before, during and after their stay.

Based on your experience and projections, when do you think you we're going to return to the numbers of 2019? How is luxury hospitality changing? How are the needs of high-spending clients going to change?

On top of taking any necessary measure to protect the health of Parisians and visitors, Paris has also evolved a lot in the past three months, to match the new needs of travellers. Culture is more and more attractive, the shopping experience has improved, restaurants have also turned into bistros to please more. As a consequence, the city is more competitive than in the past and, despite an increase in the capacity of luxury hotel by 90% since 2014, the performance of the autumn of 2021 has never been as high in history. We see that clients expect health measures but the time they spent without culture, shopping and entertainment has made them even more enthusiastic now that they're available. We believe that once all hotels will finally open again, the performance will exceed that of 2019.

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso