24 June 2014

THE PENINSULA PARIS: PENINSULA SIGNATURES DÉBUT IN EUROPE

Since the inception of The Peninsula Hotels’ parent company in 1866 and opening of the flagship Peninsula Hong Kong in 1928, certain hallmarks have come to signify The Peninsula experience. Much copied but never bettered, these iconic features are now recreated in and reinterpreted for The Peninsula Paris, the latest hotel in the group’s portfolio.

As Asia’s oldest luxury hospitality brand with a heritage stretching back to 1866, The Peninsula Hotels share many well-loved traditions at each hotel around the world. Although each hotel is unique in itself with its own inimitable sense of destination, they are all unified by a collection of exclusive Peninsula touches and elements, ranging from the iconic Peninsula pageboys to the Lobbies with their celebrated Afternoon Tea, Rolls-Royces to state-of-the-art in-room technology and much more.

The Peninsula Paris, opening on 1 August 2014, shares these customs. Formerly one of Paris’ leading “grands hotels” which opened in 1908 and was sold to the French government in 1936, it has been meticulously returned to its former glory in a four-year restoration process.

The familiar adage “location, location, location” is one of Peninsula’s most cherished tenets – from The Bund to Fifth Avenue, Ginza to Victoria Harbour, the Chao Phraya River and more, Peninsula hotels are always in key locations in gateway cities. In the heart of the elegant 16th arrondissement, The Peninsula Paris is just steps away from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées, and Paris’ most exclusive luxury shopping, dining and cultural attractions.

In their crisp white uniforms and pillbox caps, The Peninsula pageboys have become much-loved symbols of The Peninsula Hotels worldwide, personifying the group’s personal approach to service since the opening of The Peninsula Hong Kong in 1928, which was the first hotel in Asia to introduce pageboys. The role remains the same today – to welcome guests to the hotels and carry out errands for them, and The Peninsula Paris will have a team of pages, all standing by to carry on the tradition of exceptional guest service.

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In each Peninsula hotel, the Lobby is the heart of the hotel – “the” spot to see and be seen – while enjoying drinks, meals or the celebrated Peninsula Afternoon Tea. With its expansive volumes, The Peninsula Paris’ Lobby is a spectacular space, resplendent in white and gold and with its mouldings, gold leaf and paintings meticulously restored by some of France’s most revered artisans.

With afternoon tea part of The Peninsula Hotels’ DNA since the opening of The Peninsula Hong Kong in 1928, The Peninsula Paris continues the tradition with “L’Heure du Thé” – the much-loved Peninsula Afternoon Tea with scones, finger sandwiches and all the trimmings, including delectable cakes and desserts created by Chef Pâtissier Julien Alvarez, in conjunction with Executive Chef Jean-Edern Hurstel.

As the latest example of The Peninsula Hotels’ culinary mastery of Chinese cuisine, LiLi, The Peninsula Paris’ Cantonese fine-dining restaurant, promises to take Chinese fare in the City of Light to new levels. Executive Chinese Chef Tang Chi Keung heads up the kitchen, following very successful tenures at The Peninsula hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo (where Hei Fung Terrace won a Michelin star). The team is overseen by veteran Peninsula restaurateur Teddy Leung, Manager, Chinese Food and Beverage Operations, who opened the Chinese restaurants at the group’s hotels in Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Shanghai, and managed Spring Moon in Hong Kong for 14 years. The dim sum kitchen is under the masterful eye of Chef Yip, formerly Dim Sum Chef at The Peninsula Hong Kong for 28 years and now the group’s Dim Sum Ambassador.

Similarly, The Peninsula Hotels’ focus on exclusive rooftop venues (from swimming pools to helipads, restaurants to bars), spectacular views and aviation heritage in each of its destinations is celebrated in Paris with the rooftop L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant, bar and terrace, paying tribute to the transatlantic flight attempt in 1927 of the L’Oiseau Blanc bi-plane. A unique collection of memorabilia commemorates the flight, including a 75% scale replica of the plane suspended in the adjacent courtyard. With stunning 360° views of Paris’ most iconic monuments, the restaurant offers a “bistronomique” menu, revisiting and reinterpreting traditional French fare with contemporary flair and techniques by Chef Sidney Redel, using the very best of France’s seasonal and regional ingredients.

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The Peninsula Hotels have always been renowned for their cutting edge in-room technology, all created in-house by The Peninsula’s team of Research and Technology engineers. The Peninsula Paris introduces the most personalised hotel room in the world, which offers guests the option of changing their room into 11 languages at the touch of a button.

With a firm belief that “getting there is half the fun”, the partnership between The Peninsula and Rolls-Royce dates back to 1970 when The Peninsula Hong Kong acquired their first fleet of seven Silver Shadows. Since then, Rolls-Royce limousines have been in service at almost every Peninsula hotel around the world, including three stunning 1934 Phantoms in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo – with every car sporting the signature Peninsula green livery. Guests at The Peninsula Paris will be able to enjoy the grace, glamour and luxury of a Rolls-Royce Extended Wheelbase Phantom, together with another classic vintage 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, lovingly restored over five year in Ashton Keynes, England. Peninsula guests can also zip around the streets of Paris in one of two chauffeur-driven MINI Clubman vehicles, with specially adapted roof boxes to hold shopping.

Taking guests deep into the heart of each destination in true Peninsula style, The Peninsula Academy programmes elevate the travel experience, inspiring guests in each Peninsula destination through the lens of art, cuisine, fashion, style and culture. The Peninsula Paris will launch a collection of exclusive activities after the opening of the hotel, showcasing the very best Paris has to offer.

Paying tribute to The Peninsula Hotels’ Chinese heritage are the enormous stone lions at the Avenue Kléber entrance to the hotel, which are 1.7 m high and weigh 4.6 tonnes each. A tradition in China outside palaces, temples and the homes of the wealthy, door lions are believed to have powerful protective benefits for those inside. Always in pairs, the male lion has his paw on a ball (representing supremacy over the world), while the female restrains a cub (representing nurture). Door lions are a feature at every Peninsula hotel around the world, welcoming guests and visitors alike and showcasing the group’s long Asian heritage.

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About Katara Hospitality

Katara Hospitality is a global hotel owner, developer and operator, based in Qatar. With over 40 years’ experience in the industry, Katara Hospitality actively pursues its strategic expansion plans by investing in peerless hotels in Qatar while growing its collection of iconic properties in key international markets. Katara Hospitality has set a target of owning and / or managing 30 hotels by 2016 and 30 more over the following decade. Aiming to become one of the leading hospitality organisations in the world, the company is supporting Qatar’s long term economic vision.

Katara Hospitality currently owns properties spread across three continents, in Qatar, Singapore, The Maldives, Switzerland, France, Italy, Egypt, Morocco, The Gambia and the Union of Comoros. While partnering with some of the finest hotel operators, Katara Hospitality also owns its own operator brands: The Bürgenstock Selection and Merweb Hotels.

www.katarahospitality.com

About The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH)

Incorporated in 1866 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (00045), The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited is the holding company of a group which is engaged in the ownership, development, and management of prestigious hotels and commercial and residential properties in key locations in Asia, the United States and Europe, as well as the provision of tourism and leisure, club management and other services. The Peninsula Hotels portfolio comprises The Peninsula Hong Kong, The Peninsula Shanghai, The Peninsula Beijing, The Peninsula Tokyo, The Peninsula New York, The Peninsula Chicago, The Peninsula Beverly Hills, The Peninsula Bangkok, The Peninsula Manila and The Peninsula Paris (expected opening in 2014). Projects under development include The Peninsula London and The Peninsula Yangon. The property portfolio of the group includes The Repulse Bay Complex, The Peak Tower, The Peak Tramways and St. John’s Building in Hong Kong; The Landmark in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; the Thai Country Club in Bangkok, Thailand, and 21 avenue Kléber in Paris, France.

For further information, please contact:

Ms Anne-Sophie Bonnisseau

Director of Communications

The Peninsula Paris

19 avenue Kléber, 75116 Paris, France

Telephone: +33 1 5812 6605

Fax: +33 1 5812 9999

E-mail:

Website: www.peninsula.com/paris