PARIS
It might seem strange that France’s biggest home-grown hotel operator has just one property in Paris, one that only opened in 2004 at that, but anyone who has experienced the Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière Paris will tell you that it was worth the wait.
Barrière’s tireless pursuit of prestige destinations allowed the company to bide its time until the right spot came up, which it did in 1998 when the opportunity presented itself to acquire the legendary Fouquet’s restaurant on the corner of the Champs Élysées and Avenue George V.
The new management was keen not to change a thing about the legendary eatery, a Paris institution estabished by Louis Fouquet in 1898, but Barrière quickly bought the rest of the building and hired designer Jacques Garcia to turn it into an ultra-trendy hotel that would rival the other palais properties in the neighbourhood; the Four Seasons George V Paris, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, the Ritz Hotel Paris and the Hôtel de Crillon Paris.
So it was that in 2006 Barrière opened the doors to Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière Paris, which wasted no time in wowing internartional A-listers and local glitterati alike. The hotel’s prime location on the Champs Élysées and Avenue George V made it one of the most prominent addresses in town, and that’s before you even step inside.
Inside, Garcia’s interiors instantly dazzle, with contemporary design offsetting the classical architecture with aplomb, and an array of haute cuisine to rival any of its more well-established competitors. At the hotel’s signature restaurant Le Diane, executive chef Jean-Yves Leuranguer serves fine French cuisine in a venue overlooking the hotel’s inner courtyard, which is decorated with a rotation of works from contemporary artists.
Next door at Le Lucien, which is fitted out in ultra-trendy shades of deep purple and turf green, guests can enjoy a more casual menu before going out to enjoy local nightlife like the Crazy Horse; one of Paris’ leading cabaret shows, just a few blocks down from the hotel.
But for a real taste of history, just step next door into the warm burgundy and gold interiors of Fouquet’s. Part brasserie, part fine dining restaurant and part exclusive terrace, the celebrated restaurant has been a popular haunt since it opened on 99 Champs Élysées in 1898.
Louis Fouquet originally catered to domestic servants who worked at the aristocratic house-holds of the Champs Élysées – which was at the time Paris’ most sought after address.
Today, the walls are covered with photos of famous diners and brass plaques indicate the preferred tables of regulars, with names such as Michele Morgan, Jean Gabin, Tino Rossi and Michel Audiard made timeless by their frequent patronage of the restaurant.
The food itself is typically French, with plump foie gras and scallops to start and fresh fish and veal for mains, followed by tarte tatin and petit fours to finish off, all washed down with a handsome collection of Bordeaux, Bourgogne and Sancere.
The iconic property also features a signature U Spa, with heated indoor swimming pool, fully-equipped gym, hydrotherapy showers and a range of treatments covering everything from massage to manicures. Golf enthusiasts can also enjoy a round at their favourite course from the roof-top golf simulator by GOLFZON
EAT LIKE A KING
Each year, Fouquet’s serves:
15,000 bottles of champagne
6,000 pounds of coffee
2.5 tons of smoked salmon
1.8 tons of foie gras
DEAUVILLE
In 1912, while the rest of Europe was preparing for one of history’s most destructive wars, François André was sitting in a bar in a French fishing village on the Normandy coast swapping business ideas and stories with some of the town’s other leading men.
No one remembers whether it was the Calvados that did it or whether André and his business partner Eugène Cornuché had been planning on entering the hospitality and gaming business for some time, but by the end of that evening, the gentlemen had decided to build the Hôtel Normandy in the small village of Deauville and rebuild the outdated casino.
The town quickly flourished and became a popular five-star seaside resort for wealthy Parisians and the British aristocrats who travelled to northern France to escape the dismal British summer in search of sun. Almost 100 years later,
Deauville is a town built for pleasure, with five- star hotels, luxurious guesthouses and expensive summer homes lining the picturesque streets overlooking a pristine stretch of sandy Normandy coastline.
For six months of the year, most of the windows in the half-a-million-Euro guesthouses and holiday homes are boarded up, but Deauville remains a popular year-round weekend getaway for Parisians and maintains its reputation as one of northern France’s most important business tourism destinations.
During the daytime, part-time residents and tourists flock to the races to watch some of Europe’s finest polo teams compete in major events such as the Lucien Barrière Deauville Polo Cup, which takes place in August, or attend the famous Deauville yearling sales, where Europe’s finest race horses are bought and sold.
The yearling sales make Deaville a popular retreat with Middle Eastern buyers, who spend several weeks in the town meeting with sellers and attending the races, says Ahmed Thabet, Lucien Barrière’s group director of sales.
When the sun goes down, many visitors head to the Casino Barrière Deauville, which boasts 32 gaming tables and more than 360 slot machines, as well as the O2 Sofa Bar; one of the town’s premier spots to see and be seen, celebrate victories and take the edge off defeats.
But the main event on the social calendar is the Deauville American Film Festival in September, which attracts thousands of visitors and some of the world’s top actors to the town.
Indeed, the hallways of the Royal Barrière – the company’s flagship hotel in Deauville – are adorned with photos of pretty much every American actor to have graced the silver screen in the 35 years since the inaugural film festival in 1975, all of whom stay at ‘the Royal’.
Tour the hotel with one of its long-serving staff and it’s hard not to feel a tingle of excitement as you’re ushered into say, room 716 – the Susan Sarandon Suite – where the actress used to stay and where, you are told, Brad and Angelina spent several nights in 2002.
Downstairs in the Royal Suite, the long dining room table is usually reserved for the likes of Nicholas Sarkozy or Robert De Niro, but visit in the low season from October to March and you might be able to reserve a room and enjoy a banquet courtesy of Michelin-starred chef Eric Provost, who runs the celebrated L’Etrier restaurant, which is just off the lobby.
“There is a real sense of history here,” says Laurent Roussin, general manager of the Royal Barrière. “The difference between northern and southern France is obvious; the mentality is more friendly and I suppose it’s a bit more like Italy than France.”
Although Deauvile’s population of 4,000 swells to 40,000 during the peak season, the winter months are quieter, with just a handful of Parisians visiting for the weekend. Like the guestshouses that are boarded for the winter, the Royal Barrière also goes into hibernation from November to March, opening briefly for New
Year’s Eve. In the meantime, the Royal’s sister property, the Normandie Barrière, assumes the pole position as the town’s leading hotel, offering guests a more modest four-star price but with little to suggest that it is any less as hospitable as its big brother.
Lunching in the conservatory of La Belle Epoque restaurant on a crisp winter’s afternoon is a delightful experience, and when the nights draw in, Le Bar American has more than 120 varieties of whisky to keep the cold away.
A 10-minute drive from the town is the Hôtel du Golf Barrière de Deauville, a mock Tudor-style mansion on a hill above the town, where international players can choose from two exceptional courses. Like its sister properties at the bottom of the hill, the interiors of the hotel still reflect the opulent days of the first half of the 20th Century, while signed photos of visitors like Ernest Hemingway and Yves Saint Laurent stare down from the walls of the corridors.
To say that Barrière had a monopoly over the town’s five-star tourism offering would be over-doing it, but with two properties and a casino on the main drag and a golf resort boasting picture perfect views over the English Channel and other resort towns of Trouville and Le Havre, it’s hard to argue that there are many other contenders for the top spot.
CANNES
Home to the Cannes Film Festival, the International Luxury Travel Market and an endless schedule of other high-profile events and exhibitions, Cannes is France’s most important business tourism destination, not to mention the most glamorous holiday town in the south of France.
Take a stroll along the Boulevard de la Croisette at night and the view is dominated by one thing – the glowing purple façade of the Majestic Barriere – one of the most talked about hotels on the French Riviera.
Still screaming of belle époque glitz and glamour, the Majestic has been the hotel of choice for Cannes’ high-profile visitors since it opened. Much has changed since those early days, when the inaugural wing was built perpendicular to the sea so wealthy visitors wouldn’t have to worry about accidentally getting a suntan.
There is a new wing for starters, with 42 new suites and two penthouses, all with stunning views of Cannes Bay and the beach-facing Croisette. The hotel is still the venue of choice for star-studded after parties during the annual Cannes Film Festival every May, and its new penthouse suites, The Christian Dior Suite and The Majestic Suite, have safely secured their reputation as the most luxurious accommoda-
tion in town.
The latter occupies the top floor of the new wing and boasts stunning views over the Bay of Cannes from the roof-top deck, which features an 11-metre pool that is a must for debauched after-parties and champagne receptions.
Other features include a private cinema with a three-metre by two-metre screen, fibre optic chandelier and an elaborate shower experience featuring visual, sound and scented effects. There’s even a small in-suite salon with barbershop chair and massage table, so you can bring your stylist to you rather than venture out to the salon.
The private butler responsible for attending to the whims of these suites’ most discerning guests raised an eyebrow when I asked about some of the more outrageous requests he received up there on the 8th floor. But after promising not to name any names he revealed that one guest demanded that the entire pool be refilled with Evian mineral water, while another once asked for 15 bottles of Dom Perrignon to be sprayed
over him and his guests while they swam.
Just 20 minute away from Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, the hotel also boasts a superb location from which to trawl the designer boutiques of La Croisette, the bright lights of the Casino Barrière de Cannes and the rest of downtown Cannes, not to mention the neighbouring Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, where all the major international events take place.
But the Majestic isn’t the only Barrière hot spot in town. After a US$11 million refurbishment in 2009, with chic new interiors by French designer Chantal Peyrat and furnishings by top designers including Victoria Ghost and Ferruccio Laviani, the facilities at the Hotel Gray d’Albion are more in line with five-star standards than its four-star ratings would have you believe.
Situated at 38 rue des Serbes, the hotel’s 200 rooms and suites plus signature restaurant and bar (38 The Restaurant and 38 The Bar respectively) are a more affordable option compared to the Majestic’s deluxe rates, but still within easy walking distance of the Palais, casinos and all of Cannes’ attractions.
The hotel was originally two separate properties dating back as far as the mid-19th Century, but they were torn down in 1973 and then rebuilt several years later. The new hotel fell under the umbrella of Barriere in 1991 and now serves as an ideal base for more economically minded visitors who still have a taste for the
finer things in life.