by Tim Wood
Last updated: 6:30 PM ET, Sun February 15, 2015
PHOTO: Inside one of the 29 suites at the Hilton Paris Opera hotel. (courtesy Hilton Hotels and Resorts)
PARIS, FRANCE - Inspired by the past, built for the future.
It was the message spotlighted by Hilton executives during a press event for more than 75 international journalists Thursday. But more importantly, the contemporary new look of the Hilton Paris Opera's $50 million renovation was on display all throughout the 125-year-old property.
"We've tried to keep plenty of the Parisian inspiration and touch in the design elements. It has a sleek design with a Parisian feel," said hotel general manager Sofia Verdande of the end results of the hotel overhaul.
The 268-room hotel is located in the heart of the Right Bank's Opera district just steps from the Saint Lazare train station and a short distance from the Champs-Elysees and boutique shopping districts.
The former Concorde Opera Paris property closed in December 2013 before becoming a Hilton affiliate March 1, 2014. The ambitious renovation project began in April 2014 and is now 80 percent complete. The two upper guest room floors are still being worked on and scheduled for full completion by the summer.
"We are thrilled to welcome guests to one of Paris's landmark hotels, beautifully renovated to reclaim its place in this remarkable city," said Hilton global head of full-service brands Rob Palleschi.
It was clear merely by Palleschi's presence, a night after a similar celebration for the opening of the Hilton Munich Airport property, that the brand was excited to be back in the heart of the city. The company has a hotel in the business district and two airport properties, but the Paris Opera opening signals a big play by the brand to capture the traveler looking to be immersed in the city.
"This is a special night for us all. Hilton has been hosting many of the world's great events nearly 100 years and we look forward to creating many more special memories in this historic space now positioned for an exciting future," he said.
Highlights of the property include the 900-square-foot Maria Callas suite, the hotel's premiere experience. The space features a living room with high ceilings in the Hausmann building style, as well as two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
The hotel features 29 suites in all, some with Private French balconies. All suites include Nespresso coffee makers and access to the executive lounge that includes complimentary breakfast and snacks and refreshments throughout the day.
Other striking features include Le Grand Salon, the meeting space off the main lobby with 46-foot-high ceilings and hand-painted frescos. The Baccarat ballroom accommodates 180 people and features vintage chandeliers from the famous crystal maker. The Terminus Café, the hotel's main restaurant offering modern French cuisine, also went through a modernization.
While restoration of the space's former glory was a focus for the design team from Richmond International, an equal focus was adding contemporary touches wherever possible to help the hotel an audience beyond Europe.
Verdande said that most of the Concorde's former staff stayed on during the Hilton transition. The focus was to train the staff to handle the rigors of staying open through the renovation and to servicing a more global client.
"It involved a lot of English classes for the staff, a lot of intercultural training, so as we go out to attract more travelers from Great Britain and the U.S., our staff knows the difference in the travelers' expectations, wants and needs," Verdande said.
The renovation began on the first floor and simply opening up "the grand old lady," as Verdande referred to the hotel, provided more challenges than expected.
"When you get into the guts of a historic building, there were things we couldn't anticipate that made the first floor renovation much longer than expected," she said. "But it was great training for our staff in how to handle objections, how to turn the negatives of all the construction into a positive for our guests. It's about anticipating, personalizing and making it easy for the guest to truly enjoy their stay."
The impressive nature of the renovation is in the small touches, such as having USB ports to go along with European-style plugs in each room. The hotel's Wi-Fi bandwidth is also expansive, including free usage throughout the meeting spaces in the hotel.
Verdande said the hotel is working hard to appeal to both Parisians who may have previously taken the older property for granted to the foreign leisure traveler who may have never even given the Paris Opera a look.
For the locals, the hotel plans to hold events in both Le Grand Salon and wine and spirits tastings in the newly renovated Le Petit Bar, complete with new technology that allows for wine by the glass - a rarity throughout the city, according to Verdande.
As for attracting the U.S. and British leisure traveler, the hotel has partnered with both the American Express Hotel Collection and with Travel Leaders to give travelers a new exposure to the hotel.
"We want the travelers that are working with travel agents to see us. We want to be part of that 21-day tour of Europe, we are much more than just a business hotel," Verdande said. "Travel agents have been impressed with us thus far and they have really helped us get the message out that we want the leisure traveler."
The results have been impressive in the early going, as bookings since the beginning of the year has already shifted from an 80-20 percent business-to-leisure traveler mix to closer to a 65-35 ratio.
Verdande said the hotel property is a symbol of the gentrification of the district. The Saint Lazare train station has renovated recently as well, adding a massive shopping space inside the station.
"The city is always evolving and we want to show the world that evolving can celebrate history while really engaging and exciting the traveler of today and tomorrow," Verdande said.
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