How the best hotels in Paris are combining shopping and art to boost their revenues
Concept stores at the Hotel de Crillon, Ritz Paris and Royal Monceau are changing the luxury hospitality industry as wealthy travellers look for more ways of enjoying their stay – by spending more money
On the Place de la Concorde in Paris, there is only one shop, and it is located at number 10. It is in the Hotel de Crillon, the historic luxury hotel that reopened last July after four years of extensive renovations.
Stocked with unusual items, The Cabinet of Curiosities of the Hotel de Crillon is the brainchild of Thomas Erber, and it is the embodiment of a growing breed of hotel stores offering a variety of goods.
Book: At the Crillon and at Home
Guests might be tempted by a clothes valet from Atelier Arizona, pre-mixed cocktails by the mixologists of the hotel’s Les Ambassadeurs bar, jewels by Delfina Delettrez, or one of the exotic accessories by Parisian designer Hugo Matha, who designed the hotel staff’s wardrobe.
A selection of classics such as little black dresses from Mugler or an overnight kit by men’s sportswear brand Ron Dorff are also on hand.
“To have yet another luxury store, or the same kind of boutiques and galleries that you find in the neighbourhood, would have felt like a defeat,” said Erber, a Parisian journalist and entrepreneur.
The Cabinet of Curiosities is the latest example of how hotel retail is evolving, as hoteliers strive to keep pace with the changing expectations of their clientele.
