Heads on beds: Hotel de Paris, Monaco
The Hôtel de Paris is part of one of the great business triumphs of the 19th century. In 1863, on the point of national bankruptcy, Prince Charles III of Monaco brought in a French businessman who formed a company, the Société des Bains de Mer, to refloat the Monegasque economy through takings at a brand new casino.
As gambling was illegal in neighbouring France and Italy at the time, SBM made an absolute killing and were soon building hotels, cafés and shops to accommodate the wealthy who positively flocked to “Monte Carlo”, the hill where the casino had been built. Soon the casino was bringing in so much money that domestic income tax was abolished in Monaco.
Central to this venture was the splendid Belle Epoque style Hôtel de Paris, which opened in 1864 and is still an international byword for luxury, first-class service and the ideal ambience in which to do big business. As a special perk hotel guests have always been allowed free admittance to the casino, opposite admission is normally €10 euros (£7.50).
Over the past 140 years the hotel has been enlarged seven times but its restrained sense of self-importance remains undiminished. Both its famous Bar Américain (decorated with photos of celebrity visitors from the 50s and 60s) and its three-Michelin starred restaurant, “Le Louis XV-Alain Ducasse”, are places where great deals are done with maximum discretion.
Should you have something to celebrate, there is a wine cellar of 600,000 bottles. Among the 1.5km of shelving there is one chamber known as Maison du Maitre Chais which was bricked up in 1940 with all the hotel’s best vintages inside. It was unblocked after the last German soldier left neighbouring France.
Track It Down
Hôtel de Paris is in Place du Casino, the privately owned square in front of the casino and opera house designed by Charles Garnier, the French romantic who designed the Opera de Paris. It overlooks the Auditorium Rainier III and the Port Hercule harbour, and is immediately next to Avenue des Beaux Arts, one of the most exclusive shopping streets in the world. Immediately opposite the hotel on the other side of Place du Casino, stands Café de Paris, which has recently been rebuilt in Belle Epoque style and is the centre for informal meetings and gossip in Monaco.
Guests usually arrive via Nice Côte d’Azur airport, which is only seven minutes by helicopter flight (€190 euros/£146 per person return). The hotel operates its own shuttle to and from the Monaco Heliport. Transfer by hotel limousine from Nice takes 45 minutes ( €160/£123 one way). Valet car parking at the hotel costs €34 euros/£26 for 24 hours. If you are arriving by train a taxi from the railway station, Gare de Monaco Monte Carlo, costs approximately €20 euros (£15).
Check-in check
The staff at reception speak at least three languages (French, Italian and English) and often more. Check-in is simple and friendly and the hotel director usually comes to welcome guests in person, particularly those on their first visit. There is no preferred guest check-in service as the hotel likes to claim that all its guests are VIPs
Room to manoeuvre
There are 112 rooms, 31 junior-suites, 42 suites and two apartments with terraces. If you’re looking to really impress, the “Charles Garnier” apartment boasts a huge terrace overlooking Place du Casino, and the “Winston Churchill” apartment contains rare furniture that the British former PM brought with him on his frequent visits to the hotel, which have all been preserved in the apartment named after him.
Much is made of whether or not a room has a sea view or a view of the casino and opera house. Rates vary steeply depending on how spectacular your panorama proves to be.
Décor is opulent but comfortable. Paintings reflect the Cote d’Azur. Bathrooms are luxurious with marble topped counters and Jacuzzis. Flat-screen TVs offer 36 channels including CNN, BBC, Sky News, Sky Movies, MTV and National Geographic.
Get Connected
There is ADSL internet connection in all rooms at a rate of €25 euros (£19) for 24 hours. Each room is equipped with two-line Teledex hotel phones featuring voice mail but no speakers. There are three conference rooms, five private dining rooms and even a ballroom if you want to entertain big style. There is also a hospitality room within the famous wine cellar. The hotel’s business centre is behind the concierge desk. Opening hours are 9am to 9pm The charge for internet access starts at €8 (£6) for 30 minutes.
Fitness Regime
There is an enormous indoor swimming pool of filtered seawater that is accessed via a series of lifts and a long underground walkway beneath the Gucci shop. There is also a hammam of sorts off the pool, a pool bar and health food restaurant. All of this is part of the Thermes Marins de Monte-Carlo one of the biggest thalassotherapy spas in Europe, built on four floors facing the sea. The first-floor fitness centre is equipped with cardio-vascular machines, free weights and LifeFitness strength-training machines (treadmill, recumbent bicycle and elliptical cross trainer).
Raid the minibar
All rooms and suites have mini-bars stocked with soft drinks, wines and beers. You can also enjoy a drink in the ground floor Bar American, which has a view of the casino and Café de Paris.
Dining in the hotel is a total pleasure, whether you choose the Cote du Jardin (lunch only), the Louis XV (lunch and dinner Thursday-Monday) or the rooftop Le Grill (lunch and dinner every day).
The three-star Alain Ducasse Louis XV is very Versailles Grand Siècle with its gilded cornices and chandeliers. This was the first hotel restaurant in the world to gain three Michelin stars. Slightly more affordable is the one-Michelin Star Le Grill, which sits on the top floor of the hotel. At night, two of its panels retract so that diners can see the stars beyond. The Grill menu is Modern French. Not surprisingly, the seafood is excellent.
Breakfast news
Breakfast, which is not included in the room price, is served in the Côté Jardin on the ground floor (room service is also available), which opens out on to a terrace overlooking the Mediterranean. Prices are €33 (£25) for the continental breakfast or €38 (£29) for the buffet breakfast. An a la carte menu is also offered.
Rack rates:
Double rooms from €410 (£315) per night.
The Address
Hôtel de Paris Place du Casino MC 98000 Principauté de Monaco (00 377 98 06 30 00; hoteldeparismontecarlo.com).