Overseas Premier Hospitality

Le Méridien Etoile

Le Méridien Etoile
Written by Roma Publications

Le Méridien Etoile

Le Méridien Etoile

After a multi-million Euro renovation, Le Méridien Etoile, set in the heart of the French capital of Paris, opened its doors earlier this year. The renovation consisted of the re-imagining of the guestrooms, suites and the transformation of the hotel’s public spaces which includes the legendary Jazz Club Etoile and signature lobby Le Méridien hub.

The Le Meridien brand reintroduced its first ever flagship hotel to Paris after the completion of the renovation that began over a year ago. The design of the 1,025 room hotel was inspired by the mid-century modern style of the 40s and 50s with the rooms designed by architect Jean-Phillippe Nuel and the public spaces designed by the London firm Michealis Boyd and Le Méridien Global Designer Julie Frank.

Located in the 17th arrondissement, and within walking distance from the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysées, Le Méridien Etoile is the largest hotel in central Paris. The hotel itself originally opened on the boulevard Gouvion St Cyr in Paris in 1972, with the Jazz Club Etoile launched in 1975. The hotel sits opposite from the Paris Convention Centre and has easy access to the Charles de Gaulle airport as well as La Défense business district.

Le Méridien Etoile’s guestrooms have been refurbished with a colour palette of grey, light blue and charcoal in order to create an eye-catching but understated theme running throughout. The décor is elegant and refined with nods to Haute Couture from the carpets that reflect the tweed used by the high-end tailors of Rue Cambon. Imagery linked to travel is used within the décor with illustrated maps adorning the headboards as well as deconstructed images of the city displayed in both the rooms and corridors. The theme of the bedrooms continues into the bathrooms with the use of updated furnishings, mirrors and lighting to create a modern feel.

Along with the rooms, the Hub, which is Le Méridien’s reinterpretation of a traditional lobby, has been arranged like a home with its chic and vintage living room furniture. The use of matted brass finishes, rich walnut and pale oak along with highlights of deep colours and graphic lines is done as an homage to the hotel’s mid-century style. The specially created circular suspended luminaire bathes the Hub in a warm light and is the area’s central feature. The theme of travel starts here with Julie Frank designing the space to feature a world map as well as books, lamps and other small ornaments.

Guests are greeted by a backdrop of unique artwork inspired by the cartography of the arrondissements (districts) of Paris. Within the Hub sits a sculpture by Arnold Goron linking to a long fresco behind the reception desk and is inspired by the delicate metal and ironwork used throughout the city. Original artwork runs though the entirety of the hotel which has all been created exclusively for the hotel by artists chosen by Le Méridien Etoile’s art curator Marion Vignal.

Like most other hotels, the Le Méridien Etoile has meeting spaces available for use. The 2,500m2 area is divided into 25 modular spaces with elements taken from the city itself. The smaller meeting rooms hold up to 25 people and are named after local streets where as the larger room can hold up to 1,200 people and are named after neighbouring avenues and boulevards. Within the meeting space, the outline of the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and Tour Montparnasse are overlaid in monochromatic tones to create a camouflaged print that reveals these landmarks upon closer inspection. The use of walnut and oak create a link to the Hub and the accents of black and stainless steel help to give it a sleek, professional look.

One of the most famous features of the hotel is the legendary Jazz Club Etoile. Opened in 1972, the club has had the opportunity to host a number of the greatest names on the jazz, blues, soul, and funk and rythmn scene. Names such as the Count Basie Orchestra, Mighty Mo Rodgers, Ike Turner, BB King, Dee Dee Bridgewater and, more recently Diana Krall, have all helped to make this jazz club the hotspot it is today.

After 40 years of live music, the Jazz Club Etoile closed its doors in February for three months of renovations and the club has now opened up as a stylish new space where dishes cooked by the Chef, house cocktails and a new events programme set the tone. The lighting systems have been updated to adjust to suit different atmospheres where as the vintage furniture harks back to the modern mid-century style that is used throughout the rest of the hotel. The club features 180 seats with the 180° curved stage just a few metres from the audience. Metallic details allude to the structure of the Eiffel Tower and the white-tiled, metro-inspired alcove is adorned with two original works of art by the plastics artist Christian Gastaldi.

Le Méridien Etoile

ChandlerKBS

Established for over 30 years, ChandlerKBS provides independent consultancy services for the hospitality, retail, leisure, residential, office and infrastructure sectors. The company provides a range of services, including project management, cost management, site co-ordination, client representative services, technical due diligence, project monitoring and FFE and OSE Procurement.

ChandlerKBS works throughout the UK and Europe. In the UK, ChandlerKBS has a network of offices in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and Exeter, while across Europe ChandlerKBS has offices in Paris, Berlin and Dusseldorf.

ChandlerKBS is currently project and cost managing hospitality projects involving various international brands / operators including Hilton, Marriott, IHG, Carlson Rezidor, Starwood, Hyatt Mövenpick, Accor, Louvre Hotel Group, Hotel du Vin Hotels and many more. Clients include Westmont Hospitality Group, Host Hotels and Resorts, Almus Capital Partners, GIC, AXA Investment Managers and Constellation Hotels Holding Ltd, amongst others.

A significant project for ChandlerKBS is Le Meridien, Etoile – a multi-million Euro renovation in Paris.

Commenting on Le Meridien, Etoile, Jacqui Farr, ChandlerKBS, said:

“Our involvement commenced on the project shortly after our client acquired the property. Our role was to manage the proposed refurbishment works from inception / finalisation of the agreed scope of works between the owner and operator through to the completion of the refurbishment works.

“The hotel remained in operation throughout the process. ChandlerKBS provided full project and cost management services, on site co-ordination assistance and the FFE procurement services.”

Jacqui said:

“At ChandlerKBS, we pride ourselves in providing innovative solutions to ensure that our clients obtain best value. We consistently deliver first class, cost effective results, underpinned by an impressive track record and depth of expertise. ChandlerKBS has successfully built up strong, long-term client relationships by combining strategic advice with individual attention, whilst continually challenging traditional practice. It is this approach, which makes us different.”

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Roma Publications