A hotel from 1928 that Philippe Starck renovated from the ground up – with its own art collection, gallery, bookshop and a cinema with 99 seats.
In this story · 6 sections
In the summer of 2008, Le Royal Monceau on avenue Hoche closed, and the furniture was sold at auction. When the hotel reopened in October 2010, it was Philippe Starck who had redesigned it from scratch – now with its own art collection, a gallery, an art bookshop and a cinema.
The hotel is located a few blocks from the Arc de Triomphe in the 8th arrondissement, is now run under the Raffles name and has held France's Palace distinction since 2013.
Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris
- Address
- 37 avenue Hoche, 75008 Paris
- Opened
- 1 August 1928
- Architect
- Louis Duhayon with Charles Lefebvre and Marcel Julien
- Renovation
- Philippe Starck and Didier Poignant, reopened in 2010
- Distinction
- Palace (since 2013)
- Rooms
- 149 rooms, suites and apartments
- Restaurants
- Il Carpaccio (one star since 2022 according to the hotel), Matsuhisa Paris
- Other
- Art gallery, Librairie des Arts, Katara Cinema (99 seats)
01A hotel from 1928
Le Royal Monceau was founded by Pierre Bermond and André Junot and opened on 1 August 1928, designed by the architect Louis Duhayon together with Charles Lefebvre and Marcel Julien. According to the hotel, Josephine Baker, Walt Disney, the Aga Khan and King Farouk of Egypt were among its early guests.
During the Second World War, the hotel was requisitioned, and according to Sortiraparis, Eisenhower and Montgomery used it as their headquarters. The hotel's own history also links it to David Ben-Gurion, who stayed here in the years before the founding of Israel. Later in the 20th century, Le Royal Monceau became a home for musicians and film people – the singer Michel Polnareff is said to have lived here for more than 800 nights between 1989 and 1992.
02Philippe Starck's reinterpretation
The 2008–2010 renovation was carried out by Philippe Starck together with the architect Didier Poignant. When the hotel reopened, it had 149 rooms, suites and apartments. The spa is white and sculpturally lit, with a rectangular pool whose walls let the light through, and has a hammam, laconium and sauna.
03Art, the bookshop and the cinema
Art is the backbone of the hotel. The collection comprises, according to the hotel, more than 300 works, and the gallery is the hub of the house's cultural life. Librairie des Arts sells art books and objects, and a dedicated art concierge manages the hotel's cultural programme. The hotel also has Katara Cinema, a private cinema with 99 seats.
04Il Carpaccio and Matsuhisa
Il Carpaccio opened in 2021 in collaboration with the brothers Enrico and Roberto Cerea of Da Vittorio and is run by head chefs Alessandra Del Favero and Oliver Piras. According to the hotel, the restaurant has held a star in the Guide Michelin since 2022.
Matsuhisa Paris opened in 2016 as Nobu Matsuhisa's first restaurant in France, with Japanese cuisine borrowing from Latin America and France. Bar Long is the hotel's more relaxed room, and pastry chef Quentin Lechat is behind the afternoon tea.
05Between Étoile and Parc Monceau
Avenue Hoche stretches from the Arc de Triomphe to Parc Monceau, and the Champs-Élysées is nearby. The whole city, arrondissement by arrondissement, can be found in VERA PI's Paris guide, and more of the city's great hotels are in our guide to the palace hotels of Paris, from the Ritz to Le Bristol.
06How to make the most of a stay at Le Royal Monceau
Ask the art concierge about current exhibitions in the gallery, and book a table at Il Carpaccio at the same time as the room. A morning walk goes along avenue Hoche to Parc Monceau.
