The Local France

Paris luxury hotel told to pay up after guest molests cleaner

Fri, 30 Sep 2016 18:43:21 +0200

A cleaner who was molested at a Paris luxury hotel by a Qatari guest in 2010 has been awarded €57,000 ($63,500), according to a court ruling seen Friday by AFP.

Paris Ritz hotel to open after four-year makeover

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 20:48:53 +0200

The landmark Paris Ritz hotel will re-open its palatial doors to guests Monday after nearly four years of renovations and a major fire.

Liberté, egalité, infidelité? The French boom in 'daycations'

Mon, 15 Feb 2016 14:11:01 +0100

A French startup is taking over the hotel world by offering clients special prices to rent rooms by the hour. And the French themselves are showing a lustful appetite for the offers. But it's not all about mistresses and affairs apparently.

Paris Ritz hotel hit by blaze weeks before grand reopening

Tue, 19 Jan 2016 09:16:39 +0100

A fire engulfed the top floor of the Ritz hotel in Paris on Tuesday, which is currently closed as it undergoes major refurbishment work.

IN IMAGES: 'Water wheel hotel' planned for Paris

Thu, 12 Nov 2015 16:03:08 +0100

Plans are afoot to install a "water wheel hotel" on the banks of the River Seine that would see guests sleep in rotating pods that rise and fall above the City of Light.

Five of the most crazily cool hotels in France

Mon, 17 Aug 2015 14:33:40 +0200

With the Palace of Versailles potentially soon set to open its doors to overnight guests, we take a look at some of the other unusual holiday accommodation options in France - from enormous bubbles to treetop hangouts.

Palace of Versailles could soon open a hotel

Mon, 17 Aug 2015 12:12:44 +0200

How would you like to spend the night as a French king in Versailles? This dream may soon be possible as the Palace of Versailles considers turning some of its mansions into a luxury hotel.

Chinese tourism giant in French budget hotel deal

Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:15:00 +0100

Chinese tourism giant Jin Jiang has signed a deal with US investment group Starwood to buy a string of French budget hotels, the two companies said on Wednesday.

Paris: Luxury hotel staff strike for better pay

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:51:00 +0200

A rebellion among hotel workers at some of Paris's luxury hotels continued this week with staff at the deluxe Royal Monceau-Raffles - where the presidential suite costs €25,000 a night - staging a walk-out to protest over their low wages.

Robbers in zoro-masks target wealthy US couple

Mon, 30 Jun 2014 15:35:00 +0200

In a scene that could have been taken from a Hollywood screenplay, crooks wearing zoro-masks robbed a wealthy American couple at a luxury French hotel at the weekend, cutting the terrified woman's €180,000 ring from her finger.

Fury as French hotel tax set for fivefold increase

Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:57:00 +0200

Hotel owners in France were howling in protest on Friday over a proposed 500 percent increase in the country's hotel tax. The hike would be even more severe in Paris, which sees some 30 million foreign visitors a year.

Firm to buy posh Paris hotel to woo Chinese

Tue, 17 Jun 2014 10:40:00 +0200

A Hong Kong investment group has announced it is buying a plush Champs Elysées hotel, which it plans to market to Chinese visitors. The deal comes at a time when the number of Chinese tourists visiting France is at an all-time high.

Qatar 'vows to' restore fire-hit Paris landmark

Wed, 10 Jul 2013 11:00:00 +0200

A blaze engulfed the 17th century Hôtel Lambert on Île Saint-Louis in the 4th arrondissement of Paris overnight on Wednesday. France's culture minister said the historic mansion has been damaged "irreversibly" but its owners - the Qatari royal family told the minister they will restore it.

400-year-old Paris Ritz artwork sold for €1.44m

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:37:00 +0200

A 400-year-old masterpiece that only came to light during a renovation at Paris's Ritz hotel has been sold for €1.44 million to New York's Metropolitan Museum, auction house Christie's said on Thursday.

'400-year-old painting' found in Paris Ritz

Wed, 23 Jan 2013 15:24:00 +0100

It is the art world's equivalent of finding a precious gold coin down the back of a sofa. A major renovation at Paris's legendary Ritz hotel has resulted in the discovery of a painting thought to be the work of 17th century artist Charles Le Brun that nobody knew was there.

Scowling hotel boss wins sacking payout

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:24:00 +0200

The manager of the Sofitel in Cannes has won €115,000 in damages after suing the company for firing her because she failed to smile at the customers.

Paris Ritz shuts down for massive refurb

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:08:00 +0200

Paris's luxury Ritz hotel, owed by Mohamed Al-Fayed, is set to close its doors to customers this summer for a €140 million renovation.