Skift Take
Renovating an historic grande dame hotel can be a daunting task. And when you are working with a Parisian building originally commissioned by Louis XV, the stakes are even higher. We learn how a team of French designers re-imagined the historic Hôtel de Crillon into a hotel that appealed to 21st century senses and sensibilities.
The long-anticipated reopening of the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris took place earlier this month. The result of the four-year renovation project is a refreshed property balancing historic conservation with 21st century transformation.
The process was painstaking. After all, this is an iconic place. The Neoclassical structure was commissioned by Louis XV in the 1750s, and became the residence of the Count de Crillon and family for years. It first transformed into a hotel in 1909 and it quickly became the place where fashionable Parisians celebrated the French art de vivre.
However, as the 20th century turned into the 21st, it became clear to the owners, members of the Saudi royal family, that this dowager needed a facelift. The owner’s representative and a handpicked project management team initiated the renovation of Hôtel de Crillon. They hired Richard Martinet as the chief architect, and assembled a team of Parisian-based m
