The secret behind the 10 Signature Suites

Overlooking Place de la Concorde, Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel, has been a privileged witness to the past three centuries of France’s history. Firmly anchored in its era, it recently underwent some of the most significant renovations of its history:

• 147 craftsmen and 250 master builders were brought in to take part in restoring it

• 53 different types of marble were selected to decorate it

• 180,000 sq. ft. (over 16,700 m²) of corridors, rooms, and other spaces, making up 9 floors of renovations, the equivalent in size to the Stade de France stadium. 22,200 cubic yards (17,000 m³) were excavated beneath the historical site

… and each of the hotel’s 10 Signature Suites also hides unexpected secrets...

LES GRANDS APPARTEMENTS BY KARL LAGERFELD

Les Grands Appartements, located on the fourth floor, offer breathtaking views of Paris and its monuments, including the Eiffel Tower, Grand Palais, Musée d’Orsay, and Place de la Concorde. The works of renowned fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and a well-established enthusiast of the eighteenth century, the suites were designed to interpret his personal vision of French chic and modernity. Each of the Grands Appartements features bespoke furniture designed by Karl Lagerfeld, and along with the unique bathroom décors, offer guests a true experience.

Little-known secret

The bathtub, carved from a single slab of Carrara marble weighing in at over two tonnes, was lifted through the window using a crane and placed on two blocks of ice, which, as they melted, made it possible for the tub to be placed into position without damaging the floor.

SUITE DUC DE CRILLON

Located on the second floor, Suite Duc de Crillon bears the name of the hotel’s historic owner. Decorated and furnished by Aline Asmar d’Amman, the spirit of the hotel’s former private chapel is still present in the woodwork, the gilding, and the custom furniture.

Little-known secret

Some of the woodwork from Hôtel de Crillon’s former chapel was donated to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is now exhibited.

SUITE MARIE-ANTOINETTE

Redesigned with an eighteenth-century décor by interior designer Aline Asmar d’Amman, everything in Suite Marie-Antoinette pays tribute to the rich history of Hôtel de Crillon and the former Queen of France. Suite Marie-Antoinette, decorated in pink-grey tones that are both urban and feminine, features a secret passage to its living room, which looks onto a columned terrace by Ange-Jacques Gabriel overlooking Place de la Concorde.

Little-known secret

The historical living room of Suite Marie-Antoinette is said to have been the place where the queen took private piano lessons from October 1789 to August 1792, a period during which she lived in Tuileries Palace.

SUITE JARDIN

Suite Jardin embodies the Parisian residential style that defines Hôtel de Crillon. Inspired by Le Petit Trianon, this Signature Suite is a modern flat made up of a series of adjoining rooms. Its walls are lined with bookshelves, works of art, and antiques.

Little-known secret

Suite Jardin is unique in its use of an extremely rare variety of green marble, a colour that echoes the view from its terrace overlooking the lush vegetation of Cour d’Honneur, a veritable haven of tranquillity for guests.

SUITE BERNSTEIN

Suite Bernstein, located on the sixth floor, is the work of interior designer Chahan Minassian, who entirely reinterpreted the spirit of the eighteenth century. From its over 2,100 square-foot (200 m²) terrace, this suite offers guests a spectacular view of Paris’s most beautiful monuments.

Little-known secret

A regular guest since the 1970s, composer Léonard Bernstein has left his mark on Hôtel de Crillon. In 2013, when the hotel’s old furniture was auctioned off before the start of the renovations, one of his fans supposedly purchased the Suite’s bed for €9,000.

SUITE LOUIS XV

Located on the sixth floor, Suite Louis XV offers guests a stunning view of Paris. Featuring a terrace overlooking Place de la Concorde and with a sizeable living room, Suite Louis XV adjoins with Suite Bernstein to form one of the city’s largest suites.

Little-known secret

A century ago, the Suite Louis XV was the location of meetings to draft the treaty that would establish the League of Nations.

SUITES ATELIERS D’ARTISTES

Nestled beneath the roof of Hôtel de Crillon, Suites Ateliers d’Artistes offer a dazzling experience beneath the skies of Paris. Decorated by Chahan Minassian, the three Ateliers d’Artistes, each with a name echoing a different field of the arts, Le Poète (The Poet), L’Écrivain (The Writer), and Le Peintre (The Painter), pay tribute to French Art de vivre.

Little-known secret

Once the beating heart of the hotel, Suites Ateliers d’Artistes were formerly home to the administrative offices where staff organised visits of foreign delegations and handled accommodations for celebrity guests and VIPs.