The hotel is "harvesting" the palace

Some time ago, the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced the launch of the luxury hotel brand "Boutique Group", which will manage a series of iconic historical and cultural palaces in Saudi Arabia and transform them into luxury boutiques hotel. Judging from the location selection of many high-end luxury hotels in recent years, palaces are becoming the next "harvest" targets for hotels.

Hotels accelerate palace dreams

It is understood that the first phase of the "Boutique Group" brand will focus on the development of three palaces - the Al Hamra Palace in Jeddah, the Tuwaiq Palace in Riyadh and the Red Palace palace. Among them, Al Hamra Palace will provide 77 rooms, including 33 luxury suites and 44 luxury villas; Tuwaiq Palace will provide 96 rooms, including 40 luxury suites and 56 luxury villas; and the Red Palace will provide 71 rooms, including 46 luxury suites and 25 luxury rooms.

Back in June last year, Le Grand Contr?le, the world’s first hotel opened in the Palace of Versailles, opened. As the first and only hotel in the Palace of Versailles’ 300-year history, it was The hotel located here, Le Grand Contr?le, has undoubtedly attracted the attention of hoteliers around the world.

The hotel was renovated from three ancient buildings in the southern extension of the Palace of Versailles. It is managed by Airelles, a luxury hotel brand that specializes in manor hotels and aristocratic service standards. It is also directly led by the French National Monuments Center and is ranked according to the highest standards. Graded monuments are treated to restoration standards. The interior of the hotel recreates the aristocratic life of the 18th century. In addition to the restoration of furniture and furnishings, even the lighting design is consistent with the 18th century.

Six Senses Hotels’ opening plans in recent years also include palaces.

The Six Senses Bhavala Fort in Rajasthan, India, which opened last year, was transformed from a castle built in the 14th century. It has a history of 700 years and was originally built in Rajasthan. Owned by the royal family, the hotel's interiors are also designed in a modern Rajasthani style. Two original palaces and two temples are preserved within the castle walls. In addition to its operation, the hotel is also responsible for the protection and maintenance of the environment.

The Six Senses Lisbon hotel, scheduled to open in 2025, consists of the Palácio Lavra Palace, which was built in the 17th century and was later renovated, and the extraordinary Pedrosa Palace (Palácio de Pedrosas) two historical monuments. Pedrosa Palace retains many items purchased by Italian merchants, which will remain in place after the hotel opens, bringing guests a journey through time and space.

In addition, the UK’s first Raffles hotel, Raffles London at the OWO, which will be launched at the end of 2022, is located on the site of Whitehall Palace, the residence of Henry VIII and many other monarchs. The hotel underwent a five-year renovation of the main building, retaining the original Edwardian Baroque architectural details.

Palace hotels, sweeping across Asia and Europe

Looking at the palace hotels converted from palaces in the world, they are mainly located in three major regions - Europe, Arabia and India. South Asia.

In European history, the numerous royal stories are particularly colorful. Prominent royal members built a large number of palaces and palaces in Europe. These palaces with a history of more than a century provided the foundation for the emergence of palace hotels today.

The conversion of the palace into a hotel dates back to the 19th century. The Italian Manor d'Este, built in the 16th century, is one of the three most famous gardens of the Renaissance and was once the holiday palace of the German Princess Caroline. She spent five years expanding the estate, adding a library, theater and mid-level gardens. In 1873, it became a hotel and hosted a number of European royals.

The predecessor of the Bussaco Palace Hotel in Portugal was the hunting palace of the last king of Portugal built in 1885. The palace was converted into a hotel in 1917, retaining the Manueline style of the Renaissance and antique furniture and decorations characteristic of the historical era.

The Matild Palace in Budapest, Hungary, was built in 1902 for Maria Klotild, a German princess. It was a well-known social center at that time and was acquired by the Marriott Luxury Collection brand. Opening in 2021.

Paris, France, has a larger number of palace hotels. The Shangri-La Hotel in Paris has taken over the residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte; the La Réserve Paris is a low-key hotel located in the palace of Napoleon III. On top of the mansion built by her half-brother, Rosewood took over the Hotel Clion, which was converted from the Palais Clion. In 2014, it opened a new chapter as Rosewood Paris.

The palace hotels in India have a more unique cultural style. For example, the Taj Lake Palace Hotel in Udaipur, India, is located on Jag Niwas Island in the center of Lake Pichola. It is like a mobile palace. To get to the island, you must use a boat.

This white palace was built by Maharana Jagat Singh II in 1746. It has been the summer residence of the Mughal Dynasty for more than 200 years until it was transformed into a palace hotel by the Taj Group in 1963.

The palace hotels in the Arabian region present a unique blend of East and West. Morocco's legendary palace hotel, La Mamounia, was formerly a royal garden. It was a wedding gift given by the King of Morocco to Prince AI Mamoun in the 18th century. In 1923, La Mamounia officially opened to the public as a luxury hotel. With its rich Moroccan style, complicated embroidery and carvings, just as Churchill once said, "La Mamounia is one of the most beautiful places in the world."

Why are the big hotel brands competing to “harvest” the World Palace?

Whether it is commercialization such as Marriott, or hidden luxury such as Aman and Six Senses, more and more big hotel brands are interested in palaces. Behind this, there may be the following reasons.

First, the battle for landmarks is in the ascendant. It is not difficult to find that as palaces or palaces, the predecessors of palace hotels often occupy excellent urban and natural locations. For example, the Six Senses Lisbon Hotel to be opened is located in the center of Lisbon, just steps away from all the cultural centers of the city; at Villa d'Este on Lake Como, the third largest lake in Italy, the windows of every room, They are all like perfectly proportioned picture frames, allowing for an unobstructed view of the lake.

Location has always been the key to hotel development, especially as the number of hotel openings increases worldwide, the battle for landmarks will spread to every key market. It is not surprising that the palace itself is an important landmark and is being targeted by big hotel brands.

The second is the history of the palace, which gives it a natural sense of story. Compared with ordinary modern buildings, palace buildings with history can greatly help in brand design and operation. From history, hotels can draw on design styles to gain the unique advantage of blending ancient and modern times. After four years of renovation, a group of master craftsmen, artists and designers worked hard to transform the Rosewood Hotel Paris into a gorgeous residence for 21st century travelers. Concept, long history reinterpreted with a modern and novel touch. As Rosewood Paris Architects said, "Tradition is the driving force that drives us forward, so the starting point for the hotel's reshaping is to inject those things that enable us to continue to gain and develop, while creating something different."

The historical story of the palace itself brings natural traffic and genes to the hotel. Matild Palace, once the social center of Budapest, specially designed a Duchess bar after it was included in the Luxury Collection brand. It serves as the hotel's "secret drink library" and roof garden. It was inspired by the request to build a hidden bar in the original palace. The Archduchess of Austria at the rooftop bar.

Third, brand promotion requires a crown “pearl”. Even if it is the same hotel brand, it still needs a "flagship" brand to support the brand's quality, which is more conducive to the promotion of the brand around the world.

The Taj brand, founded in 1903, is the oldest hotel brand in India. Its superior works include the TAJ LAKE PALACE hotel, the Umaid Bhawan Palace hotel, and the Lamba Palace hotel under its management. , all of which help it move from India to the world.

The fourth is one’s own feelings. Some hotel brands themselves are committed to the renovation and operation of old buildings, and it is reasonable to "harvest" palaces. Le Grand Contr?le Hotel in the Palace of Versailles, France, belongs to the Airelles Collection. It is understood that during the French government's public bidding, the Airelles Collection defeated Accor Group and won the qualification to build a hotel in the Palace of Versailles.

Although Airelles Collection is far less well-known than Accor, its emotional connection is inseparable from the "palace". Most of its hotels are located in French resorts, and they are all renovated in European palace style and old houses, such as the La Bastide Hotel in Provence. The hotel still retains the paintings, artwork, furniture, and even books from the previous owner; Les Airelles opened in Courchevel, the world's largest ski area, and the designer built the hotel in the style of an Austro-Hungarian Empire castle, bringing a unique experience.

The fifth is the social responsibility of cultural inheritance. There are many advantages to locating a hotel in a palace, but it also means expensive restoration and maintenance costs. But nowadays, more and more hotel brands, while developing commercially, also shoulder the social responsibility of cultural inheritance and transmission. Amansala, located in Cambodia, was formerly the palace of King Sihanouk. It is close to the Angkor ruins surrounded by forests and rice fields, and enjoys the beauty of the ancient Khmer civilization.

Aman retains the building’s original simple geometric style structure of the 1960s, and incorporates a minimalist oriental Zen style on this basis. As a residence of cultural monuments, the hotel has specially set up a library to provide books on Angkor Wat and Khmer civilization. At the same time, the Khmer Farm in Angkor Archaeological Park is only open to Amansala guests. Guests can sit Take a cruise to get closer to the local culture.

How can a hotel go one step further than luxury?

Although the competition for palaces is fierce, you must also understand that not all superior hotel brands can put their names on palaces.

In 2010, France created a label - Palaces de France - to distinguish luxury hotels in France with a rating of 5 stars or above. So far, 31 hotels in France have received the "palace" label, but not all of these hotels are palaces. From the existing palace hotels and the characteristics of these palace-level hotels, we may be able to get a glimpse of what a hotel that goes beyond luxury can look like.

01 A hotel concept that spans the ages

In Bohumil Hrabal's novel "I Served on the King of England", the protagonist Dieter asks his manager why he knows so much "Hospitality," the manager replied, "I once served the King of England." This sense of dignity, pride and glory coexisted, but there was no sense of flattery. Under the development of the chain, it is falling apart. , in palace hotels and palace-level hotels, we may be able to experience it a little bit.

At the beginning of the birth of luxury hotels, hotel services were "dream-making". When Caesar Liz was working as a restaurant manager at the Ricky Kulm Hotel in the Alps, the hotel was notified that a group of American guests were going to dine at the hotel. It was early winter, and the weather in the mountains was already very cold. However, the heating system of the hotel was broken, and the restaurant was as cold as an ice cellar.

Caesar Liz took action quickly: he adjusted the menu and changed the first course to hot broth; he changed the dining location from the restaurant to a smaller lounge, where Decorated with red window curtains, it looked warmer; he emptied the flowerpots with large plants and poured flammable liquid into them to use as a stove; he even had more than twenty bricks placed in the boiler to heat them up and wrapped in flannel. , placed under the guests' feet to keep them warm. This group of American guests were so satisfied with their meal that almost no one even noticed the temperature problem in the restaurant.

Today, in the palace-level hotel La Réserve, travelers can still experience that with just a phone call, the butler can arrange for an unforgettable Michelin restaurant, a limited edition luxury bag, and pick-up and drop-off from any corner of Paris. Find the unique treasures of Paris and other things that no one else can do and arrange them accordingly.

02 Design style that reflects the past and the present

Palace hotels and palace-level hotels often have hundreds of years of history. How to properly integrate history and modernity to make luxury enough? Taste has become an important proposition for "luxury-above" hotels.

Spanning three centuries, the Le Meurice hotel is known as one of the most elegant hotels in the world. The hotel is decorated in an 18th-century style with Louis XVI-style furniture, as well as modern equipment.

Even on different floors, the Maurice Hotel has different designs. The presidential suite and luxury apartment on the second floor are in Louis XVI style, with white and gold as the main colors, and Versailles-style floors with fine wood inlays. Ancient furniture, as well as tall fireplaces, Polish beds, and large oil paintings; the design style on the third and fourth floors is suitable for business people, with spacious work spaces; the decoration style on the upper floors is more Parisian, suitable for customers who want to live here for a long time .

Even Le Grand Contr?le in the Palace of Versailles, in addition to the extremely restored space and guest rooms, is equipped with top-notch facilities, including a fitness center and an indoor swimming pool.

03 The endless historical charm

Palace hotels and palace-level hotels have more or less hosted countless celebrities. The romantic affairs of these celebrities have also become the history of the hotel. Add a strong stroke of ink and a sense of identity with similar temperaments, making the hotel and the writer stand together. Just like Hemingway and Chanel are to the Ritz in Paris, Dali is to the Hotel Maurice.

The hotel will silently commemorate these "old friends" in its own way, perhaps with suites named after writers, or with carefully planned anniversaries every year, such as Hemingway Bar at the Ritz in Paris, Dali The hotel is named after Restaurant Le Dali.

The hotel and the celebrities are mutual history, cherish each other, and build a flowing river of history together, creating the unique luxury of the hotel.

Are luxury hotels the end? What should a hotel above a luxury hotel look like? Palace hotels and palace-level hotels, as the top members of the industry, have given an example - they have traveled far away and returned to the beginning of the industry, they have learned to be harmonious and self-consistent after seeing the wind and rain.