Rumours have been swirling for months that the iconic French luxury
brand Louis Vuitton is going to open a hotel in Paris. The speculation
is centered around a huge renovation project LVMH (the parent company of
Louis Vuitton) is undertaking on the Champs-Élysées, one of the most
famous avenues in the world.
LVMH got approval from the city to potentially include a "hotel" as
part of redeveloping an entire city block building into a new massive
retail space, basement area, courtyard and other facilities. But the
company has been tight-lipped, only saying it's a "new project" that
will be "a new historic chapter."
So is a Louis Vuitton hotel actually going to happen? During a recent
earnings call, LVMH's CEO Bernard Arnault seemingly threw some cold
water on the hotel rumors, saying "I'm not personally convinced, fully
convinced of that...There are a great many hotels already in Paris.
Cheval Blanc [an existing LVMH hotel brand] is the finest."
Adding fuel to the hotel fire, LVMH has constructed a giant fake
facade on the building replicating one of Louis Vuitton's iconic
monogrammed travel trunks. The historic building used to be a hotel
itself from 1898-1919.
Some speculate that if a hotel does happen, it may be ultra-exclusive
VIP suites only bookable privately, similar to an exclusive apartment
at LVMH's Dior store down the street. LVMH has been positioning that
neighborhood as a new travel hotspot, opening hotels, restaurants, and
soon a chocolate factory.
Whether it's a full hotel or just VIP digs, one thing's for sure -
all eyes are on LVMH's huge renovation to see what luxurious travel
experience emerges.