COVETED MAGAZINE PAGE 103
HOTELS WE COVET
There are hotels that have souls. Beyond a meticulous decoration to
the last detail, impeccable attention and exclusive services, there are
establishments that manage to transmit to their guest’s sensations
that go beyond the material; that make those who stay under their
roof feel that the place has been a witness and part of history.
One of them is The Peninsula Paris, a hotel located at number 19
avenue Kléber, in the heart of the French capital, which has just been
recognized by the World Travel Awards, the Oscars of tourism, as
the best luxury hotel 2020. However, this refined five-star modernist
palace in the elegant 16th district hides some secrets that make it
something special.
Built-in 1864 by a Russian diplomat, The Peninsula Paris was for
36 years the official residence of Elizabeth II in her exile after the
success of the Glorious Revolution. The sovereign, welcomed in
1868 by Napoleon III and his wife, Eugenia de Montijo, renamed the
Basiliewski hotel with the name of the Palace of Castile and made it
his home, where he lived until his death in 1904.
Four years after his death, in 1908, the palace would open its doors,
now as a Majestic hotel, hosting the most select of European society,
until the outbreak of the First World War altered its placid existence.
It was transformed into a hospital for a few months and later
resumed hotel activity, welcoming again clients from all over the
world. Among them, war correspondents like Azorín, who from here
wrote some of his chronicles.
The Peninsula Paris is a joint venture between Katara Hospitality and
The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH). The Peninsula
