Hilton Paris Opéra PARIS
Richmond completes the $50 million restoration of a Parisian grand dame, creating a new landmark for Hilton Worldwide’s flagship brand. Words: Catherine Martin | Photography: © Fabrice Rambert
L
a Belle Époque can be largely credited for the city of Paris as we know it. It was a period of growth, prosperity and joie de vivre in which the arts flourished, popular culture came into its own and urban development was at its peak. Reforms to the city’s architecture, courtesy of George-Eugène Haussmann, created the wide boulevards and public squares still in existence today; the Moulin Rouge introduced a cabaret show that continues to dazzle; and in 1889, the iron lattice Eiffel Tower – said to be the mostvisited paid monument in the world – was erected as the entrance arch to the Exposition Universelle. 1889 also marked the opening of Grand Hotel Terminus, one of the city’s original majestic hotels. Designed by architect Juste Lisch to accommodate visitors flocking to the Expo, it benefitted from its proximity to the adjacent Gare Saint-Lazare, also masterminded by Lisch. The station, the second busiest in Paris, has recently been developed to add new bars, restaurants and retail, not only upgrading passenger services but transforming the entire area. In keeping with such advancements, the 125-year-old hotel,