WORDS: SARAH JOSEPH
Parisian Elegance
Luca Allegri, Managing Director of Le Bristol Paris on reinventing classic traditions with a modern touch 116 emirateswoman.com
EW_122021_P116-119_Le Bristol Paris.indd 116
What do the first 30 minutes of your day look like, your morning routine? The very first thing I do is drink coffee, then I move on to reading my emails, before starting with my daily fitness routine. What makes Le Bristol superlative in terms of stay? Le Bristol Paris is an icon of French elegance and art de vivre, boasting 190 completely renovated rooms and suites in the heart of Paris. It is an exceptional setting best known for its outstanding dining tradition. There are two Michelin-star restaurants onboard, one being Epicure (which has three Michelin stars) and the other 114 Faubourg (which has one Michelin star) – both are exceptional. The other facilities include a lush courtyard garden and an iconic rooftop swimming pool. What is the Hero Dish at Le Bristol Paris? The most iconic dish is called ‘Candele’ – a stuffed macaroni with black truffle, artichoke and duck foie gras, gratinated with mature Parmesan cheese and black truffle juice. This is served at Epicure, at Le Bristol Paris and is a truly signature dish. What is luxury in the industry today? Each person has a different and very personal vision and interpretation of luxury. For my part, if I had to have an image, it would be the possibility of dining in a Michelin starred restaurant such as Epicure to name one. This three-star Michelin restaurant situated in the heart of Le Bristol Paris, allows diners to have time, to take advantage of every moment, to have space, to feel almost alone in the world and to witness the beautiful ballet. Broadly speaking, the art of living in the moment undoubtedly represents luxury in my eyes. I am really attached to Mahatma Gandhi’s quote: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption in our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider in our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.” What has been your approach to client retention and scaling the business to date post COVID? We closed the doors of Le Bristol Paris for six months from March to September 2020 during the pandemic, giving us the opportunity to renovate our rooms and suites and to reimagine our 1,200m² garden. Since reopening in September 2020, we are grateful to have been able to continue our activity, and to welcome guests from all around the world. I am sure that you can feel our happiness in the air throughout the hotel. Every detail counts, even if we haven’t seen our guests for a few months. When they come back, they will still feel at home. The team anticipates our guests’ every wish and truly cares about the details for them to feel the same. What unique features set Le Bristol Paris apart from the other hotels? I think Le Bristol Paris strikes the harmonious balance between preserving traditional values, service, and elegance with a truly modern outlook. We are ready to adapt and evolve to the ever-changing trends in hospitality. Over the past couple of years, we have been carefully developing our ‘Ateliers du Bristol’, starting with
LIFESTYLE
11/29/21 4:52 PM
