Katara Hospitality has announced the opening of its property in Paris, The Peninsula Paris, following an extensive four-year restoration.
It becomes the 18th operational hotel in Katara Hospitality’s portfolio of 28 properties around the world.
Jointly owned by Katara Hospitality and The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), The Peninsula Paris celebrated its opening last Friday.
Those present on the occasion included Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, France; Fleur Pellerin, secretary of state for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad; Sheikh Nawaf bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, chairman of Katara Hospitality; Clement Kwok, CEO of HSH; and Nicolas Béliard, general manager of The Peninsula Paris.
There was a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a traditional Chinese lion dance to mark the opening of the hotel.
“The Peninsula Paris represents a true hospitality gem in our portfolio of iconic hotels. After today’s soft opening, we are confident the property will bring new levels of distinction to the Parisian luxury hotels market. I would like to express our deepest appreciation to the French and Paris authorities for their continuous support,” said Sheikh Nawaf.
“I am excited to announce the latest addition to The Peninsula Hotels’ family, The Peninsula Paris. This is our 10th Peninsula hotel and our first hotel in Europe. It has taken four years to design and build this magnificent contemporary hotel with state-of-the-art facilities within this beautiful historic building, which as a result has been restored to its former glory,” said Kwok.
The French officials present on the occasion highlighted that the opening of the hotel has already created 530 full-time jobs, which might increase to 600 by the end of the year, in addition to 3,000 workers, master craftsmen and architects who have worked on the restoration of the project.