Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills is a few years away yet. But an advance look at the five-star hotel experience from luxury conglomerate LVMH is available at the Cheval Blanc Paris this fall. The property is but one of the showstoppers of the revitalized Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf project unveiled in the City of Light on June 21.
La Samaritaine, the legendary 100-plus-year-old Paris department store, is the centerpiece, as well as namesake of the project. Snuggled on the banks of the Seine, near Notre-Dame Cathedral and the Louvre, it is renowned, among other things, for its 1920s-era Art Deco façade, imposing iron and glass roof and gold leaf-adorned central staircase. It is an historic monument in France, a testament to both Art Nouveau and Art Deco design. Inside lies 215,000 square feet of shopping space, plus a window into day-to-day Parisian life. Closed since 2005 for safety reasons, it has been sorely missed by residents and visitors alike.
