April in Paris may presage Beverly Hills in the near future. Cheval Blanc Paris, the acclaimed hotel opened by luxury conglomerate LVMH last fall, is now home to a dining establishment with three Michelin stars. The honor was bestowed recently to the Arnaud Donckelehelmed Ple?nitude. The three-star highest rating from the prestigious Michelin guide is reserved for those culinary destinations that are “worth a special journey.” The honor is essentially unprecedented for a restaurant such as Ple?nitude, which opened but six months ago.
In fact, such a thing has happened only rarely in the last three decades.
Located on the hotel’s first floor, the intimate Ple?nitude features 26 seats overlooking the Seine. Donckele, described as a “saucier-parfumeur,” spent more than three years developing its cuisine. His handiwork catapults Ple?nitude into an elite club. Only 130 restaurants in the world have earned the coveted three Michelin stars, and Cheval Blanc is associated with two of them. The other celebrated establishment also overseen by Donckele is LaVague d’Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez.
“These stars recognize Arnaud Donckele’s years of hard work and his high standards. He is a genius-alchemist who takes us on a journey full of emotion and poetry. He transforms each of his achievements into exceptional and continues to reinvent himself to continue surprising us every day and make us travel around a plate that is always unique,” said Olivier Lefebvre, CEO of Cheval Blanc Hotels.
As reported in the Courier, Cheval Blanc Paris opened to much acclaim last fall in the historic Art Deco Samaritaine building. The first urban hotel from LVMH faces Quai du Louvre, near Notre Dame Cathedral and the Louvre, in the heart of that great city.
Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills is set to open in the heart of another great city.
In this case, the renowned location is the corner of Rodeo Drive and South Santa Monica Boulevard, anchoring the city’s Business Triangle. Like its Parisian counterpart, Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills bears the hallmark of American architect and designer Peter Marino.
While Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills is still in the midst of the city’s approval process, plans for the 1.3-acre parcel include an ultra-luxury 115 guest room hotel, rooftop pools, ground-floor LVMH retail establishments and of course, fine dining venues.
Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, hinted exclusively to the Courier about what is to come.
“Honoring Ple?nitude at Cheval Blanc Paris with the highest possible rating from MICHELIN so soon after its opening, along with the universal acclaim for our world-class hotel, demonstrate Cheval Blanc’s uncompromising commitment to quality, excellence, and unrivaled hospitality. This is the Cheval Blanc standard. We hope to have the opportunity to deliver this premier level of service and refinement to Rodeo Drive at the proposed Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills, our first location in the United States,” said Arnault.
Cheval Blanc Beverly Hills will be in good company, joining locations in the Maldives and Saint Barth, as well as the aforementioned Paris and St. Tropez.
