Travelling in the footsteps of properties like The Collection’s Maison Villeroy, Chopard recently debuted its first bona fide hotel concept — now taking reservations in the heart of Paris’ 1st arrondissement.
Named matter-of-factly for its physical address at “1, Place Vendôme”, the new Chopard hotel is so much more than your average luxury brand PR stunt: reminiscent of a gilded Parisian manse, replete with Chagall paintings and round-the-clock dining service, where the Maison rooms its most valued clients.
With a 45-person staff of “multidiscipline” attendants at guests’ beck and call, the emphasis is on service that is agile, immediate, and essentially no-holds-barred (whether you’re after bookings at any of the district’s nearby Michelin-starred restaurants or simply an ice-cold Martini delivered to your suite).
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For the Scheufele family, owners of Chopard since 1963, to describe the project as a labour of love would be a gross understatement. “We’ve spent six years and have been involved in every aspect,” says Karl-Fritz Scheufele, the brand’s Co-President.
“We’re living in an age where, when you launch your products, it’s done with a big marketing campaign and big event. It’s all kind of ceremonial.” Accordingly, all the way through the execution of this new property, Scheufele stresses it was vital “to do things differently…in a very targeted way”.
This desire — to take the road less travelled — is apparent when glancing through any number of the property’s hardware/software specs. At the time of writing, 1, Place Vendôme’s Instagram account displays four posts and less than 1,000 followers (no ‘collaborative’ content with pay-to-play influencers here). All told, the property consists of 15 guestrooms — two-thirds of which are classified as suites.
Even at the less pointy end of the stick, entry-level Premier rooms are priced at around $2,610. A good number of the hotel’s suites, executed by renowned interiors firm PYR, embody the aesthetic of precious stones in Chopard’s jewellery collections: such as jade, rubies, and the Paraiba tourmaline.
At the very top end, the brand’s VVIP clients will likely spring for the Appartement Chopard: a 130 sqm salon, outfitted with a working fireplace, private hammam, and direct line-of-sight to the Vendôme column (the 19th-century landmark, commissioned by Napoleon I, to commemorate French victory at the Battle of Austerlitz). All this for the cool price of around $34,450 per night.
To put this in terms watch collectors will understand: that’s just shy of what you’ll pay for the brand’s rather excellent L.U.C ‘1860’ limited edition. But who’s counting?
