Paris's top-of-the-range hotels are back in business after months of closure. While some hotels took the gamble of reopening their doors at the start of the summer, such as the FauchonFrom 1 July, or the Hilton Opéra on 10 July, most of the four and five star establishments kept their doors closed until September.
According to MKG Consulting, more than half the hotels in Paris were still closed last August, with an opening rate of just 47 %, compared with 90 % in the provinces and 98 % on the coast. And this rate includes budget and mid-range hotels. For the four- and five-star categories, the opening rates are only 44 % and 29 % respectively.
With only one room in two open, the Paris hotel industry saw its occupancy rate fall by more than 40 points this summer (to 34 1TP3Q), while the sector held up better overall than its European neighbours thanks to domestic leisure customers. Vanguélis Panayotis, CEO of MKG Consulting, said: " Despite the pre-season blip, many destinations managed to limit the haemorrhage. But from the start of September, we will be entering a new phase in which business customers, who account for 2/3 of French hotel sales over the year, will have to take over from holidaymakers. "
What will happen now that the virus is continuing to spread in the Ile-de-France region and international travellers have the image of Paris as a hidden population? It's still very unclear when business travel will resume. Nevertheless, in the run-up to the start of the new school year, the Ritz, Crillon and the Hôtel du Louvre (Unbound Collection by Hyatt) welcomed their first customers on 24 August. A new wave of reopenings takes place on 1 September with the Park Hyatt, the Bristol, the Plaza Athénée and the Meurice, while the Prince of Wales awaits on 7 September.
This upturn in business after the summer break is not confined to France. The Rocco Forte group will see the reopening of Hotel Amigo in Brussels and Brown's in London on 1 September, while waiting for the summer break. Town Hall in Rome on the 3rd of the same month. The next few days will also see the resumption of activity at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan and the Four Seasons Ten at Trinity Square in London.
