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Buddha-Bar Hotel
Today I invite you to meet Buddha-Bar co-founders Tarja Visan and Raymond Visan, of George V Entertainment Group—the same group that has launched such establishments as Barfly, Buddha-Bar, and Barrio Latino and continues today to develop spas and hotels.
You have recently opened up a hotel in Paris. Can you present it to us? What concept are you offering your clients? What is the level of the service?
Buddha-Bar Hotel
The Buddha-Bar Hotel Paris, located on 4 rue d’Anjou, opened on June 10, 2013 following three and a half years of work. It is a boutique hotel with 56 rooms, including 19 suites.
Pass through the carriage entrance upon entering the hotel, and you will find yourself in a porch illuminated by artisan-crafted red lanterns and featuring a floor cut from Nepalese stone. On the left, you will pass by the lobby, where you’ll find the reception counter and the concierge desk. If you look down on the ground, you’ll discover an enormous mosaic dragon encrusted into the stone.
Buddha-Bar Hotel
To the right of the porch, a corridor leads you to the bar Le Qu4tre, cast in the colors of Japan, as well as the restaurant Le Vraymonde, a former salon (since we had to keep the original structure) in a gradation of red and orange.
In Le Qu4tre’s lounge bar, head bartender Rémy Rodriguez has conceived the signature cocktail menu around the four elements. At the Vraymonde, it is Chef Rougui Dia who presides over the cuisine and offers his unique spin on Pacific- Rim cuisine, all while juggling around traditional and foreign spices.
Once you have finished checking in, you will be accompanied to your room upon passing through imperial yellow corridors, where you will once more come upon the dragon, the guard and symbol of the hotel.
The rooms are spacious, with the smaller offerings starting at 28 m2, and they truly are different from what one might typically find in a Parisian hotel. The walls are ochre/gold with shadowy sheens, the murallanterns are decorated with trimmings, and the chandeliers are actually clever clusters of silk lanterns. And the bed, featured right in the center with a Mashrabiya headboard, has been carefully selected to provide the best comfort for an ideal sleep. The tailor- designed percale sheets of Egyptian cotton form a cozy cocoon. The furniture is also tailor-made in lacquered wood.
The bathroom features walls in square panels made of pastes in red glass and brilliantly luminous Sicis gold. The Corian bathtubs have a black exterior with a golden dragon, and the mirrors have also been engraved to form a golden dragon.
The reception desk is open 24/7. The concierge team with their Concierge Keys is available from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. to respond to requests ranging from the most basic to the most extravagant.
Buddha-Bar Hotel suite
It is a true “voyage within a voyage.”
Buddha-Bar Hotel The entrance
For more information concerning prices on this hotel in Paris, click here.
Buddha-Bar Hotel Prague
For the one in Prague, click here, or for the hotel in Budapest, click here.
Tarja Visan
Tarja Visan’s Biography:
“Born in Finland, she later moved to France in the early 1980s to begin an international modeling career, giving her the opportunity to travel the globe and discover its abundance of cultures.
She soon became a Citizen of the world, and grew fascinated with its traditions and various lifestyles.
In 1986, she married Raymond Visan, and together they traveled the world and grew fascinated by Japanese culture, which led them to create bold lifestyle concepts fusing East and West in cuisine and architecture. They established four Restaurants/Bars/Lounges that have now become icons of Parisian nightlife: B*Fly (now Bound), Buddha-Bar, Barrio Latino and Barlotti.
At the same time, Tarja’s natural passion for music and cultures led to the creation in 2001 of a Music Label, George V Records, whose numerous compilations – including the « Buddha-Bar » CD collection – are now worldwide standards. Growing concerned about ecological issues and eager to contribute to the solution, the label decided to produce Eco-minded DVDs and CD’s, and worked closely with Allain Bougrain Dubourg – a renowned wildlife and nature expert – to release « Buddha-Bar Nature » in 2006 and « Buddha-Bar Ocean » in 2008.
Wishing to share her passion for well-being and a healthy lifestyle acquired during her international modeling career and her travels from the Himalayas to Indonesia, Tarja took a new challenge in 2007, opening the first Buddha-Bar Spa in Evian-les Bains to critical acclaim.
Combining Asian and Tibetan skin & body cares with a natural range of beauty products, mixing traditional and modern treatment techniques, she created the Buddhattitude – Chic and Zen associated with East and West influences. A collection of Buddhattitude CDs – with a soothing and relaxing signature atmosphere – completed that unique vision. After taking by storm Evian-les- Bains – birthplace of European spa and health resort – the Buddhattitude will travel to new destinations:
Dakar, Doha, and Dubai already offer a glimpse of Tarja’s world. At the head of an empire spanning Europe, Asia, America and the Middle East, Tarja has recently undertook a sleek and audacious project in vibrant and trendy London. Sixteen years after the opening of the first Buddha-Bar in Paris, she has decided to take the sought-after Buddha-Bar concept to another level.
Adapting the concept to the venue, Buddha-Bar London will feature modern and theatrical designs. The traditional Buddha statue will be replaced with famous David Begbie’s artwork, the staircase will be adorned with two majestic backlit crystal dragons among other changes… everything will be beautifully integrated within the Buddha-Bar signature interior design elements.
With Buddha-Bar London, she’s pushing the boundaries of imagination and excellence to offer a truly new Buddha-Bar experience. A new fashionable vision to enjoy day and night.”
Laurent Delporte, an editor and conference speaker, is a strategic expert in the sector of hotels. A visionary, he brings his unique look on hotels in service to the decision-makers in the industry, whether to enhance the development of new projects or strategic visions.
Laurent has visited and audited over 350 hotels across the world and also participates in mystery visits to provide quality control for the world’s finest hotels.
