Raffles Paris - Le Royal Monceau has opened its doors following a two year transformation by renowned French designer Philippe Starck.

Located in close proximity to the couture boutiques and luxury specialty stores of Champs Elysees and the iconic Arc de Triomphe, the hotel welcomed historic luminaries such as Walt Disney, Coco Chanel and Ernest Hemingway. With luxurious new interiors, an artistic and exuberant mood, Raffles Paris is set to once again be the favoured meeting point for artists, intellectuals and a new generation of travellers.

Art takes centrestage at Raffles Paris - Le Royal Monceau and guests can look forward to exhibitions, a contemporary bookstore with television screens beaming live feeds from auctions and an Art Concierge, a first among hotels in Paris.

Throughout the hotel, original works of art specially commissioned for Raffles Paris - Le Royal Monceau are displayed to enrich the ambience. The ceiling of contemporary French restaurant La Cuisine features an evocation of a Parisian garden "Jardin de Paris" by French artist Stephané Calais, while an oversized sculpture of a teapot by Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos holds court in the garden.

The devotion to art extends to all 149 rooms and suites where photographs from the hotel's collection and an acoustic guitar are part of the décor. Guestrooms, reminiscent of the 1940s and 50s, offer sophisticated residency in an elegant setting and feature mirrored dressing rooms in the style of fitting rooms in haute couture boutiques.

Raffles Paris - Le Royal Monceau is also distinguished as the first hotel in Paris with its own movie theatre and adjacent press rooms, allowing an entire movie promotion from red carpet screening premieres, reception, media interviews and accommodation to be organised in one venue.

The hotel is a gourmand's dream with five exquisite restaurants and bars. Italian restaurant Il Carpaccio offers refined Italian cuisine prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients. Contemporary French restaurant La Cuisine has the ambience of a family dining room, on the scale of a cathedral. The festivity of family dining is replicated here with an open kitchen and a spacious 16-seat shared table. The cuisine is light, tasty, warm and features spices and aromatic herbs from the hotel's own garden. Among the hotel's dining highlights are the pastries and sweets which will be created by Pierre Herme, renowned in France, Japan and the United States and acclaimed by Vogue magazine as the 'Picasso of Pastry'.

In February 2011 Raffles Paris - Le Royal Monceau will unveil a luxurious new spa occupying 1,500 square metres. The spa My Blend by Clarins, features the Clarins group's highly tailored My Blend products which will offer more than 200 possible cosmetic combinations for every skin type. A fitness centre, swimming pool 26 metres in length, sauna and steam rooms at over 100 square metres each and cold water plunge pools complete the wellness experience.

Raffles Hotels & Resorts' global footprint continues to grow as the group is slated to debut in the Seychelles with luxury resort Raffles Praslin Seychelles in January 2011. Situated on the tranquil Praslin Island, Raffles Praslin (www.raffles.com/praslin) is a scenic 30-minute drive from Praslin Airport and is located close to one of Seychelles' natural treasures and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vallée de Mai. The resort features 86 villas with one- and two-bedroom villa suite options complemented with the signature round-the-clock Raffles Butler service. Also featured are Raffles Estates luxury 3, 4 and 5-bedroom freehold homes for private ownership.

These landmark projects follow the group's August debut in Saudi Arabia, in the holy city of Makkah with Raffles Makkah Palace and the successful launch of Raffles Tianjin China, in March.