A three-century old building block in the centre of Paris formerly used by the French top brass is undergoing a three-year transformation to put it on the global luxury map.
By 2027, a complex hosting a five-star hotel, private residences, restaurants and spas that is 'sans parallele' will pull back the drapes.
Developers claim the French capital has no equivalent luxury hospitality complex to the Maybourne Saint Germain. It is unique by its size - the floor area is 28,000 square metres. In a prime location near the Seine river, the Orsay Museum and the National Assembly are nearby.
"It's the first branded residence scheme ever in Paris," said Charlie Walsh, global head of residential sales for Maybourne, a British luxury hotel operator that will manage the Paris site and also runs Claridge's in London. "You get the 24/7 services that you expect in places like London, New York, Dubai and Abu Dhabi."
First built as a convent for poor girls in the 17th century, the building hosted historic figures such as the Marquise de Montespan, a favourite of King Louis XIV, before becoming a Defence Ministry office after the French Revolution.
In 1881, its eastern portion was added with a 22-metre clocktower as a centrepiece, at a time when the French capital was modernised with wide streets, including the adjacent boulevard Saint-Germain.
Redeveloped splendour
In 2019, a Qatari-controlled entity, Constellation Hotels, reportedly bought the eastern wing at a cost of more than €300 million ($353 million). Renovation work started five years later and is scheduled to end in 2027. The western section of the ilot Saint Germain has remained in the hands of the Defence Ministry, headquartered in the Hotel de Brienne.
Listed as a building worthy of preservation for France's national heritage, the ongoing renovation is to preserve historic details, including mouldings. At the time of visit, the ceiling's decoration was covered for protection.
A commemorative stone plaque bearing the architect's name, Jules Bouchot, engraved in gold letters and surrounded by two winged lions, with the dates 1867-1881, was spotted.
"They're going to clean everything. It's going to be really majestic," said Paul Modigliani, director of Sotheby’s international realty in France, standing in its nine-metre high entrance hall.
At the heart of the complex lies a large courtyard. Lined with trees and high stone-covered galleries, it will be a space where visitors, hotel guests and flat owners can mingle in cafes and restaurants, including a Japanese restaurant with its own bar, in addition to a Martini bar, jazz bar and cigar lounge.
Hotel rooms, as well as a rooftop swimming pool, will look down on to the courtyard, overshadowed by the iconic clocktower that will be transformed into a suite. "The amenity space is very generous," Mr Walsh said. "It's almost like its own ecosystem."
Top secret
The building had to shed some of its former characteristics to pave the way for a second underground 25-metre pool. It has been dug where a concrete bunker likely used for senior army officials in case of emergency used to stand. "It took a long time to destroy. It was thick concrete," Mr Walsh said. There is scant information on the bunker because it was classified "top secret". Newspaper archives show it was built in 1937.
The underground pool will be operated under Maybourne's Surrenne wellness brand, a private members' club. Access to facilities and treatments will also be granted to hotel guests. A third pool for residents only will be in the wing situated near the Rue de l'Universite.
In addition to the hotel rooms, seven flats, designed by designer Pierre-Yves Rochon – also known for his work at the George V hotel in Paris and the Savoy in London – will be sited in the courtyard complex. Almost all have been sold at prices starting at €7 million, Mr Modigliani said. Their size ranges from 100 to 255 square metres, with up to three bedrooms.
In the flat The National visited, the view is of Paris's typical 19th century zinc and slate rooftops, and the neo-Gothic spirals of the nearby Saint-Clothilde Basilica. Also visible was another portion of the ilot Saint-Germain that used to house ministerial offices, recently transformed by the city of Paris into social housing featuring an award-winning architectural design.
Buyers are expected to be an international city-hopping crowd, from Gulf countries, the US, Asia or Europe. They have the option to ask Maybourne to put their flat into the hotel rental pool in their absence, which may help cover running costs.
"We're seeing cash-rich, time-poor individuals who want to make up for the time lost during lockdown to the pandemic. They want a hassle free turnkey service," Mr Walsh said. "When they go off to their other destinations around the world, they know that their apartments are being looked after."
