Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, France Launches Renovation and Expansion Project

Hotel to Close on October 1, 2013 with a May 2014 Re-opening Planned

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. July 15, 2013

Paris, France - July 15, 2013 - Having celebrated its first 100 years, Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris is looking ahead to the next century. In keeping with Dorchester Collection's continuous investment in taking the luxury experience to new levels, the iconic hotel will undergo a partial restoration to integrate additional buildings creating six new guest rooms, eight suites, a ballroom and two event spaces.

Over the past several years, Hotel Plaza Athenee has had the opportunity to purchase three buildings surrounding the hotel. These include a townhouse to the right of the hotel on 29 avenue Montaigne; a townhouse on rue Clement Marot; and the building where Le Relais Plaza is located.

Despite every effort to maintain the hotel's activity during this period, François Delahaye, COO of Dorchester Collection and general manager of Hotel Plaza Athenee, has resolved to close the hotel to preserve the guests' comfort and convenience whilst the developments take place, commencing on 1 October 2013. In May 2014, Hotel Plaza Athenee guests will rediscover the warm, refined surroundings of the hotel ready to embrace its next century.

The subtle restoration will revitalise the hotel and will be carried out with the utmost sensitivity; great care will be taken to retain the charm and quintessentially Parisian character of the hotel.

The interior decoration of the suites will be led by Marie-Jose Pommereau who previously completed the redesign of other suites including the hotel's Royal Suite in 2012. Similar to her earlier projects, Pommereau will blend contemporary features with Parisian tradition in harmony with the vibrancy of the hotel and its fashionable location. The Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee restaurant and Le Bar will be redesigned by the Paris-based Jouin-Manku agency, and Bruno Moinard will be responsible for La Galerie des Gobelins, La Cour Jardin and Le Relais Plaza as well as the event rooms.

François Delahaye states, "Hotel Plaza Athenee is one of the world's most legendary properties with a rich heritage and prominent location in the heart of Paris. While it continues to rank as one of the top hotels in the world, the subtle refurbishments will revitalize the hotel and lead it into its next century. Hotel Plaza Athenee is a home away from home for its guests and our vision for the new developments is to create somewhere that will continue to enchant both local residents and international travelers alike for the next 100 years and beyond."

The hotel has entrusted Artcurial Briest Poulain F. Tajan* to auction several pieces of furniture and artwork. Pieces will include the famous bar from Le Bar created by Patrick Jouin in 2001; the Art Deco style furniture of the Relais Plaza brasserie; and the emblematic spoon and fork sculpture created by renowned artist and illustrator Jean-Michel Folon, which currently stands at the entrance to the Alain Ducasse restaurant. The pieces will be exhibited from 4 - 6 October 2013. The auction scheduled on 8 October 2013 will take place at Artcurial in the Hotel Marcel Dassault situated at 7 rond-point des Champs-Elysees and will be conducted by co-chairman François Tajan and associate director Stephanie Auber.

*Artcurial Briest Poulain F. Tajan is the foremost Paris auction house covering all areas of the art market. The firm features some of the world's leading experts and specialists and has over 20 individual departments, including 20th Century Decorative Arts, Modern Art, and Design to name but a few.

About Dorchester Collection

Dorchester Collection is a portfolio of the world's foremost luxury hotels in Europe and the US, each of which reflects the distinctive culture of its destination. By applying its unrivaled experience and capability in owning and operating some of the greatest individual hotels, the company's mission is to develop an impeccable group of the finest landmark hotels through acquisition as well as management of wholly-owned and part-owned hotels, and to enter into management agreements.

The current portfolio includes the following hotels (in order of them joining the group): The Dorchester, London; The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills; Le Meurice, Paris; Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris; Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan; Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles; Coworth Park, Ascot, UK; 45 Park Lane, London; and Le Richemond, Geneva.