SHANGRI-LA Asia, the parent company of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, Asia Pacific’s leading luxury hotel group, has acquired the historic palace of Prince Roland Bonaparte in Paris’ 16th arrondissement with plans to convert it to the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris in late 2008, marking the group’s European debut.

The 110 year-old building exterior will be maintained and interior accommodation will consist of 140 deluxe guestrooms  and suites, ranging from  40 to 160 sqm. Two restaurants will include a fine Chinese restaurant and a rooftop terrace with a ‘reach out and touch’ outlook on the Eiffel Tower and river. Meeting facilities will include three rooms, while an indoor swimming pool, health club, retail space and business lounge are also being planned. “This exquisite property is the culmination of a long search to find the perfect location to launch  Shangri-La in France,” says Giovanni Angelini, CEO and managing director of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts.
The group’s second European hotel will open in 2010. The Shangri-La Hotel at London Bridge Tower will be situated in the 310-metre (1,016 feet) high, Renzo Piano-designed London Bridge Tower, projected to be the tallest building in Europe.