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Paul Roll, director general of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau |
The City of Light took to the City That Never Sleeps last week. Paul Roll, director general of the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau, addressed travel agents, tour operators and members of the press in New York at a reception and trade show that featured over 20 suppliers from Paris.
Roll invited travel agents to explore the “new” Paris, citing a variety of new museum exhibits and activities including events and resources that help agents recommend more authentic experiences for their clients. Some of the plans include, Paris Plages: The cityscape gets dressed up in green and the riverside thoroughfares become car-free. It also results in the reinvention of the banks of the river Seine with sand, deckchairs, palm trees and water activities. Or Nuit Blanche, when, for one night in early October, many of Paris’ museums, art galleries and art installations open their doors for all night contemporary art fests running from 7 p.m. until dawn. Drink lots of cafe au lait!
When in Paris, check out Lucien Barrière Hotels. Its Hotel Fouquet Barrière, which opened in 2006, was designed in traditional Paris Haussmann style (think velvet, mahogany, marble, silk and embroidered leather). Personal butlers are assigned to each room. Note: If you are already looking for vacancy for next year's Cannes Movie Festival, the Majestic Barrière is a chic choice. Elton John, we hear, was staying in the hotel's top suite for this years festival, a room that carries a $40,000 nightly rate—we kid you not!
Shopping in Paris is always high on anyone's list. And no department store is better than the Galeries Lafayette. The store is actually composed of three buildings and many visit not even to shop but see the remarkable architecture. A glass and steel dome, and Art Nouveau staircases were built in 1912.
Travel agents should use http://en.parisinfo.com/press-and-travel-trade-information-centre as a resource and for more information.