Mandarin Oriental Paris sets the date

Asian elegance comes to Paris when Mandarin Oriental opens its first hotel on July 15. We've known it was coming, now we have a firm date.One of several Asian-owned luxury hotels opening in Paris this year, Mandarin Oriental's first foray into French hospitality is taking luxury to a new high in the world's fashion capital. Housed in a historic 1930s Art Deco building on Rue Saint-Honoré, and close to Opera Garnier and the Louvre, the Mandarin Oriental Paris will bring a touch of the exotic to central Paris. The eight storey, 138-room hotel will have an entire floor dedicated to its spa which will have seven private suites encircling the pool, two restaurants under Executive Chef Thierry Marx, and a tree-planted indoor garden complete with fluttering butterflies. Those of us at TLTB who like to indulge in all things sweet are looking forward to sampling goodies from the hotel's in-house cake shop. Yum! www.mandarinoriental.com