HÔTEL DE PARIS MONTE - CARLO

Monaco’s most iconic hotel is home to some of the world’s most exclusive luxury suites...

- SI SI PENALOZA

Bonsoir Monsieur Bond, tres heureux de vous voir,” says the valet at the Casino de Monte-Carlo as a suave Pierce Brosnan steps out of a silver Aston Martin DB5 on Place du Casino in Monaco sometime in 1995. The movie, of course, was GoldenEye.

Reel back several decades to when the savvy Bordelais-born François Blanc began creating a luxury experience to bring the wealthy aristocracy and gambling elite of Europe to an endless stream of parties which acted as a backdrop for the true business at hand: gambling. His deft hand at marketing created the legend of “Monty” and had him crowned the “Magician of Monte-Carlo” as his masterful curation of luxury, lighting, and risk management led to fantastic results. In fact, it was oft said, “Rouge wins sometimes; Noir often; but Blanc always.”