With the Saint James & Albany hotel (1st arrondissement), Pharrell Williams acquires his first Paris hotel. The undisclosed transaction was carried out alongside the joint venture set up by Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group. The musician and creative artist thus completes his little-known portfolio of hotel establishments.
Pharrell Williams has just acquired the Saint James & Albany hotel, a relatively confidential address in the heart of Paris’ Golden Triangle, to open a future 5-star hotel. This is not to be confused with the Hôtel-Château Saint James, in the 16th arrondissement.
The musician and artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s collections has joined forces with a company co-founded in July 2022 by global hotel group Mohari Hospitality and prestige hotel experience specialist Omnam Investment Group.
The resulting entity specializes in luxury hotels, restaurants and leisure activities.
The amount of the transaction, the identity of the seller, the duration of the works and the reopening date have not yet been disclosed.
Grand Siècle setting
The Saint James & Albany hotel building, dating from the 17th century, is located between rue de Rivoli and rue du 29 juillet. The building overlooks the Rue Saint Honoré, a veritable artery of French luxury, with a direct view of the Jardin des Tuileries and the Terrace des Feuillants. The site boasts an “extraordinary romantic heritage ”, which the trio of buyers are determined to respect, according to the press release.
For partners Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group, the aim is to breathe new life into an establishment that has been closed for renovation since 2021, to showcase “the avant-garde of luxury hotels”. Previously, the Saint James & Albany hotel had 200 rooms and suites, a restaurant and a spa under vaulted cellars. Not to mention a dozen rooms and lounges. “This project embodies our commitment to identifying and creating unique luxury hotel projects that offer unparalleled experiences in the world’s most sought-after destinations,” said Mohari Hospitality‘s CEO. The hotel group boasts a portfolio ofsome fifteen exceptional establishments, including the Four Seasons Madrid, the Baccarat Villa Camerata (Florence) and the 1 Hotel Toronto.
Continuing a hotel adventure
If this Pharrell in Paris adventure is indeed a first, the musician and fashion art director is no stranger to the world of hospitality.
Indeed, after reinforcing the lifestyle dimension of his personal branding with a Tropezian restaurant alongside Jean Imbert (ToShare) and a fusion table in Miami (Swan), Pharrell Williams made his hotel debut in 2021 with the opening of The Goodtime Hotel in Southbeach Miami. “This hotel is meant to inspire,” declared the “Happy” performer at the time. The Goodtime Hotel in Southbeach Miami offers a few keys to the transposition of Pharrell’s universe into the world of hospitality. The hotel’s design is in keeping with the local cultural heritage – Art Deco-inspired and very colorful – with particular attention paid to furniture and vintage objects. The Goodtime Hotel has one thing in common with the Saint James & Albany Hotel: its vast terrace (3,000 square meters for the Miami hotel).
Accustomed to collaborations, Pharrell Williams, in association with nightlife entrepreneur David Grutman, entrusted the decoration of the 266 rooms, pool, library and restaurant to American designer Ken Fulk, renowned for his opulent interiors. Also with David Grutman, the multi-talented artist has acquired another establishment, this time in the Bahamas, with a project due for completion in early 2024. Somewhere Else marks the “tropical modern” modernization of the former The Beach hotel, originally designed by Morris Lapidus, the man behind the iconic Fontainebleau hotel in Miami. Featuring 400 rooms and suites, the project is by far the most complex ever pursued by Pharrell Williams. Like the other establishments in the artist’s emerging hotel galaxy, Somewhere Else features a highly developed restaurant offer and unusual points of interest, such as bungalows with integrated recording studios.
Although little information has been released about the final design of the future Paris hotel of the artist renowned for his interdisciplinary cross-fertilizations, we can already confirm that it will give pride of place to culture and design…
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Featured Photo: © Hotel Saint James & Albany
