Gateway getaways: Admiralty Arch
While residents and tourists were never allowed to step inside London's Admiralty Arch, its imposing presence as the gateway to The Mall, leading to Buckingham Palace, makes it an imposing part of the city's landscape. Now, this former government structure and Grade I-listed building is being renovated into a Waldorf Astoria hotel and residence.
The hotel will have three restaurants, several suites and 96 bedrooms. There will also be a spa, a private members’ club, and apartments for those who wish to take permanent residence in the London landmark. In this way, Waldorf Astoria is turning a landmark into a future-facing luxury enclave. ‘Since 2015, when we acquired Admiralty Arch from the British government, we have made many decisions that will impact not only the future of the building and the local area, but also the profile of the very heart of London,’ explains Rafael Serrano, the CEO of Prime Investors Capital, the company financing the redevelopment.
Public gardens: Maison Francis Kurkdjian
In France, LVMH-owned fragrance company Maison Francis Kurkdjian is partnering with the Château de Versailles to fund the development of the Perfumer’s Garden, a public-facing plot that will open in 2023 brimming with plants and flowers historically used in perfumery.
The preservation of the garden specifically honours the 17th century, when Louis XIV commissioned the construction of gardens as places to produce rich, fragrant flowers for use in perfume-making. Supporting this legacy is central to this project's aim, while also opening the gardens to the public for the first time. Here, they will discover traditional fragrant plants like roses and jasmine alongside uncommon blooms with scents of apple and chocolate. There will also be a place for malodorous plants and 'mute' species like hyacinth, peony and violet, whose fragrance must be artificially imitated for perfumes.
