Within a year, guests seeking the royal treatment will have the opportunity to stay in regal style at the Palace of Versailles. By the end of 2011, a boutique hotel is slated to open in the Hôtel du grand Contrôle, one of the château’s outbuildings.
The outbuilding, the traditional home of the chateau’s treasurers, will be converted into a 23-room luxury hotel. Some of the rooms will overlook the château’s greenhouse, called the Orangerie, while others will offer a view of the Swiss ornamental lake.
A private Belgian company, Ivy International, will manage the hotel. In exchange for funding the 5.5 million euros that the renovations are estimated to cost, they have secured a 30 year lease from the state.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Versailles is already a prime tourist attraction due to its museum, and the château still serves in some political functions.