If this summer you stop by Paris, I suggest you to experience the new Montblanc flagship at the top of the Champs Elysees inspired by a luxury boutique hotel with lobby and concierge areas, “bagagerie , salons d’écriture et d’horlogerie ainsi qu’une suite privée”…
After opening Montblanc Haus few months ago, it is great to see their new unique client experience. Full of beautiful and authentic details like a restored 1950s vintage counter, Art Deco mosaic floor, ink bar creative space and unexpected surprises making guests feeling home.
Serious pen collectors can now plunk down six figures in the plushest setting imaginable, complete with staggering views of the Arc de Triomphe over flower boxes blooming with perfect roses.
The 2,400-square-foot corner unit, home to a Montblanc boutique for the past 20 years, just reopened after an extensive renovation and expansion to accommodate a new concept that merges retail with hospitality.
“When you have a great stay at your favorite boutique hotel, you don’t ever want to leave”, Montblanc chief executive officer Nicolas Baretzki explained, bringing to mind the lyrics of a famous Eagles ditty. “We hope our customers will feel just the same about their visit. When you have a great stay at your favorite boutique hotel, you don’t ever want to leave”, he added, bringing to mind the lyrics of a famous Eagles ditty. “We hope our customers will feel just the same about their visit”.
Visitors to Montblanc Suite 4810, the number representing the elevation in meters of Europe’s famous snow-capped mountain, alight upon a mosaic threshold like those found in palace hotels or Paris’ famous covered passages, and are invited to ‘check in’ at a retro, wooden reception counter.
There, sales staff can orient visitors toward what they might be seeking, or invite them to discover the 116-year-old German luxury brand, starting with its emblematic resin writing instruments, through to timepieces, leather goods and other personal accessories.
Products are sparsely merchandised throughout the airy ground floor, but there is much to discover, from the ‘ink bar’, where visitors can test a range of nibs and quirky colors with cigar-sized fountain pens, to a wall niche displaying the latest Montblanc collectible: a hand-carved ebony pen in the shape of a wandering stick from its Writers Edition dedicated to the Brothers Grimm, priced at € 40,300.
High-rollers might be escorted directly upstairs to the VIP salons via an elevator done up in gleaming black, a wink to its emblematic Meisterstück pen, and lit up with calligraphy animations. Or they can stroll across the pale hardwood floors, the same as the ones found in Montblanc’s historic Hamburg ateliers, and discover everything from sporty crossbody bags and business cases to sunglasses, belts and wallets.
The decor resembles the lobby of a boutique hotel with its cushy armchairs, piped-in music and staff at the ready to offer refreshments. Baretzki said the boutique, which has an Art Deco feel, is a one-off that winks to other units.
Full of beautiful and authentic details like a restored 1950s vintage counter, a small concierge desk, located near the entry, is where customers can have accessories personalized, or receive advice on writing techniques. A salon dedicated to writing instruments and timepieces is done up in the style of a cocktail bar, serving up watches instead of martinis, while the penultimate room showcases large leather goods on shelves and small ones in marble drawers. There’s enough room here to test-drive roller suitcases.
Montblanc’s famous pen nibs can be found embedded in the iron safety grill, displayed over the ink bar, and recurring as zipper pulls in the leather goods department. Smartwatches, headphones and other personal tech items — Montblanc’s latest brand extension — are displayed in a pop-up location next door.
The VIP suite includes an expansive living room with a bookcase, a vast straw marquetry-topped coffee table, and comfortable seating. A second room, the walls lined with safety-deposit boxes, features consultation tables perfect for inspecting rare pens, some of which are sourced from the Montblanc Haus in Hamburg, an immersive brand emporium that blends elements of a museum, art gallery, hall of fame and school offering calligraphy classes.
Montblanc also operates freestanding boutiques in Paris on the Rue de Rennes and Boulevard des Capucines, plus shops-in-shop at Galeries Lafayette, Printemps and Le Bon Marché.
Enjoy and happy summer. Come into the beautiful world of Montblanc.
Yakymour 