The other eight WON'T BE LIKE THIS
ELITE DISCOVERS THE CHARMED LIFE OF A HOTEL CAT
They say cats have nine lives, but one is more than enough, if you happen to be Fa-Raon. In fact, this fur ball probably has a life that is better than most humans, because he is a permanent guest at the resplendent Le Bristol Paris. Appropriately assuming the position of Hotel Cat, the Birman fits the whole picture like a glove. Also known as a Sacred Cat of Burma, this purebred completes the prestigious hotel with its regal posture, beautiful white fur and, as the establishment’s luxury positioning would have it, a Goyard collar.
Save the dining areas, Fa-Raon is free to roam wherever he wants inside the palatial building, which dates back to the 18th century. Spoiled with an abundance of space that spans six floors and a 1200m² French garden, the cat, named after a pharaoh, lives the life of a king: he plays, sleeps and strolls around pristinely against a lush marbled background and enjoys an endless supply of attention from hotel guests and staff.
It is paradoxical how fuss-free it is to take care of FaRaon, as well as how well he’s adapted to being around strangers. A tracking device is attached to his collar and no particular staff member is responsible for him, but communication co-ordinator Carey Gotti reveals that generally, all the hotel staff keep tabs of his whereabouts. “We all communicate with one another, in case a specific guest wants to pet him,” she explains. “We’ve had guests — mostly children — who’ve asked if it’s possible to play with him in their rooms for a bit, which of course it is. But we also respect the fact that he needs his time too, and if he’s not in the mood to play, we respect that.”
Being calm, used to shutterbugs and random people picking him up, Fa-Raon nonchalantly makes the lobby his main playground. When it’s warmer outside, Gotti says he is reliably sunning on the patio and playing with flowers in the gardens — understandably, too, since it is one of the most exquisite, Versailles-inspired gardens in the heart of Paris. His fancy bed, made by Maison Taillardat (also makers of the Louis XV furniture in the hotel) sits at the managing director’s common office. Yet he is more often seen snoozing on the concierge desk, on the plump velvet couches in the lobby, or on top of the jewellery glass cases attached to the pillars.
One would probably want to choke him if he were to be fed Michelin bites from chef Eric Frechon too (the hotel’s restaurants are, after all, home to four stars), but he eats only kibbles, at his disposal in his private little apartment, accessible through the pet door. “It would be hard to know when to make food for him anyway, because he comes and goes as he pleases,” Gotti reasons. “Cats are more independent. They’re docile and less people are scared of them compared to dogs. They’re also lower-maintenance than a dog would be. He does get groomed, but we send him out of the hotel for that.”
Fa-Raon’s room, decorated by graffiti artist Renk, features his name, the hotel’s name and the word ‘cat’ in various languages. The heartfelt characteristic of his room, however, are the dozens of cat drawings young hotel guests have drawn for him, all tacked on top of the neon scrawls across the walls.
It’s axiomatic that, if you want to attract attention to online content, just put a cat in it and the world will care. This would explain the hotel’s Instagram account and its 72,000 or so followers. Gorgeous pictures of gilded iron staircases, floral-print curtains and hands santé-ing with their champagne glasses fill the feed, but it is the pictures of the Le Bristol’s cats that create a face and allow the hotel to show its personable yet relatable side. Magnificently, this considerably enhances a hotel’s persona, rendering it with a personality and distinctive quirk that uniform chains cannot possess.
Previously a female Birman, Kleopatre also called Le Bristol home. Just last year, she was moved to another one of the majestic hotels from the Oetkers Collection, this one called Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa in Baden-Baden, Germany. “We like to say we sent her over for a spa retreat, because it’s a spa-oriented hotel,” jokes Gotti. “We have them interact a lot on the social-media account, which is really fun. There’ll be a picture of Fa-Raon saying, ‘I miss you, Kleopatre!’, and she’ll post one and say it too.”
In case you hail from the cat camp, @hotelswithcats is actually a thing on Instagram and features hotel cats from all around the world. As expected, Fa-Raon and Kleopatre have already been featured on that account, and to much popularity, devoted to the frenzied fans of felines.
According to Gotti, it was a conscious decision on the hotel’s part to bring in Fa-Raon when he was born eight years ago. “We’re a very family-oriented hotel and we thought it’d be a nice touch to have a cat in the hotel because when you come here, you feel that touch of being at home, of being around your pet,” says Gotti. “It’s very important for us that our guests feel like they’re at a home away from home. Sometimes travellers come for a long period of time and they are away from their own home, so it’s nice to have that touch of comfort.”
Speaking from personal experience, I was drained upon arriving for check-in at the uncommonly empty lobby at 9pm. The sight of Fa-Raon sprawled all over the floor behind the reception desk, not particularly caring if he was in anyone’s way while he was catching some zzzs, made me burst out laughing despite my inclination to drop dead any second from jet lag. It’s not surprising to see children perk up immediately, or middle-aged aunties pulling out their cameras when they spot Fa-Raon in the tapestry-laden hallways. Yet a tall, bearded Asian guest on his way to the breakfast room also stops to snap a picture of Fa-Raon loitering in the garden’s bushes. “Just to tell my brother that there’s actually a hotel cat here,” he explains unashamedly. “He loves cats. I don’t think he’s seen [a hotel cat] before though. I haven’t either.”
“Even people who don’t like cats take interest in him, which is funny,” notes Gotti. “There’s people who prefer dogs to cats, but in general, all guests love to go up to see him. Even if they’re not a big fan of cats, they’re a big fan of Fa-Raon.”
Le Bristol Paris is at 112 Rue du Faubourg SaintHonoré, Paris, France. For more information, visit oetkercollection.com/destinations/le-bristol-paris.
You feel that touch of being at home, of being around your pet