Passionate for Paris



Long before Tom took Katie to the Eiffel Tower, romantic men of all eras have brought their lovely ladies to Paris, the City of Lights. Now, the California-based firm Passionate for Paris allows romantic travelers to experience something more: a trip back in time.

Company founder Lee de Broff explains, "I've traveled around the world, and what I wanted to do was create elegant havens for truly charming rest and relaxation. We live in such a busy world today, everything rushes by so quickly. But in centuries past, life moved at a gentler, more romantic pace. I wanted to recreate that feeling for my guests."

This family-based business acquires properties built in the late 1500s to early 1600s, and de Broff and his crew of expert renovators then create living spaces so that guests feel they've taken a step back in time. Whether it's the classic elegance of the Art Nouveau and Belle Epoque, complete with silk-covered walls, fine art, and heirloom silver, or the swashbuckling romance of the Baroque era, with hand-hewn beams, white-washed stone walls and hardwood Provençal floors imported from the French countryside, de Broff notes that "guests feel they've just walked into a movie set from 'Gigi' or 'The Three Musketeers.'" The firm's designer, Bernard Vezat, is a famed French set designer known for classic films, including "Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Spring."

De Broff explains, "We wanted to give our guests something more magical than even the finest hotel suites at the Ritz, an experience they'd treasure and remember forever." Many clients return to the same property, year after year. "Guests feel like they've come home, even if it's to another century," he explains. "Guests adore the properties," he adds, "and they tell me they'll never stay in a hotel again!"

If you'd like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview with Lee de Broff, please call 650-464-7222





Passionate for Paris