Marriott is to open its third Renaissance-branded hotel in Paris : it will be located on Avenue Wagram approximately 300 meters north of the Arc de Triomphe.

The Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe Hotel is almost finished construction, and has announced that they will be opening in March, 2009.

The seven floor, 188 room hotel, designed by architect Christian de Portzamparc, is characterized by undulating horizontal glazed bands, which accommodate the rooms’ bow windows to maximize views of the area.

Hotels are slowly moving beyond the bar, nightclub and restaurant trend to add some hip retail spaces in their properties.

Of course, this is nothing new as some hotels have been doing this already for a long time. But what is news is the report of a Louis Vuitton store opening inside the JW Marriott Bucharest Hotel.

The store will open in June and offer customers the standard LV leather goods as well as the opportunity to design their own travel trunk based on their “requirements and taste.”