Originally Posted by david22

Me too; I have a reservation for late May at 1 Place Vendôme in the Boussole Suite (not many pictures anywhere online but I liked the "look", at least what I could see) :-)

Personally, I really like small boutique 5 star properties. When they get the details right, a boutique / small luxury hotel with like <=25 rooms can provide an experience that feels kind of like first class vs. business class. There are fewer people around, it's more private, the staff knows who you are specifically, etc. Also many small luxury hotels occupy unique historical properties or locations where putting a large hotel is impractical, they can customize the design to emphasize historical features of the venue or the unique design and layout of each room.

Of course, there are tradeoffs and tastes vary. Some people really value all of the facilities (gyms, spas, pools, multiple restaurants, etc.) from bigger properties or like more "grand" hotels or places that are buzzy / hotspots / "see and be seen", etc.