robyng

Well maybe the floorplans are wrong on the FS website - but both the Superior and Deluxe Rooms show a relatively small bathroom with a single vanity. I hate to admit it - but I am a multiple room booker - and I am now deciding which reservations I will cancel (I am probably not the worst offender - because my reservations are a couple of months off - and I never cancel at the last minute).

I made my reservation at the FS maybe 3 months ago - and I have to say the place offended me somewhat. I was told there were no rooms on a bed and breakfast plan then - because I'm staying during "fashion week" - even though I am a frequent FS customer (I just dropped $4k at the Four Seasons in Chicago last week - although that is peanuts in terms of Paris standards). Today - B&B rooms are being offered. The place seems to operate solely on the basis of "capacity control" instead of trying to please FS patrons. Anyway - I haven't yet made a final decision - but will do so shortly. Robyn

catwings01

Very helpful post DavidO. We've stayed at 7 on your list over the past 3 years and keep coming back to our favorite, which is also Le Meurice. I absolutely hate the new painted ceiling however, and really miss the cafe that used to be in that area - was a lovely serene spot for people watching. The public space now seems kind of "chopped" up to me.

Amanjunkie

Fantastic report! Very helpful as we are looking at a stop in Paris next year.

francophile

Yes, it used to be the Jardin d'Hiver. It was a very nice place to have breakfast or tea. Now they have turned it into something hideous!

http://www.meuricehotel.fr/restaurants_bars/rb_1.html

ivopera

I would like also to share my humble opinion on Paris Hotels (I live there and know them quite well)

FS George V : the highest staff per guest ratio in paris and you feel it. Superb property, very well run, magnificent dining room. The rooms are in a very good shape. The flowers in the lobby is something you will never forget. It is my favourite hotel in Paris. The service is really really good.
The bar is nice but could be better and the cocktails lack the inventivity and creativity of some other properties in Paris

Plaza Athénée : They are, (as the Meurice now) running on the trendy way (fear of Park Hyatt maybe). The bar is really awful (imo) when you think at the beautiful paneled walls behind this new decor... The bar itself (not the room) is much better. But the drinks are the best in Paris (if you like something out of the ordinary). The menu is given with a Philips digital frame, the cocktails are incredible creations (you sometimes eat them more than drink them). The whole place might be a bit crowdy in the evening. The service is good, a bit to present sometimes. Depending on the season and the person you have in front of you it can be good or less good. But an overall excellent hotel.

Meurice : Oh my god what did they do to this hotel : the new decor of baby Stark is awful (sometimes it is quite easy to become an artist, you just have to be the daughter of someone famous...) Those chairs, the painted ceiling, it made a bit think of Burj al Arab taste... But The restaurant is exceptionnal (the best of all in Paris Palaces). The service is good

Ritz : when you enter the Ritz, you enter a very special hotel, it is for me the real Paris!! An ambiance you will find nowhere else, mere cosy, calm, quite beautiful but, it is true, in need sometimes of a little facelift. The bar is very romantic, the Olives are great, the afternoon tea perfect and the swimming pool a dream!!!

Crillon : The bar is the weak part. The restaurant is very nice (but a few steps behind le Meurice). They are planning some extensive renovation and they need it. But it is a very nice hotel.

Bristol : Worst service I had, unimpressive lobby, I do not like this hotel.

Fouquets : Just for curiosity as they opened saying that they would be the best hotel in town so go and make your own opinion.!!!!

robyng

Ivopera - Thanks for your input - but I have a couple of questions. As a resident of Paris - have you ever stayed in any of these hotels? If so - which ones - and what comments do you have about the rooms?

As someone who will be spending 8 nights in Paris - and who has stayed at a lot of luxury hotels - and seen her fair share of beautiful floral arrangements - well these days I am most interested in the rooms I book. I don't need huge - but I like relatively large and comfy. The kind of room where - if you have 2 suitcases (we are 2 people) - you don't wind up tripping over them on your way to the bathroom at night. As for hotel bars - I smoke - and non-smoking bars (which is what you apparently find in most of Paris these days) aren't a big attraction to me. I'd be happier finding a small out of the way place where the bar owner isn't obeying the new laws .

Note that these are simply my preferences - the mileage of other people may vary. They may be more interested in staying at a place where they can see famous people than whether their room has 2 sinks. On my part - I am rather disappointed that for 865 euros a night at the FS - there is only a single sink - and - apparently - only a single comfy chair where one can sit down and relax and read or watch TV. It's like - a while back - ex-President Clinton played golf at our golf club. But I was more interested in making my shots and scoring well than seeing him. On my part - I have stayed at many "luxury hotels" which have basic floor plans similar to those at the FS in Paris - but I have never paid more than about 300 euros (450 US dollars) for such a room (whether the rate is denominated in US dollars, or euros, or any other currency). I have spent 600-800 US dollars for really nice large rooms (just got back from a trip to Chicago a few weeks ago - where 700 US dollars gets you a really nice junior suite).

It is simply a question of value. I fully expect to spend a ton of money on food at places in Paris where I think it is worth it to spend a ton of money. But I am not sure that any of these luxury hotels in Paris is worth what it is charging these days. Perhaps I am spoiled - last 2 international trips were to Germany and Japan. Any feedback would be appreciated. Robyn

bsdstone

We will be staying at the Park Hyatt in December...curious as to what you think of that hotel...always love hearing a locals opinion.
Also, I know it is off topic, but if you could suggest some good restaurants in that local area, it would be appreciated!

Raffles

1,000 Euro will get you a huge junior suite at LeGrand, with all the bells and whistles. And, of course, if you join the IC Ambassador programme for $150 you get a voucher for a free (Fri or Sat) night. Service is not Four Seasons but the renovation of LeGrand was so well done (same team that did FS Geneva, for example, and its done to the same quality) that I can live with it.

n5667

Personally, I find the latin quarter to be a lovely spot, oldest part of the city, and we stay in that area every time we're in Paris, stay at this hotel...

http://www.solmelia.com/solNew/hotel...digoHotel=6708

It may not be up to spec for the more pampered traveler, but...

ivopera

I have visited many hotel rooms in Paris but never stayed (paying 700 euros when I live 5 minutes away???).
The first question is the price : Paris Hotels are very expansive but I must say they are truly special. I know hundreds of real luxury hotels everywhere in the world (if someone wants a site inspection feed back for asia, I would be glad to give some) and you will find some stunnning properties in Paris.
When I pay a hotel I expect a great room but the bars, the restaurants the public areas are as important as the room, not to see or be seen, but just to feel at ease and be in stunning surroundings.
By the way, you can not smoke in Paris public areas (nowhere) and you will not find any place where it is possible (and it is great btw)
As for the rooms, americans might sometimes be disappointed in Paris as for instance you will not always hace seperate shower (old monuments) and rooms might vary a lot in a single category. I would say for FS that you will find separate showers in almost all categories and the rooms are of a good size. In the Ritz or Crillon, they are aging a bit. FS and Plaza are in a better shape.

ivopera

Well, I would say that imo, this is the less parisian hotels of all. Yes the rooms are very ice, in a modern way, but you could be anywhere. The service might be a bit cold and slightly pretentious at times. If I was visiting Paris, I would not pick this hotel. But, understand me well, it is a very good hotel. Just not refecting Paris ambiance. Depends on what you like....

ivopera

For the restaurants, what are you looking for : gastronomic, french brasseries, trendy restaurants?

robyng

Thanks for the feedback. You are quite right that - for that they charge - I think the luxury hotel rooms in Paris can be disappointing. Perhaps that is why I haven't been to Paris for 20 years . And the rooms are much more important to me than the public areas. For example - the FS Marunouchi has very modest public areas - mostly because it is a very small hotel. But I thought the rooms were great - and priced very reasonably. And I care more about the room size than having a separate shower (it's a woman thing - it's hard to shave your legs in a tiny separate shower!). Robyn

ABG

RobynG..... Spend a little more and book the premier rooms. They are called premier for the very reason that many of them could be called a jr suite at other hotels. Its worth the 100EUR or so more.

Fontaine

Robyn, I splurged and stayed at the Four Seasons recently (and also the Four Seasons in Milan, by way of comparison). I received an upgrade through Virtuoso - and my room was a good size with a fabulous view. The bathroom was huge - double sinks, good size shower, nice size tub, WC in a closet. There was no walk-in closet, but there were two small ones, and a third with drawers and shelves. And also some sort of armoire with the TV and some small drawers. Plenty of room for one. The room also had a small sitting area - very comfortable place to have small meals and the like; if I recall correctly it had two chairs, a love seat, and faced the desk. I loved the room - it was very elegant. I didn't love the service though; my room wasn't ready on arrival so I was sent to the spa, where the attendants there were rude and unwelcoming. I walked around for a while, came back, asked for my room, and was told "Follow me". I had the sense that I was about to be shown (which I did not ask for) an UNMADE room to see if I liked it. WHAT? I've never been shown an unmade room in my life. So I stopped that, sat in the lobby for another hour, when I told the front desk manager that I had had it, and that I was going to move to another hotel. For the price it just didn't "feel right" to me (was it because I was an American woman that was traveling alone, that I received such an unpleasant reception?). At that point I was given a room. My first room was small, dark, unpleasant, and had a strong buzzing sound. I asked to be moved, and ended up in this beautiful room. I had trouble with my cell phone, and their 'communications expert' couldn't figure out that my SIM card was in wrong (my first day with a SIM card).

The bottom line for me is that the room that I eventually ended up with was so pretty that I am forgetting about the other aspects of the stay (and the price).

By comparison, Four Seasons Milan (even more expensive) was perfect in every way.