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Why book?
For flawless service in the city’s golden triangle.
Hotel address: Four Seasons Hotel George V, 31 Av. George V, 75008 Paris, France
Website: booking.com
Price: From about £1,025 per night
Set the scene
An entourage of staff greet you by name every time you spin through the revolving doors into the lobby which is a flutter of pink ferns and chequer marble. The lavish floral displays change with the season – the vision of star florist and artistic director Jeff Leatham, and bedrooms are a crush of gold fabrics and Louis XV Rococo craftsmanship. The George V is one of Paris’s officially graded Palace hotels and it's easy to see why.
The backstory
This Art-Deco landmark was built in 1928 and named after the then reigning king of England. It was reopened as a Four Seasons hotel in 1999 and has since drawn an increasingly glamorous global crowd. At breakfast, you’re bound to spot a famous footballer or an actor picking at their fruit platter alongside Four Seasons faithfuls who would never stay anywhere else.
The rooms
Bedrooms are extravagantly upholstered – gold embroidered curtains are trimmed with cream tassels and thick carpets are a swirl of yellow and gold beneath elaborate chandeliers. Large marble bathrooms are stashed with Bulgari minis and the best suites have terraces overlooking the Eiffel Tower on the other side of the Seine.
Food and drink
The first and only hotel in Europe to be awarded a total of five Michelin stars under one roof, the food is a massive draw, with Parisians booking months in advance to bag a table at three-starred Le Cinq by Christian Le Squer. Here, he roasts blue lobster with salted butter, tops wagyu beef with mozzarella and decorates a green salad with truffle vinaigrette. There are two more restaurants with Michelin stars to choose from for those that can’t get a reservation at Le Cinq. One is Italian-style Le George for fluffy focaccia with peppery olive oil and crispy saffron arancini with tuna tartare or aubergine and burrata agnolotti. The other is at L’Orangerie, where the prettily plated tasting menu is pescatarian. Wedges of still-warm bread are served with a delicate whirl of seaweed butter on a pearly shell, crispy-skinned sea bream is perfectly cooked, and eggshells made from meringue are filled with frozen kefir. For those just after an excellent Croque monsieur or burger and chips, room service is your friend.
The spa
The basement spa is a serene enclave in contrast to the bustling streets above, complete with a slim pool as well as two swish hammams. Book in for the Ritual of Life – the hotel’s signature face and body treatment created by Olivier Claire which uses massage techniques to re-oxygenate the skin and stimulate cell renewal.
The neighbourhood
There’s always a queue at the Louis Vuitton flagship on the corner of Avenue George V – this couldn’t be a better spot for those with an agenda that includes the designer megastores of the Champs Elysées. Head in the opposite direction, right out of the hotel, to reach the river – from here you can cross over and walk to the Eiffel Tower. Better yet are the views of it from the terrace at Chez Francis where you can take them in with a chevre chaud salad and a glass of rosé.
The service
Personal and eager to please.
Eco effort
A group of staff, the Green Committee, aims to reduce the hotel’s ecological footprint through initiatives including rainwater recovery and reuse, as well as the design of a central control system to reduce energy consumption. Vegetables are grown in the kitchen garden and Le George chef Simone Zanoni has implemented a food-waste protocol that sees coffee grounds used to grow mushrooms.
Hotel address: Four Seasons Hotel George V, 31 Av. George V, 75008 Paris, France
Website: booking.com
Price: From about £1,025 per night