Review of Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris

The Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris is located on the exclusive avenue Montaigne, the tree-lined boulevard of French fashion, close to the Champs Elysées in the heart of the city. The home of haute couture, all the big-name brands including Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Prada are within easy walking distance. 

Centrally located, the hotel is close to all the key landmarks with the Grand Palais around ten minutes’ walk, the Eiffel Tower around a 15-minute walk across the Seine and the L’Arc de Triomphe about 20 minutes’ away. The “Golden Triangle” of high-end theatres and cabarets are also within close walking distance. The Alma Marceau and Franklin D Roosevelt metro stations are a few steps from the hotel for access to attractions like Notre Dame, Montmartre, the Musée d’Orsay and the Louvre. 

With traffic, it is around an hour’s journey time from Charles de Gaulle and Paris Orly airports and about 20 minutes’ drive from the Eurostar terminus at the Gare du Nord.

The style of the accommodation on floors one to six is that of a sumptuously opulent private Parisian home with rooms full of rich fabrics and elegant furnishings, stylishly presented. Higher up, the guest rooms have more of a re-imagined Art Deco simplicity about them, designed by Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille. 

Thoughtful touches abound such as the laptop bed tray, the Gourmet minibar, the Gherlain toiletries, the iPad for in-room services and the pillow menu, to name but a few.  When more space is needed, the many suites oblige with bespoke furnishings, beautiful marble bathrooms and Beltrami bed linens. The Presidential Suite offers refined luxury in a classic Parisian style, designed by Marie-José Pommereau with couture-house fabrics with eclectic, vintage finds. 

There are six Signature suites including L’Appartement which is perfect for those who want to entertain when in town. It enjoys a balcony with views over Parisian rooftops and the Eiffel Tower. The Terrasse Duplex Suite is an Art Deco dream, spread out over two floors with a private terrace overlooking the city. There are three Eiffel Tower Suites including the Haute Couture Eiffel Suite on the third floor, decorated in a palatial manner with silk fabrics, elaborate mouldings, and silver-leaf detailing – all in shades of grey and pink in a nod to Monsieur Dior. Sliding doors lead to a living area complete with a baby grand piano. 

The Royal Suite on the fifth floor, again designed by Marie-José Pommereau, is the most spectacular and opulent of all embracing the width of the entire hotel.  It is also the largest suite in Paris. 

There are four bedrooms with marble en-suites complete with Jacuzzi and a steam room, balconies with stunning views over the avenue Montaigne and the Eiffel Tower and beautifully luxurious décor with hand-picked antiques and original artworks. Additionally, there are two drawing rooms, a separate office, a private kitchen, and a spacious dining room seating eight people.  Every comfort has been considered and there is robust surveillance and security.

In 1946 Christian Dior opened his first boutique on avenue Montaigne with the idea of introducing his salon to the Hôtel Plaza Athénée’s well-heeled guests, a close commercial relationship that continues to this day. Today, this legacy extends to the property’s spacious, richly decorated Dior Spa Plaza Athénée - decorated with fashion sketches by Christian Dior and photos of his fashion shoots at the hotel. The Dior Spa is about rejuvenation, revitalising both the body and the mind. 

There are five treatment rooms including a double for couple’s therapies, male and female steam rooms, and saunas, a relaxion room and a fully equipped gym for the fitness orientated.

La Cour Jardin, the property’s pretty seasonal courtyard garden, features bright red parasols, awnings and lush greenery and is a haven of peace away from the busy streets of the city – perfect for light bites, a private party or for simply idling away the day.

There’s no Parisian hotel more distinctive than the Hôtel Plaza Athénée on Avenue Montaigne, a landmark in the heart of Paris with its signature red flowers and awnings. 

The hotel was created in the ornate Parisian Haussmann style of architecture opening in April 1913 in grand style. A while later, Christian Dior opened his first boutique nearby and other important brands followed suit soon after, with the location swiftly becoming known as the “Avenue of Fashion”. 

That early relationship with the world of haute couture set the scene for the property’s style, with Hollywood’s elite and VIPs of all descriptions frequenting the property and lending it that special, exclusive cachet. 

To all intents and purposes, it is the beating heart of fashion and style, especially during Paris Fashion Week with even the Haute Couture Eiffel Suite dedicated to Dior in the brand’s signature grey and pink tones and his perfume permeating the beauty treatments in the Dior Spa. 

With its marble floors, chandeliers and an interior design style which effortlessly intermingles touches of the 17th century, Art Deco and today’s modernism, it is very definitely a glamorous, palace hotel of the old school which unsurprisingly remains a statement hotel still treasured by today’s power elite – a place to see and be seen.

There are six restaurants and bars on property with a range of options to suit every palate and mood. 

Jean Imbert au Plaza Athénée returns diners to the origins of French gastronomy, timelessly following the great traditions of French cuisine in the hotel’s signature restaurant. Unearthing ancient recipes, many centuries old, dishes are re-presented with a new energy and vibrancy by this young chef, named one of the 50 most influential French people by Vanity Fair. To complement the cuisine, the décor created by Remi Tessier offers a grand Royal Table crafted from antique Breccia marble, a gilded ceiling, and a warm and welcoming ambiance. 

Le Relais Plaza is one of the city’s best loved restaurants, opening in 1936 with an Art Deco design by Constant Lefranc inspired by the first-class dining hall of the SS Normandie, one of the finest cruise ships of the age. Offering true Parisian brasserie dining as envisioned by Jean Imbert, the restaurant oozes old world charm with Diane Chasseresse’s original frescoes displayed alongside Lalique’s amazing chandelier and engraved zodiac-stained glass.

The summer-opening La Cour Jardin, the inner courtyard of the hotel, is a haven of peace and serenity. The red awnings, flowers and parasols with cascading ivy covering the walls gives a sense of light-hearted frivolity and privacy, serving an ever-changing seasonal menu all day long.

La Terrasse Montaigne is ideally situated for watching the world go by during the summer months. The al fresco restaurant, protected by those signature red awnings, runs right along the façade of the hotel, serving light bites on Paris’ most fashionable street.

La Galerie in the heart of the hotel is a determinedly chic, elegant space designed by Bruno Moinard. With a resident harpist as background, La Galerie is the ideal spot for light meals, drinks and afternoon tea with delicacies devised by Executive Pastry Chef, Angelo Musa. The floor to ceiling arched windows bring the sunshine right into the centre of the space, reflected in the chandeliers and marble floor.

Jouin Manku were behind the sleek, contemporary style of Le Bar which features a lively atmosphere with a regular DJ.  A fluid Yves Klein blue ceiling of deep sapphire swirls of fabric above a transparent bar crafted from a single block of resin – contrasting with the rich backdrop of wood panelling - captures the essence of haute couture, an appropriate design statement for such a fashionable haunt. There is even a playlist for Le Bar created by American director and producer Stan Neff which can be enjoyed via Spotify. Expect classic and innovative cocktails and an ever-changing selection of the world’s most exclusive Dom Pérignon champagnes. The vintages are displayed in a striking display case designed by Nicolas Francart.

The Hôtel Plaza Athénée believes that the power of sustainable development lies in their people and culture. They have undertaken several long-term partnerships which benefits both Paris’ monuments and citizens. 

For example, since 2011, they have been patrons of the Palace of Versailles supporting many of their initiatives including replanting 115 trees damaged by storms in 1999 and the renovation of the Château-Neuf Orangery in Versailles with the relaunch of the royal walled vegetable garden of Marie-Antoinette. This is where the hotel grows its own organic vegetables under the expert guidance of head gardener Alain Baraton. All fish is sustainably sourced by local fishermen who respect the seasonality of the sea’s produce and avoid overfishing.

The hotel’s sustainability plan seeks to minimise the environmental impact of its operations including energy consumption, water use, waste minimisation and management, product procurement and use and the selection of materials in refurbishment and new build projects.

This includes reducing their carbon emissions with new LED bulbs throughout the hotel, recycling bio-waste to generate green electricity, donating used products to support children’s charities, switching electronics to standby and using a new management system for their air-conditioning and heating. In 2012, the hotel was named a “Green host” destination by the Paris Tourism Board.