chris123

Any recommendations for a great hotel in Paris. On business trip- any price is okay! Would like a location that is also good for sightseeing.

mclaurie

The Ritz.

Parrothead

I loved the Christine Relais in the 6th. Great location, elegant rooms, free internet, honor bar in lobby.

Airlawgirl

Chris-please see my response to post "honeymoon hotel in Paris" I would recommend, among others the Hotel Europe St. Severin.

Underhill

The Meurice, close to the Tuileries Gardens, the Louvre, and the area of Notre-Dame. The hotel is right across the Seine from St-Germain-des-Prés and the Musée d'Orsay, among other interesting places. How nice that any price is okay--lucky you!

Airlawgirl

Parrothead- where is the Relais Christine, exactly? If it's the one I'm thinking of, it looks very nice and romantic from the outside, and is on a quiet, cobblestone street with a restaurant across the way. I like those Relais et Chateaux hotels, but they are a bit pricey.

jody

airlaegirl. it's on Rue Christine in St Gremain area...and is as you describe..short cobblestone stret, restaurant and theater across the street

mgmargate

Four seasons or Ritz.

mclaurie

I must very respectfully disagree with Underhill (probably for the first time)on the Meurice. I was once booked to stay there on a business trip and was shown the smallest room I ever saw-a closet really. I also have a dislike for it's Rue de Rivoli location. While it's convenient, I just don't like the covered arcade sidewalk & the touristy shops. It always feels too dark & closed in to me.

I was quite serious about the Ritz. While I have never been lucky enough to stay there, I've eaten & drunk there It has a spa & pool. The Place Vendome location can't be beat. If that is really just over the top, I seem to recall reading (maybe here) about a new hotel on or just off Place Vendome.

I also hear the Hyatt is quite good. It's well located & relatively new. A friend used to use (& love) the Regina for business, although despite a number of excellent reviews, 2 reviews on tripadvisor would put me off-1 says the a/c wasn't strong enough (last July) & the other complains about a tiny room & wonders whether it was from his "corporate rate" (maybe that's what happened to me at the Meurice).

On my longest stay in Paris on business, I was at the Hotel Raphael - truly a Paris experience. It's filled with antiques, has one of those old fashioned wrought iron cage elevators with an operator. However I was there in winter so don't know how good the a/c is & the location (near the Arc de Triomphe) is in a quiet area with, as I recall, not too many nearby restaurants. We always took a taxi somewhere. But it's soooo French, it's often used for movie & TV shoots.

You really should decide whether you want big or small, modern or old world, left bank vs right. Do you want/need a health club? There are so many great hotels in Paris.

All the places mentioned so far, except Christine Relais (which I've always heard as the Relais Christine, non?) are on the right bank where the better hotels tend to be. Many tourists prefer the left bank for it's somewhat more casual atmosphere, cafes etc. Friends recently stayed at the Melia Colbert on the left bank & thought it was very nice but I don't think it's in the same league as any of the places we've talked about so far. Another place that's always sounded great to me is the Residence des Arts on the left bank (rue git de coeur)which is more apartments than just hotel rooms.

Finally, here's what was written, here, I think, about Hotel le Duc St Simon in the 7th.

"It was right in a charming small street off the Rue de Bac and walking distance to almost everything! The hotel was very beatifully appointed, very French, and very romantic. I believe the double room was in the 250 euro range."

Airlawgirl

The Ritz's location on the Place Vendome is lovely-BUT some of their rooms are on the smallish side, I understand, and service, (unless you are a VIP), has also been faulted on occasion. I think I might, in the 5 or 6 star category, recommend the Plaza Athenee-lovely large rooms, and quite important here, one of the hippest bars in Paris (you will, of course, also have to visit the Buddha Bar-it's a must on the night scene). For some reason, I like the Plaza Athenee for people-watching-it's very close to the courture houses-and the staff is great. I'm sure the Four Seasons is an excellent choice as well (as long as money is no object!) but don't know anything about it. Relais Christine might also be an excellent choice for a more intimate experience-it's hard to say, without knowing more about your preferences in hotels.

Airlawgirl

sorry, typo- meant to say "couture houses" I really do know how to spell in French!

socialworker

Hi--even if price is no object, there are so many other factors--do you want a Parisian type experience or do you want a luxury hotel that just happens to be in Paris? If you have access to a Michelin red guide, you can see hotels by neighborhood and ratings. One very large French company that I am familiar with puts their VIPs up in the Intercontinental. Do not be misled by the generic name, it is a historic French bldg. Rooms go for ~500 USD/night. I am also enclosing a post responding to a previous thread about a lovely smallish hotel that was very nice. Message: The Hotel des Saintes-Peres on the Rue des Saintes-Peres in the 6th is a lovely, quiet hotel where we went on the recommendation of people who go there often. We stayed there in 1998 in a double room that had an enormous king bed and with a bathroom was among the most luxurious I have ever seen--enormous and beautiful!! To top off the experience, it was so quiet that we never heard a sound of any other guests, even though the hotel was booked. I wish I had kept the room number b/c I would request the same room again, if I could. I did notice that the prices have gone up considerably since the franc was changed to euros. You *must* have a/c in Paris in summer. I often think that the only place that rivals the summer heat of Florida is Paris!!

Underhill

The highest rating given to French hotels is 4*luxe; there aren't any 5* or 6* hotels. If you see such a designation it's one the hotel has given itself: be wary.

I don't believe the Relais Christine belongs to the Relais et Châteaux group, BTW. Those hotels are mostly outside Paris these days, although the Crillon might still be a member.

Another very good, historic hotel is the Lancaster.

Our friends who stayed at the Meurice at a discount price were lucky enough to have a good-sized room; that, of course, makes all the difference.

Christina

you must have a nice business if they will put you at any hotel in Paris -- my business trips require me to stay at moderate hotels. So, if you can pick anything, I'd sure go deluxe, why not. I haven't stayed at any of these, but I know the George V has gotten great reviews after its renovation, also. Virtually all of the luxury hotels will be in convenient locations for sightseeing, though. I think Place Vendome would be a nicer location than rue de Rivoli or place de la Concorde myself -- I would prefer it.

There are some expensive hotels on the Left Bank I might go for, also, like the Pont Royal which is a great location. I think some people think any hotel with the name "relais" in it is a member of Relais & Chateaux hotel group, but that's just a French word used for a lot of hotels and some restaurants. There are some in Paris, I think, such as the Vigny which is certainly another nice place (from what I've heard).

SuzieC

The Intercontinental is newly "redone". Last month's Travel & Leisure had a lovely "spread" about it.

I wonder if I'll stay there when my ship comes in? Naaaaaah...

francophile03

Also T & L and Town & Country Travel are offering free upgrades to Club Level rooms at the Le Grand Intercontinental until Dec. 31st, 2004.

mclaurie

I did a search to try to figure out the new hotel around the corner from Place Vendome. I found a thread that mentioned the new Westin & also the Hotel Costes. Not sure if either were what I remembered.

I was also reminded, the big 4 in Paris are the Ritz, Le Crillon, the Plaza Athenee and the George V. None of these are where companies would normally put employees.

francophile03

mclaurie, is the new hotel you're looking for called Paris Plaza Vendome?

richardsonsnm

the four seasons has the finest rooms, a little stuffy, but first class, the athenee is very parisian, stylish and the BEST people watching by far, but not as nice as the four seasons, the lancaster is also nice, sort of a local place, small and the people nice, very different than the other two, all have great locations.