An Insider’s Look At The Hôtel de Crillon In Paris

Photo Credit: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

I travel more than 200 days year, and one of the great pleasures in my life is checking into a luxury hotel. Because of the business I work in I am constantly exposed to the world’s finest and most luxurious. Recently, I was in Paris and got to tour the new Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon—and I have to admit that I was blown away on all levels.

Photo Credit: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

The landmark has been in place since 1758, but the recent renovation has returned it to its original glory, and then some. Put simply, this hotel brings a whole new meaning to the word ‘luxury hospitality’. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, reaching new levels of fabulous that go above and beyond the highest expectations. Owned by a member of the Saudi royal family, 4 years of renovation and 200-million Euro allowed it to emerge as what is probably one of the most extravagant hotels the world has ever seen.

Photo Credit: Salon-Marie-Antoinette

This spectacular renovation was the brainchild of creative director Aline d’Amman, who was brought in to oversee the project. D’Amman in turn hired 4 different interior designers, each of whom covered a different area of the hotel. On the top floor, Karl Lagerfeld was commissioned to design the two grand apartments overlooking Place de la Concorde, each one more extraordinary than the next. On top of the two Les Grands Appartements, there are 122 keys in the hotel including 36 suites and 10 signature suites.

On the floral front, I had the pleasure of meeting the Crillon’s florist on a beach in St. Barth’s. Djordje Varda handled anything and everything floral for the hotel’s revamp, and by the looks of the finished product it’s obvious that he is an absolute mastermind when it comes to his craft.

Photo Credit: Salon-Marie-Antoinette

The rest of the decoration is sumptuous and lavish with extraordinary detail, from the Christofle silverware, Bernadaud china and Baccarat and St Louis crystal glasses in the bars and in-room mini bars to the cognac leather espresso machines clad in Hermes leather. Needless to say, I was impressed! The amount of marble and stone is fabulously used. One thing that really impressed me was a bathtub carved from a single solid piece of marble to match the marble of the floors and walls. The bath tub was so heavy that they had to re-enforce the floors, close lanes of traffic and use a crane for the meticulous installation. The single block of marble was placed atop 4 blocks of ice to make sure it was lowered slowly and precisely as the ice melted beneath it, since once in place it would never be moved again!

Photo Credit: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

When it comes to event spaces, the suites are magnificent. What I love most is that they don’t have ballrooms or banquet halls, but instead have multifunctional, extraordinary event spaces. In fact, one room’s suite used to be where Marie Antoinette took her piano lessons—so you can understand the history and timelessness of the hotel. There is a larger event space next door that serves as a living room leading into a bedroom suite, and it’s just a marvelous space to host parties and events for up to 110 people. The two grand apartments can also be combined for a total of three bedrooms, for a combined 3,606 square feet.

Photo Credit: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

As far as amenities, there was no shortage. Inside the hotel one can find everything from a barbershop to a full cognac bar, and the location of the hotel and surrounding area adds to the attraction. The Hôtel de Crillon is fabulously situated overlooking the Place de la Concorde and neighboring the American Embassy, making it one of the safest hotels in Paris. The landmark has been standing since 1758.

Photo Credit: Hôtel de Crillon, A Rosewood Hotel

I was amazed by what I saw and I can tell you that next time I’m in Paris, without a doubt, I’ll be staying at the Hôtel de Crillon.