Hotel de Crillon, Paris, France

One of just six 'Palace Hotels' in Paris, the Crillon is the only of the luxury hotels still in French hands, owned by the Taittinger family. Perfectly positioned on the Place de la Concorde, it has for a while been trying to refashion its identity, faced by the brasher more corporate go-getting marketing strategies of its wealthy cousins.

The facilities

Government ministers regularly lunch in its two-star Michelin Restaurant, and it remains the luxury hotel of choice for honeymooners who want bragging rights. It has also managed to retain a family feeling - the reception staff are young, mostly female, highly educated and extremely personable - none of the professional masks you find in other 5 star hotels - they even blush. This traditional charm, where the luxury hotel is more of a 'house' than a hostelry, has long since disappeared in most luxury hotels - the Gritti in Venice is one other remaining example.

The rooms

The luxury comfort of the rooms might not be quite as highly cranked as at the George V, nor the glamour quite as pronounced as the Ritz, but the Crillon still stands as the most famous luxury hotel landmark, a place of tradition and occasion. Walking out of the front door straight onto the Place de la Concorde beats many other experiences in this city of lights, and sipping a kir royale on the terrace of the Louis XV suite with the obelisk, pyramid, national assembly, Arc de Triomphe and tomb of Napoleon all in sights is one of the best views anywhere in the world.