Hotel de Crillon, Paris, France
Hotel de Crillon 5 Stars
“A famous landmark and historic grand dame hotel, the Crillon is truly a place of tradition, pomp and ultimate Parisian luxury.”
Hotel Overview
Review of Hotel de Crillon, by Matt Morley
Few hotels can claim the mythical status of being a Parisian palace hotel. Even today purists say there are but six that merit the denomination: le Ritz, le Meurice, le Plaza Athenee, le George V, le Bristol and de Crillon. Of those, Hotel de Crillon has arguably the most impressive location, right on Place de la Concorde in a building constructed for French King Louis XV in 1758.
250 years on, one is greeted by a luxury hotel that knows only too well the virtues of celebrating its prestigious heritage and identity, but that is now looking to actively keep pace with, and anticipate, the changing needs of today's luxury travellers.
In recent years, le Plaza Athenee and le Meurice have both brought in Philippe Starck to re-decorate parts of their respective public areas for example. As if in response to this threat, Starwood Capital, de Crillon's owners, are now looking to develop a chain of 15 hotels around the world under the Crillon brand name. The first step in this process however, is getting the 'grande dame' herself looking better than ever before.
The facilities
An area of the luxury hotel that shouldn't be altered is the formidable gastronomic restaurant Les Ambassadeurs.
Head Chef Jean-Francois Piege trained under Alain Ducasse at the Louis XV restaurant in Monte Carlo before moving to le Plaza Athenee in 2000 and, most recently, to Les Ambassadeurs in 2004 where he has been Head Chef ever since.
M. Piege comfortably won his two Michelin star rating here and, if the critics are to be believed, may well be on course for a third before too long, which means now is the time to visit Hotel de Crillon as he reaches the apex of his career.
This meal had us reaching for our thesauruses (in English, Russian and French!) in search of suitable superlatives with which to describe the sensorial experience of a Jean-Francois Piege 8-course feast.
As shards of subtly tinted amber light filtered in through de Crillon's high dining room windows overlooking Place de la Concorde, Les Ambassadeurs' front of house and kitchen teams appeared to be working in perfect unison, a faultlessly executed master-class in both delivery and attitude.
Chef Piege meanwhile was quick to reveal his unique approach to visual presentation, one based around the subtle deconstruction of dishes so that separate elements are served in individual portions on the same plate, often with an emulsion or reduction poured on top to bind it all together.
Combine the above with a wine list worthy of a King, Tsar or Roi and you have the recipe for a truly memorable meal, one that deserves, just like the work of M. Despont in fact, not to be rushed.
The rooms
Modestly sized, with just 103 guest rooms and 44 suites, de Crillon's accommodation has been recently renovated and re-worked by French architect Thierry Despont.
We visited during the renovation process, and were given exclusive access to one of the luxury hotel's prototype guest rooms. We can report that the new interior styling marries old world intricacy and patterns with a new world colour scheme featuring tonal greys and splashes of black. It is clear that M. Despont will be looking to take the rooms forward into the 21st-century whilst remaining true to the luxury hotel's illustrious past.
Facilities
Awards
"Gold List", Conde Nast Traveller 05Who stays here?
This hotel has a wide range of clientele, including businessmen and families. Celebrity sightings are common with stars such as Madonna and Jennifer Lopez both frequenting this hot spot.
Come for...
- Special occasions
- Iconic views
- Unstuffy staff
Not Suitable for...
- Shallow pockets
Children
Babies are welcome at the luxury hotel and all equipment is supplied. Young children are also well provided for and can be kept entertained with drawings, toys and games. The specially trained nursery staff can take care of young guests whenever their parents require.
Eating in
Book in advance for the opulent, twice-Michelin-starred restaurant.
The Press Say
"The card awaiting us in our suite read: 'Welcome to your Parisian home'. And...that's how it felt, albeit on a rather more decadent scale." Independent 05Reviews
Review of Hotel Crillon, by Jamie Dunford Wood
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 the front door of the luxury hotel and straight onto the Place de la Concorde beats many other experiences in this city of lights. 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.