Review of Plaza Athenee, by Matt Morley

If Le Meurice represents classic French style in Paris, le Plaza Athenée stands for all that is quintessentially Parisian to the French. A subtle distinction perhaps, but as design hotels are having to work ever harder to gain a reputation for service as well as style, these two gems have taken on renewed significance for our jaded post-Schrager sensibilities.

Not only has the luxury hotel been around since 1911, but it has recently laid down the gauntlet for other grand dames in terms of revitalising itself for the century ahead. While retaining its strong heritage drivers, it has crucially managed to institutionalise the concepts of innovation and creativity amongst its team.

The living embodiment of this is the current GM himself, Monsieur Francois Delahaye, one of those rare breeds who somehow manages to give the impression of having spent a good part of the morning dressing and preening himself, when in fact it took all of five minutes.

No co-incidence then that both man and grand dame are so hot on their image. The Plaza currently has one of the sharpest visual identities around, based on that vibrant, gutsy, sophisticated red that is now almost synonymous with 25 avenue Montaigne.

The facilities

The luxury hotel does all it can to forge relationships with those living and working nearby. All five restaurant and bar areas are open to non-guests throughout the week and there is a carefully crafted easiness about the main lobby area, ensuring one does not feel forced to explain one's business to the front desk immediately upon entering.

The legendary Alain Ducasse has been running the operation for several years and his namesake restaurant on the ground floor offers contemporary haute cuisine in a directional, futuristic space. For a more sedate dining experience, the Relais Plaza has got power dining in the company of politicos, actors and half of the Dior management team down to a fine art.

A constant hum of hushed whisperings surrounds the Galerie des Gobelins café area. In most luxury hotels, this space would have been nothing more than a hinterland between lobby and bar. At the Plaza, it has its own 2005 Pastry World Cup winning chef and a row of excessively deep sofas, ideal for disappearing into with an improper date, should the need arise.

Order an herbal infusion and enjoy prime people watching potential, with the Galerie sitting at the centre of the most celeb-friendly hotel in all of Paris. Any time after six pm, and most of them will be making a beeline for Le Bar au Plaza at the end of the corridor, the destination hotel bar par excellence.

Hosted by the masterful Thierry Hernandez, this is about as close as Paris gets to a private members club, especially later on. Hernandez has made his name introducing the art of aesthetics into cocktail making, but his bar is a tightly run ship all round and it is best to arrive early to assure entry.

Sticking with flavours familiar to most French palettes, he plays with texture and visuals by re-constructing cocktails in ways that push the concept of a 'drink' to its very limits. Liquids are frozen, solidified into jellies or served next to portions of fruit for customers to prepare themselves.

The rooms

The 188 recently refurbished rooms and suites come in either classic or art deco style, although it is surely the former that show the luxury hotel at its most regal best, with their warm terracotta, gold and bronze colour scheme, delicately interspersed with rich red fabrics and Louis XVI furniture.

Some of the rooms are a little pokey, the bathrooms are not what they could be and there is no spa to talk of yet. Perhaps the luxury hotel's strongest card though is that, in an age of ever-expanding mega-brands like Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons, this place has finesse, flair and fizz in abundance. And that's something no amount of brand building can bring you.