hotel check

hotel check

The Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

Location: on the exclusive Avenue George V, off the Champs Elysees.

Accommodation: 245 rooms including 61 suites (seven designed for disabled guests). Thirty of the suites and deluxe rooms have balconies or terraces affording fantastic views of Paris. All rooms have a television, VCR, Internet access and playstation. The marble bathrooms are spacious with separate shower and over-sized bath, and Bvlgari cosmetics.

Facilities: the spa has a pool, gym, 11 treatment rooms, saunas and steam rooms. The hotel claims to have the largest and most versatile function space of any five-star deluxe hotel in the city. The Ballroom Salon Vendome is 5,105sq ft and is decorated with frescoes of the gardens of Paris. The Salon Anglais offers 1,475sq ft of space. There’s also a business centre.

Service: as you would expect from one of the top hotels in Paris, the service is slick and, for the most part, friendly. The security guards posted by the lifts make you feel you are being watched, but that’s the price you pay for staying at hotels frequented by celebrities (Melanie Griffiths is a regular guest).

bars/restaurants: Le Cinq restaurant, which has just been awarded its second Michelin star, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The room is beautiful – light and airy with palm trees and a chandelier hanging from a tromp l’oeil dome. The bar is more intimate with mellow lighting and leather chairs (cocktails cost about £13; beers about £7.20) Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served in La Galerie where options range from Club sandwiches and hamburgers to paella and chicken fricasse.

Overall impression: when it opened in 1928 the George V established itself as one of the city’s leading hotels. It reopened in December 1999 after a $125 million renovation but it has retained its reputation and many of its original art deco features. It would suit business people who want an exclusive address or couples celebrating a special occasion.

Sample product: Seasons in Style offers three nights room-only in a superior room for £715, with British Airways flights.

By Isabel Choat