Four Seasons Hotel George V

A handsome Art Deco hotel that first opened 1928 and came into the Four Seasons portfolio in 1999, Hotel George V is a grand luxury hotel in the elite 8th arrondissement. Range Rovers and Mercedes S-Class black cars idle by the entrance, where top-hatted doormen greet returning guests by name and porters whisk the luggage of new arrivals to the rooms. Inside the revolving glass doors, guests are greeted by a majestic lobby with mosaic floors, restored 17th-century tapestries, and crystal chandeliers. Marble statues stand by the four corners and magnificent floral displays fill the space. Some 12,000 flowers are driven in from Amsterdam each week for the arrangements commanding public spaces throughout the hotel. The lobby and main entrance hall see a constant flow of guests, suited hotel staff members, and tourists coming to eat in the courtyard or have a drink at the bar. Live piano music can often be heard coming from the lounge.Four Seasons Hotel George V has “Palace” distinction, an honor awarded to superb hotels by an elite French tourism board. (Fellow Palaces include Hotel Plaza Athenee and Le Bristol.) For most past guests, there is no superlative too lofty to describe the experience of staying at the Hotel George V. There are reports from some saying the service doesn't live up to the hype, but the majority pronounce the hotel "perfect," "spectacular," and "magical." Shockingly steep rates make the hotel a bucket-list stay for those who aren't enormously wealthy, but most guests find the hotel to be worth the expense and a best-of-the-best experience where every detail is executed perfectly. 

Four Seasons Hotel George V is located in the so-called Golden Triangle, near the Champs-Elysees. This 8th arrondissement location is world-renowned for its luxury shopping (Hermes, Cartier, and Elie Saab are all nearby) and corporate headquarters. Other notable points of interest nearby include the Pont de l'Alma, the Palais de Tokyo, and the Paris Museum of Modern Art (all an eight- or nine-minute walk away). The Arc de Triomphe is an 11-minute walk from the hotel. It's a four-minute walk to the George V metro station (line 1) and a 12-minute walk to the Charles de Gaulle - Etoile transport hub (lines 1, 2, and 6, and the RER). Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports can both be reached in under 40 minutes, depending on traffic.

Four Seasons Hotel George V's rooms start at 400 square feet, which is a very respectable starting size for Paris. Rooms are divided into Superior, Deluxe, and Premier categories, and there are 11 suite types, including the 1,630-square-foot Penthouse offering panoramic views of Paris and the  the 2,630 square-foot Royal Suites with private terrace, full kitchen, and living room with marble fireplace. Rooms share a plush aesthetic with Louis XVI decor, oil paintings, plush window treatments, subtly patterned carpeting, and gold tones, such as the gold-framed glass coffee tables. Even standard rooms have enough room for a sofa or an armchair and ottoman, as well as a wood writing desk. Expect details like porcelain tea sets and picture paneling. All rooms have Bose music systems, interactive flat-screen TVs, minibars, and espresso machines with free coffee. Beds are dressed with down pillows and terry bathrobes and slippers are provided in every room. Bathrooms are fully clad in marble; all have separate showers, soaking tubs, TV-embedded mirrors, and Bulgari toiletries. Guests are often welcomed with fresh flowers and treats such as fruit plates, Eiffel Tower-shaped chocolate, or colorful macarons. Wi-Fi is free in the rooms. Housekeeping cleans twice a day, and turndown is provided at night.

On the culinary front, Four Seasons has major bragging rights. Between its three restaurants -- Le Cinq, Le George and L’Orangerie -- the hotel has five Michelin stars. It is the first -- and only -- hotel in Europe with this distinction. Three of those stars (three being the highest number of Michelin stars a restaurant can be awarded) are bestowed upon Le Cinq by Christian Le Squer, a fine French restaurant open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily. Lunch is served as 90-minute four or six courses for the entire table. Seasonal dinner menus are available as a la carte or as a nine-course tasting menu for the table. Expect exquisitely presented French fare, such as grilled turbot with black truffle and charcoal-roasted venison. Le Cinq's wine cellar contains close to 50,000 bottles, with 2,800 French and international labels. The one-Michelin-starred Le George presents Chef Simone Zanoni's seasonal Mediterranean cuisine for lunch and dinner (tasting menu available at dinner) and a 600-label wine list. Like Le George, L’Orangerie has received one Michelin star. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, L’Orangerie serves contemporary French cuisine in the hotel's marble courtyard. The hotel's lounge, La Galerie, is open all day for coffee, cocktails, and light fare for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea. Breakfast is also available at Le Bar, which serves a snack menu all day alongside wines, teas, and cocktails. Room service is available 24 hours a day.After two years of renovation, Four Seasons' spa reopened in 2018. The facility astounds on every level, from the 56-foot heated jetted pool to the spacious changing rooms with marble- and mosaic-walled hammams. (Sauna-lovers may be sad to learn that the renovation did away with the saunas.) There are six treatment rooms, including a couples suite with a huge bathtub and shower. The spa menu features a full range of facials and massages, and one of its most special offerings is Kobido: a traditional Japanese face-lifting treatment by technicians specially trained by the Tokyo-based Dr. Shogo Mochizuki. Full salon services include blowouts, highlights, shellac mani/pedis, waxing, and special-event makeup. In-room treatments are available. Even the hotel's 970-square-foot fitness center -- with its chrome-plated Technogym equipment, custom-made for the hotel -- impresses. Private training sessions are available.Four Seasons dedicates more than 13,000 square feet of floor space to special events and conferences. Event space is broken into nine total ballrooms and function rooms, including the 5,000-square-foot Salon Vendome, which can accommodate up to 450 people. There is also a business center with computers and printers for guest use. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.Services include laundry, dry cleaning, one-hour pressings, and full-service airport transfers where drivers will meet guests inside the airport or help them with their luggage all the way to the airline's check-in counter.