:: Panoramic Views

•  THE HOTEL AND THE ADJACENT OPERA HOUSE WERE BOTH DESIGNED BY THE SAME ARCHITECT

The Grand was built by Louis Napoleon as an Hotel; the architect went on to build the Opera House next door, in Place de l’Opera. Both have grandeur and glorious detailing. The hotels streetside café, the Café de la Paix, was the first and is still the greatest of them all. Remodelling interiors of buildings like this involves historic buildings experts, controls and rules – but interiors of buildings like this were created glorious, remain glorious and should be kept glorious as befits the great Parisian hotels.

Inside the public areas are magnificent. Some might say over the top even, but as they were designed for an Emperor then the most discriminating guest will accept the glory of the interiors. All this is as it should be – a five star Parisian hotel is the ultimate in theatre, defines the word luxury, and exceeds any normal expectation of what one might see in a domestic situation (see our earlier Review of the Meurice in the archives for another example).

Well that is the theory, and in the public areas the reality matches the theory pretty well, although some of the colouration and detailing (in the carpets for instance) perhaps lacks finesse. The inheritance is magnificent. Three entrances for example. A wonderful portrait of the actress Sara Bernhardt graces the lift lobby, because according to my guide, ‘she brought so much custom to the hotel’, whilst the lift lobby itself is exquisitely detailed and carries the historic mark of being the first hydraulic lift system in Paris with ease and grace. Apparently when the hotel opened they had to advertise the fact that the lift would bring you down from your room as well as take you up – will humanity ever learn to live with its ages version of modern technology?

Originally the 'drop down' point for carriages, the inner courtyard is now a glazed lounge area -rollover to look up

Bedrooms are large, with sumptuous and luxurious beds, classical wallpapers and fabrics - rollover for more sleep

The history of service is maintained by exemplary standards shown today by the smilingly efficient staff. Shower before dinner and when you return your towels will have been replaced with clean ones. Whilst the hotel was closed for the refurbishment the staff were kept on the pay roll – with staff this effective one can completely understand why. The provision of discreet service rooms on every floor enable much of guest needs to be carried out without using service stairs. Pressing, food services as well as linen service are all maintained to exceptionally high standards

The history of the building and the changes it has undergone are there to be seen too. The triple entry way on one side is the original entrance, carriages in and out and the pedestrian access, whilst the courtyard that now hosts the tearooms was the original carriage turning and unloading area. Glazed over, it now provides a haven of quiet for guest meetings as well as a grand space for the Parisian social whirl that still uses the magnificent semi-circular function room, often in cooperation with the neighbouring opera house, filling the hotel with the kind of high society that Sara Bernhardt would recognise and revel in.