Newly refurbished, one of Paris’s most grand hotels recently reopened after being closed for more than a year due to strict pandemic shutdowns in France.
Boasting to be one of the last luxury hotels in Paris still owned by a French family—versus hotel groups based in other countries—Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet is primely located at the corner of Avenue George V and the Champs-Elysées.
Situated in the heart of Paris’s most famous (and expensive) shopping district, the hotel has 101 guest rooms and suites, including 19 new ones that had just debuted before the pandemic in December 2019. Designed by French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia (whose portfolio includes The Nomad hotels in Los Angeles and Las Vegas), the hotel decor blends traditional Parisian motifs—such as velvet, embroidered fabrics—with more modern touches—like beige and gold tones—to achieve a signature look.
But all of the guest rooms and suites are outfitted for the modern traveler of 2021 with universal free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel as well as an in-suite iPad providing direct access to the concierge, room service, lighting and curtain controls, and an option to notify housekeeping when you want the room cleaned or when you want privacy.
Rooms start at 700 euros ($800) per night for a superior room and can go as high as 2,050 euros ($2,342) per night for the Grand Prestige Champs-Élysées suite, which does come with a private balcony overlooking one of the most famous avenues in the world.
The hotel has a few different dining options, including room service at all hours. The hotel’s main restaurant, Le Joy, is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner, and there is a full cocktail bar—ideal for an apéritif before dinner or digestif after. Newly revamped, Le Joy also opens onto an interior courtyard, which is soon to be transformed into a winter wonderland with socially-distanced dining igloos for the holidays.
The hotel also prides itself on sourcing as many products as possible, whether it be for the spa or the guest rooms, from French brands and producers. This is especially important within the hotel restaurants as the entire menu for each course is made from ingredients sourced within France and its territories.
Guests also have full access to the hotel spa’s indoor pools, which are heated and, incredibly, block out any possible sound coming from the busy Champs-Élysées just outside. Renovated in 2017 and featuring Kos Paris in skin care treatments, Spa Diane Barrière offers holistic treatments designed to relax and restore the guest’s body and mind.
Spa-goers can try out the aqua-circuit jet pools, the sauna and steam rooms, the fitness center (featuring the typical TechnoGym treadmills and ellipticals), and the HydroJet bed—a waterbed-like machine that not only provides an adequate back massage but offers a very relaxing, meditative experience.
Even if tourists aren’t familiar with the hotel, anyone with passing knowledge of Paris is likely familiar with Fouquet’s, the hotel’s flagship restaurant. The archetype of French brasseries since opening in 1899 and one of Europe’s most iconic restaurants, Fouquet’s is centrally located at the corner of Avenue George V and the Champs-Elysées.
The legendary restaurant boasts classic Parisian brasserie décor and is adorned with photographic portraits of the many celebrities who have dined in the restaurant and stayed at the hotel, reflecting Fouquet’s ties to French cinema. The restaurant is also the established host of the gala dinner for the César Awards, France’s most prestigious awards ceremony for film, often described as the country’s equivalent to the Oscars.
Formally established in France in 1912, Groupe Barrière owns 18 properties (including hotels, resorts, and casinos) as well as restaurants in France (including French territories, such as St. Barths) as well as Dubai. And the luxury hospitality brands plans to open its first U.S. Property in New York City’s Tribeca neighborhood in 2022.
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