Palace: 6 things you can only find at the Plaza Athénée

Landscaped by the designer and garden entrepreneur Olivier Riols, the Garden Courtyard with its geraniums and Virginia creepers, red camellias in summer and ice rink in winter, is an ode to the seasons.

Once renovation work was complete, the Plaza Athénée had amassed eight additional keys, opening doors which include a Deluxe suite, a Prestige suite, and two new Eiffel signature suites. The Eiffel suites boast wide bay windows with unrivalled views of the Eiffel Tower. Six apartments were also added to the hotel. They can be booked and joined together, and afford high fashion views of the Avenue Montaigne.

The Alain Ducasse restaurant at the Plaza Athénée turns the conventions of fine dining establishments on their heads with a distinctive aesthetic. It is two restaurants in one, providing a different ambience for lunch and dinner. In the dining room, the monumental bells in polished stainless steel are a cleverly elegant take on a service bell. One moment they are being used as the backrest on benches, and the next as windbreaks to conceal tables and chairs.

The bar at the Plaza Athénée provides visitors with an atmosphere that encourages people to get together. The space unravels beneath a deep blue where the ceiling disappears behind irregular folds of fabric. The hotel’s enigmatic centrepiece, it adds to the hotel’s air of mystery, while the furniture shows off its refined design. Come evening, the sober colours melt into the decor while glass lamps diffuse a soft light that creates an incredibly intimate atmosphere.

The reception rooms were enlarged considerably during the renovation work. The two existing rooms (the Organza and Collection salons) are now joined by a new break room, two adjoining meeting rooms on the Palace’s upper floors, and the Haute Couture salon. This spacious 150m² ballroom with 6m ceilings contains seven majestic chandeliers that intermingle with flashes of gold. On the floor, a great red carpet imitates the movement of dancers’ dresses, in a nod to the parties of days gone by.