You know you’ve arrived, literally and figuratively, the minute you see Place de la Concorde up on your left and Hôtel de Crillon on your right. As your driver pulls up you are surrounded by regally dressed staff, guiding you to the historic facade as if it’s your movie being premiered. Welcome to the mansion built for Louis XV, and, since July 2017 after a four-year renovation, for you too.
The minute you walk inside Hôtel de Crillon you know how Louis XV must have felt. The entrance is unlike that of any hotel I’ve ever been in—it feels like a mansion—there’s no lobby. There’s no check-in desk. There’s a comfortable room to your left for that and to the right is one of the most beautiful bars in Paris—Les Ambassadeurs.
There’s fine dining at Michelin-starred L’Ecrin and a more casual setting at Brasserie d’Aumont. If you’re looking for a glamorous dinner out in Paris then you may want to dine at L’Ecrin. But if you want to experience all that Hôtel de Crillon offers, in a more casual setting (relaxed might be the word), then I recommend Brasserie d’Aumont.
Don’t despair. You’ll be treated like royalty at Brasserie d’Aumont too, as you sip champagne and salty oysters. Then, order perhaps the best Salers dry-aged cut in all of France, paired with a warm bearnaise sauce, smoked mashed potatoes, and a velvety glass of Gevrey-Chambertin. And because you went to the brasserie, you might have some euros (not many mind you) for an after-dinner glass of champagne at Les Ambassadors.
As you enter Les Ambassadors it’s hard not to just stop and look around at a most spectacular room. It’s so special. Music fills the air, original chandeliers hang especially low, adding warmth beneath a vaulted ceiling—a pastel of Paris after the rain—covering a roof that is considered a landmark. It’s a place to be seen, and one you must see. Enjoy your glass of champagne. You deserve it. Welcome to Hôtel de Crillon: You’ve arrived.
