Arrival/Check-In: I was too busy ogling the Paris Opéra to realize my taxi arrived at the InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel. A doorman opened the taxi door while a bellman whisked away my luggage. Check-in at the front desk was swift and efficient, despite my attention frequently wandering to the adjacent La Verrière, the hotel’s glass-roofed, greenery-filled atrium, a popular meeting place not only for guests but also for Paris’ social and business elite.

Guest Quarters: As I was escorted to my fourth-floor executive room, I admired the engravings depicting musical scores and dancers accenting the corridors. Fun fact: The 470-room, Second Empire-style hotel occupies an entire triangular block, and a lap of the corridors is the equivalent of a one-kilometer walk. Once inside my room, I was drawn immediately to the large windows providing a bird’s-eye view down into La Verrière, which filled the courtyard. The room was decorated in rich gold, royal blue and cream, with paper- and fabric-covered walls, drapes and privacy curtains and complementary patterned carpeting. The mahogany furnishings included a queen-sized bed dressed in luxurious linens and topped with a duvet and a throw; a credenza hiding a stocked minibar and supporting a flat-screen TV; and a desk. A club-style chair with adjacent floor lamp and glass-topped table invited reading. A Parisian friend admired the bright bathroom, with phone-equipped water closet, and quipped it was larger than her first apartment. The marble vanity provided ample room for my toiletries, and the thick white bath sheets, hand towels and face cloths were abundant and freshened during evening turn-down. Robes and slippers were provided.

Services/Amenities: Since its 1862 opening, royals, celebrities, artists and authors have made the InterContinental Le Grand their Paris home, not only for its primo location but also for its services and amenities. These include teams of concierges, valets and guest-relations specialists. Club Floor guests enjoy a private lounge where breakfast, cocktails and light refreshments are available around the clock. The hotel’s grandeur is evident in La Verrière and the Bar but especially in Café de la Paix, an ornate listed monument with gilded ceilings and frescoes, where the breakfast buffet ranges from miso soup to veal sausages. The full-service I-Spa by Algotherm specializes in marine-based therapies. The fitness room, sauna, hammam and relaxation room — a gentle way to ease out the kinks of travel — are open to all guests.

The Experience: Located in the refined 9th arrondissement, adjacent to the Paris Opéra, amid the city’s toniest stores and within strolling distance of the Tuileries Garden, the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, the InterContinental Le Grand Paris puts the grandeur of Paris at your fingertips, day and night. It’s also just a block from the airport RoissyBus stop.

GT CHECKLIST

[checklist]
[item check=yes]Doorman/valet[/item]
[item check=yes]Less than 10 minutes for check-in[/item]
[item]Separate tub and shower[/item]
[item check=yes]Large vanity[/item]
[item check=yes]High-quality towels[/item]
[item]Powerful, unattached hair dryer[/item]
[item check=yes]High-quality bed linens[/item]
[item check=yes]Large, flat-screen television[/item]
[item check=yes]Large desk with convenient outlets[/item]
[item check=yes]Large, complimentary laptop safe[/item]
[item]Complimentary in-room WiFi[/item]
[item]Complimentary bottled water[/item]
[item check=yes]Stocked minibar[/item]
[item check=yes]Ample lighting[/item]
[item]In-room coffeemaker[/item]
[item check=yes]Iron and ironing board[/item]
[item check=yes]On-site restaurant[/item]
[item check=yes]24-hour room service[/item]
[item check=yes]24-hour state-of-the-art fitness center[/item]
[item check=yes]Turn-down service[/item]
[/checklist]

InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel

2 Rue Scribe
Paris, 75009 France
tel 33 1 40 07 32 32
intercontinental.com