Hôtel Plaza Athénée

The building went up in two phases between 1902 and 1909, to designs by the architects Charles Lefebvre and Louis Duhayon in an eclectic style. Because the name 'Plaza' had not been registered, the general manager, Émile Armbruster, added 'Athénée', the name of the hotel he had previously run, so that the hotel could open without a lawsuit on 20 April 1913. Fashion arrived later: in 1946 Christian Dior opened his first boutique on avenue Montaigne to attract the hotel's guests, and as a regular visitor he held many of his fashion shows and photo shoots at the hotel.

The hotel's past has its share of drama. The spy Mata Hari, who had been staying at the hotel since early January 1917, was arrested there on 13 February 1917. After the Second World War the hotel housed the love affair of Marlene Dietrich and Jean Gabin; Dietrich later lived at 12 avenue Montaigne from 1962 until her death in 1992, opposite the lovers' former room, and often dined at the Relais Plaza.

The Forte Group bought the hotel in 1968. By decree of 4 November 1994, its avenue façade, roof, hall, grande galerie, dining room and salon Montaigne were listed as a monument historique, with the Relais Plaza also protected. In 2001 the Dorchester Collection acquired the hotel on behalf of the Brunei Investment Agency, which bought the buildings in 2003. In 2010 the hotel received the 'Entreprise du patrimoine vivant' label for its excellence in gastronomy and artisan trades, and in May 2011 it was one of the first eight French hotels, four of them in Paris, to receive the new Palace distinction.

The hotel closed on 1 October 2013 for an expansion and renovation that took in three adjoining buildings, and reopened in 2014 with a renewed entrance hall, gallery and courtyard garden, along with a new ballroom and two event spaces. The Art Deco floor followed in 2018, and the seventh-floor rooms were renovated during the Covid-19 closure of 2020.

The hotel stands at 25 avenue Montaigne in the 8th arrondissement, on what one of its suite descriptions calls the city's famous avenue of fashion. Its neighbour, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, opened a few weeks after the hotel, and composers and theatregoers became regulars in the hotel's dining rooms. The Champs-Élysées is a few minutes' walk away.

The Eiffel Tower, the Seine and the Champs-Élysées are all within walking distance, and for travellers arriving by Eurostar, Gare du Nord is 20 minutes away. A stay in the Deluxe Suite includes a complimentary round-trip transfer, with a chauffeur collecting guests from their chosen airport or railway station.

The hotel divides by altitude. On floors one to six, rooms are in classical Parisian style with rich colours and sumptuous fabrics, furnished with Regency, Louis XV and Louis XVI pieces. The seventh and eighth floors are given over to Art Deco, reimagined by the designers Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille. Guests who prefer period furniture should ask for the lower floors; those drawn to Art Deco, for the top two.

The Classic Single Room, at 25 m², is designed for the single traveller, with a king-size bed and a quiet inner courtyard view. The Superior Room adds space at 30 m² and sleeps two, with twin beds on request. Two 38 m² Deluxe Room categories sleep up to three, with an extra bed subject to availability: one overlooks La Cour Jardin, the other avenue Montaigne, where, the hotel says, the Eiffel Tower and the Seine can be seen to the right. The 45 m² Junior Suite looks onto La Cour Jardin, while a sister category faces the avenue.

The 55 m² Deluxe Junior Suite, with a quiet inner courtyard view, comes in classical décor or, on the seventh floor, in Bruno Moinard and Claire Bétaille's Art Deco with natural daylight. The 57 m² Prestige Junior Suite also exists in a classic and an Art Deco version. The 70 m² Deluxe Suite has a king-size bed, an Italian marble bathroom and a view of La Cour Jardin or one of the inner courtyards; its classical versions are decorated in Parisian style, while those on the seventh floor have Art Deco interiors with angular shapes and touches of signature Plaza red. The Prestige Suite, by Marie-José Pommereau, is 80 m² with a street view, a living area, a walk-in wardrobe and a separate bedroom.

For views of the Eiffel Tower, the Deluxe Suite, Avenue Montaigne View with Balcony (60 m²) and the Prestige Suite Avenue Montaigne View with Balcony (83 m²) both have balconies facing it, and the 95 m² Eiffel Suite looks towards it. Among the Signature Suites, L'Appartement (69 m²) has a balcony over the Parisian rooftops and the tower, and the Terrace Duplex Suite spreads 98 m² over two floors with a private terrace. The 130 m² Signature Eiffel Suite, in modern Art Deco, has a private bar, while the Haute Couture Eiffel Suite has a classical French palace atmosphere with elaborate mouldings and silver-leaf detail. Largest of all, the 450 m² Royal Suite has a balcony over avenue Montaigne and views of La Cour Jardin.

Executive chef Jocelyn Herland leads the culinary team across all the restaurants. The flagship, La Grande Table du Plaza Athénée, reinterprets grand French gastronomic traditions with a contemporary edge under chef Anthony Di Prospero. It serves dinner from Tuesday to Saturday and lunch on Saturday only, and closes on Sunday and Monday. Le Cabinet des Conspirateurs, a private dining room, sits within the kitchen behind glass doors.

Le Relais Plaza opened in 1936; its Art Deco design, by Constant Lefranc, was inspired by the first-class dining hall of the SS Normandie. Run by chef Victoria Boller, it serves authentic French dishes in a brasserie atmosphere and is open daily. Breakfast is served here, at La Grande Table or in La Galerie, from 07:00 to 11:00 on weekdays and until 10:45 at weekends; the hotel's bakers start shaping the rolls at 03:00, and a dedicated fruit chef prepares the platters and acai bowls. Sunday brunch, from 12:15 to 13:15, brings pastries, seasonal fruit, starters to share, a French signature dish of the guest's choice and desserts, with hot drinks and champagne.

La Galerie, with silk curtains and ornate chandeliers, offers all-day dining, and its afternoon tea runs daily from 14:00 to 19:00, with a smart casual dress code. Executive pastry chef Angelo Musa, a World Pastry Chef award winner who became a Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2007, creates the pastries, including the signature red 100% Plaza dessert; since September 2026 he has worked with Damien Gibault. Tea connoisseur Lydia Gauiter chooses the blends, and children have their own miniature afternoon tea.

Le Bar serves handcrafted cocktails and Dom Pérignon champagnes daily, around a glowing iceberg bar top and among oversized, inhabitable paintings. In spring and summer, La Cour Jardin serves meals in the leafy courtyard under its red parasols, while La Terrasse Montaigne, which runs along the façade on the avenue, serves light, refined cuisine; it closes in winter and reopens every spring.

The Dior Spa Plaza Athénée, which the hotel runs in partnership with Dior, is open every day. Its menu leans towards sleep and technology: the Dior Light Suite has circadian-supportive lighting, and the Rituel Étoilé uses an LED ceiling that mimics natural light. The Kobi-Dior facial draws on Japanese Kobido massage, and the Dior Skin Atelier facial, which uses LED light therapy and microcurrent, is offered until 31 December 2026.

The Constellation Massage is a slow, rhythmic full-body treatment, and the 9 Moons massage addresses the aches of pregnancy. The D-Stress Therapy combines a sound bath, sauna, facial and full-body massage. The fitness centre has state-of-the-art equipment and personal training, and is open to hotel residents from 06:00 to 22:00.