The Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris Has Reopened Its Doors

By Sophie Gayot

September 2020

The Most Luxurious Red in the World is Back!

In June, I had the privilege of touring the Hôtel Plaza Athénée with François Delahaye, the 20-year hotel General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of the Dorchester Collection, which owns the palace along with other stunning properties around the world. I say “privilege” because I was alone in the entire hotel and Alain Ducasse Restaurant. Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the hotel was closed.

How in my wildest dreams could I think that I would ever get the Plaza Athénée just for myself one day? And this improbable moment happened for real…. But even if I was appreciating every minute of it, I could not help thinking that it was “thanks” to dramatic and unprecedented reasons…

> Hôtel Plaza Athénée General Manager François Delahaye welcoming Sophie Gayot at the closed hotel in June 2020.

As of September 1, 2020, the palace is welcoming guests again. As red is its color, the personnel greets guests with red masks. You can enjoy La Cour for breakfast, La Galerie des Gobelins (of which Marlene Dietrich was particularly fond) for tea and pâtisseries, Le Bar (where Mata Hari was arrested) and its terrace on the prestigious Avenue Montaigne for drinks (I had one of the best cocktails I ever had there), Le Relais Plaza for lunch and dinner and the ultra fine-dining Alain Ducasse Restaurant for dinner.

During the closure, the seventh and eighth floors were completely redone. I was able to tour the construction site. As you can see in the photos below, it was not just a paint job, but a total makeover. So, the Hôtel Plaza Athénée reopens even grander and more beautiful!

> Says Delahaye: “It is important that the Plaza Athénée reopens for the neighborhood and the business around. The Dorchester Collection has a societal responsibility and duty to do so.”

Discretion, efficiency, luxury and courtesy are among the highlights of a stay at the iconic and extremely luxurious Hôtel Plaza Athénée.