Mandarin Oriental a welcome haven in Paris

The friendliness of the staff at the Mandarin Oriental in Paris fashions an ambience in the property so unlike the unfriendliness of the Parisians I encountered outside the hotel’s entrance.

The Mandarin Oriental provides an Asian-inspired coolness and calm that is so wonderfully welcome after a hard day’s work in Paris. And it is not just the attitude of the staff, but also the Japanese-inspired garden in the courtyard – an excellent place to have meetings. It was the comfort of the bed, the smell of the soap. It all came together to create a level of tranquillity that sits so starkly against the hustle of the street it occupies – Rue Saint Honoré.

The 128 rooms – of which 40 are suites – are some of the most spacious in the city, with a desk that has been designed for the modern businessperson in mind. There are plugs of every kind folded into the desk, which has a leather top so papers do not go flying and one of those comfortable swivelling chairs. There is also free Wi-Fi throughout the property.

The best part of the sleeping experience was the pillow menu – by no means a gimmick. Hotels are primarily places to rest and sleep – having a pillow that can facilitate this is not just a great service, but a necessity.

Take your pick from lavender, rose or memory foam, to name a few, and anticipate some sweet dreams. The Mandarin Oriental brand has succeeded in promoting elegant luxury even in a place as competitive and clustered with hotels as Paris.

Mandarin Oriental is renowned for its spa and the one in Paris does not disappoint. Unlike many European hotels, the spa here provides a far more private and intimate experience in which guests have their own private changing rooms and Jacuzzi.

The hotel has three restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Sur Mesure by Thierry Marx and a cake shop with all the delights and concoctions expected of a Parisian patisserie. Enjoy the cakes with a pot of tea in the garden, where there are many important-looking people busy in meetings, mixed with a healthy dose of laissez-faire socialites taking small bites out of macaroons.

q&a attention to fine details

Guillaume Chapalain, a PR manager, and Philip Mayer, an assistant director of sales, both at Mandarin Oriental Paris, reveal more about the hotel’s business offerings

How do you cater to business guests?

GC: We have very spacious rooms that are great for business travellers. There is a desk with all the adapters. We have five meeting rooms. The fitness centre is open 24 hours and our garden, which a lot of our business clients from the Middle East appreciate very much. It is a bit of quiet in the middle of Paris and is discreet. For our suites, we make sure there is a salon where guests can sit and invite people to their room for meetings.

How do you cater specifically to guests from the Middle East?

PM: Each guest is different; we get princes, official delegations, honeymooners. Our Middle East guests love the suites, so we have 40 different kinds. About 15-20 per cent of our clients are from the Middle East. You can interconnect the rooms, we have three suites that can be interconnected to create one of the region's grandest suites. We have many Arabic TV channels and try to anticipate their needs and work towards them. We cater to their religious needs and ask if they want a prayer mat in the room.

How do you compete with other luxury hotels in Paris?

GC: Mandarin Oriental is a new product in Paris, we opened in June 2011. Our location – being in the middle of Paris – is really what we play on.

thamid@thenational.ae

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