In terms of appearance, La Réserve's 1854 edifice is stunning. In terms of history, it was originally the home of Napoléon III's half-brother, the Duc de Morny. It doesn't get any more Second Empire than that.

There's plenty of character, too, the interior having been thoroughly reimagined by celeb designer Jacques Garcia. The latest hotel technology is not lacking, though, having been squeezed in among the heavy rugs, drapes and marble surfacing.

A touch of high-tech

If you get out of bed in the dark, for example, motion sensors at ankle level trip the switch on subtle lights to ensure you don't head-butt the antique side table. Should you wish to control anything in the room, be it cable television, the lighting, a Spotify-style music selection or your butler (included in the price of every room), you can do so from the tablet that sits in a bespoke holder on the writing desk. The pièce de résistance, however, is a widescreen television that rises out of a cabinet at the end of the bed like an old-time theatre organ. It swivels around, should you command it to do so, so it can be viewed from the comfortable sofa opposite.

If that isn't your preferred viewing option, the Prestige Junior Suite for €1900 ($2830) a night, as trialled by Life & Leisure, offers another television at the end of the bath, next to a shower enclosure only slightly smaller than a squash court and two vast handbasins fashioned from a single block of Carrara marble.

La Réserve Paris, built in 1854, has a central location that befits its Palace status. Supplied

The walls are covered in olive patterned silk while the furniture is a mix of period pieces and modern but timeless Garcia creations. The inclusions are impressive: four types of water plus softdrinks and beer, along with a bottle of Champagne (a second bottle can be ordered for €150). Riedel glasses are provided.

Toothpaste and spray-on cologne are supplied, the only time I've found such things in a hotel bathroom. In the capacious wardrobes are weights, a yoga mat and skipping rope – the last mentioned item requires bravery given the quality of the light fittings and original artworks. The Japanese toilet features a seat cover that rises automatically and a row of 15 buttons, none of which I'm game to push.


Hotel, wine and healthcare entrepreneur Michel Reybier is responsible for the four-year renovation, which included installing a gym and library, a 16-metre indoor pool and a smoking room.

"He treated it like it was his home," explains La Réserve's sales manager, Rebecca Escalant. "He chose extraordinary artworks and antiques."

The elegant bathrooms are palatial, too. Supplied

It's hard to argue with that last point. The opulence of the place, sorry palace, runs to embossed leather on the walls of the Michelin two-starred restaurant, Le Gabriel, presided over by chef Jérôme Banctel.

"We want to have no rules," Escalant says of the hotel's philosophy. "You can have breakfast at 6pm, if you like."

I take a peek at the €9400-a-night Suite Présidentielle and the €16,700 Suite Grand Palais, with a balcony looking out to the Eiffel Tower and, much closer, the Jardins des Champs-Élysées, Grand Palais and Petit Palais. These suites are almost as impressive as you'd expect for such stratospheric tariffs.

Criticisms are hard to come by, though the regular rumble of the Metro is discernible under my room. Then again, if I were paying full freight, I might have tested what sort of breakfast my butler could rustle up at short notice just before the evening news.

A Prestige Junior Suite. The hotel's rooms feature a blend of period pieces and modern but timeless creations by designer Jacques Garcia. Supplied


Tony Davis stayed as a guest of Atout France.

Need to know

La Réserve 42 Avenue Gabriel, Paris. Tel: + (331) 58 36 60 60 or see the website for rates and booking details: lareserve-paris.com

La Réserve's Presidential Suite lives up to its name: it's yours for €9400 (about $14,100) a night. Supplied