You may have gathered by now that I'm a hotel addict. I'm never happier than when snuggled up in a velour robe, leafing through the newspaper and waiting for breakfast to arrive. When friends ask me to come and stay with them, I often feign intimacy issues in order to crash at the hotel around the corner.
But how does one market a luxury hotel? I put this question to Sylviane Binard, owner of the newest glamour pad in Paris, the Hôtel Athénée in rue Caumartin (IXe arrondissement). Plush, intimate and entirely designed by Joseph Garcia – of Hôtel Costes fame – it resembles a cross between a 19th century boudoir and a deliriously expensive box of chocolates.
Sylviane told me: «Of course there's the internet, but you don't want to be everywhere. So we're going to have a presence on only the most prestigious travel sites. After that, it's press relations and, most importantly of all, word of mouth.»
The hotel's Red Bar – open to non-residents – will help spread the word about the boutique hotel. It's also worth noting that Joseph Garcia himself is a brand. Fearing that he would not be interested in her small hotel, Sylviane tried one or two other designers before contacting the maestro, who readily accepted the challenge. «It cost us two eyes, she admits. But it was worth it.» The price of luxury is about 200-400 euros a night (www.hotel-athenee.com).
