The Hyatt Paris Madeleine:
Aglow in the City of Light
From some of the rooms on the upper floors of the
Hyatt Paris-Madeleine you can see across the rooftops of Paris to the
basilica of the Sacre Coeur in the northeast and the Eiffel Tower in the
southwest. Our room was on the second floor and overlooked the Boulevard
Malesherbes -- a less dramatic view to be sure. But to step out of its
French doors onto a small balcony rimmed with wrought iron in an Art
Nouveau design was to experience the romance of Paris just as well. The
cobblestone boulevard is lined with platanes,
plane trees pruned to grow deep and wide instead of tall. Branches
opposite our balconies were close enough to reach; their leaves cast
dappled patterns onto the rug of our room all through the day.
Cutting a diagonal swath across the eighth
arrondisement, the stylish Boulevard Malesherbes is a broad financial and
residential byway that leads to a warren of narrow side streets which we
explored through days where the sun shone intermittently, and an umbrella
had to be carried to insure it wouldn’t rain. But what matter? In
the neighborhood that surrounds the Hyatt Paris-Madeleine, we passed
cluttered antique shops that took up the ground floor of beaux arts
buildings and corner flower shops where pots of geraniums and bouquets of
peonies and roses spilled out onto the sidewalk; a curious toy store
adjacent to a boutique featuring the crisp white organza of Anne Fontaine
blouses and a shoe store selling high quality French and Italian shoes
that doubles as a busy cobbler’s shop; faded menus in clouded windows
advertising a diversity of cuisines: Chinese, Vietnamese, Lebanese, even
kosher pizza, and in Paris even kosher pizza can be divine.
Three blocks from the Hyatt Paris-Madeleine, the
Boulevard Malesherbes ends at the Place de la Madeleine where the
eighteenth century Madeleine church enclosed by a colonnade of Corinthian
columns like an ancient Greek temple looks down the Rue Royale to its
conclusion at the Place de la Concorde. The haute couture shops along the
Rue du Faubourg St.-Honore, the formal gardens of the Tuileries, the
masterpieces of the Louvre, the stately Avenue des Champs Elysees, even
the left bank Musee D’Orsay with its Manets and Monets are but blocks
away as are the Place Vendome, the Opera House, the famed department
stores – Printemps and Galeries Lafayette. It would seem the little
Hyatt Paris-Madeleine is at the very heart of Paris.

The sky-lit roof evokes an Eiffel
Tower-Industrial Age aesthetic
|
A more striking holdover is a huge
skylight of iron-framed glass panels which evokes an Eiffel
Tower-Industrial Age aesthetic and serves today as the ceiling for La
Chinoiserie, one of the two hotel’s restaurants. |
The rest of the
building’s interior was transformed into eighty-six luxurious and
technically up to date accommodations that combine the décor of 1950’s
modernism with a French flair, four conference rooms, two restaurants, a
fully equipped fitness and skin care center, and a small entry lobby whose
sense of space is enhanced by mirrored walls and shining expanses of
granite, chrome, and blonde wood.
The look is cool and contemporary, but the
environment is warm and welcoming, characteristics that define the bevy of
sweet young things who comprise the Hyatt staff. Attired in Parisian chic
- mademoiselles in slim camel-colored skirts and jackets accessorized by
a single strand of pearls, young gentlemen dapper in black suits – they
are always “at your service.” As the ballet and opera were sold out
the one evening we were free, one of the delightful demoiselles arranged
for us to attend a concert at La Sainte Chapelle across the way from Notre Dame.
Happily it took place during a rare spell of uninterrupted
sunshine allowing us the unforgettable pleasure of listening to a
small chamber orchestra perform Mozart serenades while light
streamed through the spectacular stained glass windows of the 13th
century chapel. |

One of the sweet young things behind the
registration desk |
Hailing from Bali, Vietnam, Germany, England, Spain,
Russia, Lithunania as well as France, sixteen nationalities in all, staff
members after three months on the job are invited to spend a night at the
hotel, have dinner and use the facilities.
“We want them to experience the hotel as guests so
as to understand the perspective of guests,” said general manager
Christophe Lorvo of his innovation, one of a number he has initiated in
his 18 months on the job.
The Parisian-born Lorvo came to the Hyatt
Paris-Madeleine from the Hyatt Charles de Gaulle located near the airport.
Before that he had worked in Guam, Damascus, Brazil, Senegal, San Diego,
London, and Malaga accumulating a range and depth of experience that
belies his youthful appearance. “Since I was 7 or 8, I knew I wanted to
work in something connected with food because my mother was such a good
cook,” the charismatic hotelier told us. “I did my hotel school in
Paris and dreamed of working in one of the city’s great hotels. But when
I did, I discovered the concierge was in one department, the maitre d’
in the other, and they wouldn’t work together. To get anything done you
had to ask somebody to ask somebody.”
The example Christophe Lorvo sets at the Hyatt
Paris-Madeleine stands in sharp contrast. Instead of the guarding of
one’s turf, this boutique hotel projects a sense of easy-going
cooperation, a spirit confirmed by the food and beverage manager.
“Because the hotel is so small, the staff gets to know the clients, and
all of us can handle things directly,” he said. “We hang out together,
go out together after work. There is great team work here.”
A friendly environment combined with a tone of
elegant informality makes the Hyatt Paris-Madeleine as much a gathering
place for people who live and work in the Boulevard Malesherbes area as
for the largely American business and leisure hotel clientele. Lunch and
dinner at its excellent restaurants draw sizeable local crowds.
Neighborhood people stop by for afternoon tea and the popular six
o’clock Champagne Bar-- another innovation of Christophe Lorvo’s --
where a glass of champagne can be had as easily as a Bloody Mary.

General Manager Christophe Lorvo enjoying a
glass of pink champagne |
“At the hotel’s opening, we offered a selection of
champagnes which guests could have by the glass,” Christophe
told us as he stood before an array of champagne bottles resting
in ice buckets on a long glass covered table. “People liked it
so much we decided to continue the practice. It is something
relatively new and very festive.” |
For the first time in many a year, we each had a
glass of fizzy pink champagne – pink champagne seemed to be the rule in
Paris this spring - and it
was a festive prelude to dinner at La Chinoiserie, the square and open
space directly off the lobby whose sky-lit roof allows up to 50 diners the
enchanting diversion of looking up several stories to an ever-changing sky
and whose gas-fired fireplace creates an atmosphere of home-like coziness
particularly when a sleeping dog lies before it (in
Paris, dogs often accompany their owners to restaurants).
The effect is of a
luxurious yet comfortable living room with tables of varying sizes
casually arranged before arm chairs, banquettes, and ottomans in shades of
red and rust, persimmon and gold.
Both La Chinoiserie and Café M, which seats 66 and is of more
traditional design, focus on contemporary French cuisine that
makes use of seasonal produce and incorporates some Asian and
Middle Eastern touches.
|

La Chinoiserie set for breakfast |
Joined by an American couple celebrating a
special anniversary, we sampled both the standard: delectable
goose liver paste with leeks and a very light truffle juice as
well as the new: succulent lobster from Brittany roasted and
served out of the shell on a pancake of taboule.
Soup was not on the menu. Still the chef – who will
always arrange special dishes on request -- prepared a delicate and
aromatic fish broth. Risotto came with fresh grass-green and barely
steamed asparagus tips; rare tuna steak with spring vegetables that had
been stir fried in a wok. The medallion of veal and French fillet of beef
were prepared to diners’ specifications, the former accented in
Mediterranean fashion with oven dried tomatoes, the latter with onions and
a plump and crusty roasted potato cut into wedges and lightly topped with
béarnaise sauce.
Although the Hyatt Paris-Madeleine’s has a
substantial list of Burgundies and Bordeaux, Christophe had suggested we
try a wine from the Cotes de Provence. Chateau Real Martin 1997 made in
limited production of grenache and syrah grapes was a lively fruity wine
characterized by a lovely red color and pleasant finish.
“In response to the high volume of wines coming
from places like Chile, Australia, New Zealand, the question has become
why not Provence and other regions that have traditionally focused on
table wines instead of quality vintages,” Christophe said. “A niche
has opened up; there’s a concerted effort to improve the quality of
French wines from such areas, and at the Hyatt, we made the decision to
offer them to our guests.”
That decision seemed far easier than choosing from
among La Chinoiserie’s tantalizing dessert options.
Joined by Christophe, looking very Parisian in a black turtleneck
sweater, and Hyatt’s director of communications in Paris, the
effervescent Maguelone Destang, we settled on luscious warm chocolate cake
with almond milk ice cream and Italian pannoacotta with crushed
strawberries. La Chinoiserie’s range of teas and infusions led us to
forego coffee in favor of some oriental brew.

Christophe Lorvo looking very Parisian in a
black turtleneck sweater |

Director of Communications, the effervescent
Maguelone Destang |

A antique tapestry depicting a Japanese
nobleman faces its opposite across La Chinoiserie |
The Asian influence in La Chinoiserie (which means Chinese
curio) appears not only on the menu but in the art and accessories
that decorate the room, in particular a pair of enormous antique
tapestries each depicting a Japanese nobleman who faces his
opposite across the room. In every Hyatt we’ve been in, both in
the United States and abroad, we’ve been impressed by the range
and quality of art in public rooms, and the boutique Hyatt
Paris-Madeleine was no exception. |
But this hotel taken the art
connection to a new level in forging a link with the Galerie National du
Jeu de Paume. Before the Musee d-Orsay opened in 1996, the Jeu de Paume,
located in the Tuileries Gardens near the Place de la Concorde, had housed
Paris’ major Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection. Today it
showcases contemporary art. Guests at the Hyatt Paris Madeleine who have
opted for its “Art, Shopping, and Culture” package get free passes to
the Galerie National and the opportunity to attend openings. Plans are
afoot to host champagne receptions at the hotel for guests of future
openings.
“The Art, Shopping, and
Culture package” is just one of several we offer,” Christophe Lorvo
said. “The ‘Suite 706’ package includes staying in the Presidential
Suite which overlooks all of Paris from the Sacre Couer to the Opera
House, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Eiffel Tower. Then there are the
‘Leisure and Beauty Break’ and ‘Honeymoon Package’, which include
free access to our fitness center that has a steam room, sauna, and all
kinds of cardio equipment.
“I should add that every
room at the Hyatt Madeleine is equipped with high speed internet access,
but if you don’t have a lap top with you, our business center is open 24
hours a day so that you can get to your e-mail.”
He smiled at his own
exuberance. “It’s been a lot of passion working in this industry,
passion of travel, passion of culture, passion of people. I bring them all
together to this job.”
This is but another innovation that Christophe Lorvo
has initiated in his brief tenure at the helm of the Hyatt
Paris-Madeleine. “It’s been a lot of passion working in this
industry,” he told us, “passion of travel, passion of culture, passion
of people. I bring them all together to this job.”
“The Hyatt goes out of its way to make people feel
at ease, to treat them like family so they’ll come back - which they do
– a 50% return rate, we are told,” said John Merwin, a Scotsman who
speaks the king’s English, has a background as chequered and intriguing
as a character in a John LeCarre novel, and who for the past seven years
has worked as driver for the Executive Car Company. John
took us on a day’s tour to Giverny, the Normandy home and gardens of
artist Claude Monet, and as he expertly maneuvered his way through
Parisian traffic and out into the beautiful countryside where we followed
the Seine through small villages, he warmed to his theme.
“Hyatt always treats their guests with a great deal
of VIP organization. Normally when we’re coming into town, we’ll call
when we’re 20 minutes away so people don’t have to hang around once
they arrive. They’ll be welcomed at the door; the baggage will be taken
care of, all very personalized service. It’s the only hotel that goes to
all that trouble, really.
“In the old days, it was if they like you okay, and if they don’t,
tough luck,” John added. “Now everyone’s VIP. This is the Hyatt
touch, an American conception that is very successful.”
Having experienced the Hyatt touch, this pair of Americans in Paris
felt ready to vouch for John’s assessment. The American conception in the City of Light works very well indeed.
Hyatt Paris Madeleine
24, Boulevard Malesherbes
75008, Paris
Phone: (33) (0) 1 55
27 12 07
Web: http://www.Paris.Hyatt.com
#
# #
Hyatt
Regency Paris-Madeleine Packages
Available through December
31, 2002
Rates include tax and
services, are based on a minimum stay of two nights, and include private
limousine transfer upon arrival to the hotel
CULTURE & SHOPPING
PACKAGE
-
Continental Breakfast in
La Chinoiserie lounge
-
Invitation to current
exhibition at the Jeu de Paume Gallery
-
Invitation for a
spectacular multimedia show about Paris.
-
VIP Treatment at
Printemps Department Store (includes a personalized
-
Welcome to the newly
opened luxury brands first floor, coffee break, and a personal shopper
with 10% discount card and purchases transported back to the hotel.
-
Complimentary access to
the fitness center 380 Euros per night Classic room
-
470 Euros per night
Deluxe room
LEISURE & BEAUTY BREAK
-
Accommodation in a
luxurious room
-
Energy breakfast in room
-
Beauty treatment Vitazen
anti-jet lag 1h15 face; 1h00 body
-
Free access to fitness
center
-
400 Euros per night
Classic room
-
490 Euros per night
Deluxe room
HONEYMOON PACKAGE
-
Accommodation in a
luxurious room with direct upgrade to Junior Suite
-
Continental breakfast at
La Chinoiserie lounge
-
One bottle of champagne
upon arrival
-
Free access to fitness
center
-
580 Euros per night
Junior Suite, with upgrade to Executive Suite
"CD SUITE
706" PACKAGE
-
Accommodation in a
luxurious suite
-
Glass of champagne at La
Chinoiserie lounge upon arrival
-
Complimentary CD
"Suite 706"
-
One invitation for 2 to
jazz club "Le Duc des Lombards" or famous night club
"Les Bains Douches"
-
2,100 Euros per night
Presidential Suite
-
840 Euros per night
Executive Suite
-
540 Euros per night
Junior Suite
Photos by Harvey Frommer
#
# #
About the Authors: Myrna Katz Frommer and Harvey Frommer are a wife and husband
team who successfully bridge the worlds of popular culture and traditional
scholarship. Co-authors of the critically acclaimed interactive oral histories
It Happened in the Catskills, It Happened in Brooklyn, Growing Up Jewish in
America, It Happened on Broadway, It Happened in Manhattan, It Happened in
Miami. They teach what they practice as professors at Dartmouth College.
They are also travel writers who specialize in luxury properties and fine dining
as well as cultural history and Jewish history and heritage in the United
States, Europe, and the Caribbean.
More
about these authors.
You can contact the Frommers at:
Email: myrna.frommer@Dartmouth.EDU
Email: harvey.frommer@Dartmouth.EDU
Web:
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~frommer/travel.htm.
This Article is Copyright © 1995 - 2012 by Harvey and Myrna Frommer. All rights
reserved worldwide.
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