conference facilities. Today the Lotti has eight meeting rooms which can hold up to 100 people. The restaurant – a tasty slice of Italy in the heart of Paris – is also available for group hire.
For my money, the most beautiful hotel ballroom in Paris is located within the InterContinental Paris Le Grand on Rue Scribe. It is one of 21 (count them) meeting rooms ranging from the smallest which can host 10 people for a banquet to the ballroom itself which can hold 600. The hotel is a Parisian landmark – it opened amid much excitement in 1862 and remains a byword for sumptuous events. The Café de la Paix is renowned in its own right.
The Crown Plaza on the Champs-Elysees can’t boast such an illustrious history but what it lacks in heritage it makes up for quirky ambience. This is not your standard Crown Plaza – designed by Bruno Borrione (who, almost inevitably, was a student of Philippe Starck) the property is an eclectic mix of natural timbers and modern furnishings. The 300 sqm meeting room can hold up to 260 people.
Last and far from least, the Westin Paris, overlooking the Tuileries gardens, is a gorgeous grand dame of a property. Rivaling the InterContinental for jaw-dropping opulence, this is an unashamedly upmarket place. The meeting rooms – festooned with frescos in the style of the second empire (that’s 1850-1870 for those whose French history is a little rusty) – the total of 1,982 sqm can hold up to 1,000 people. The Salons Castiglione, Feuillants, Mont-Thabor, Rivoli, and Saint-Honoré provide a variety of configurations for events while the Salons Tuileries and Vendome are best suited for lunch or dinners. The flamboyant is 19th-century Salon Impérial is ablaze with gilt chandeliers, red drapes and