Victoria Palace Hôtel

Entrance
With its elegant façade typical of grand hotels of the early 20th century, the Victoria Palace Hotel stands quietly on a bend in a small street just out of sight of the bustling city. Expect to be greeted by that rarity, a doorman, as you enter the foyer. Here, renovation work has left untouched the atmosphere of a by-gone age created by black marble walls, a white marble floor and a large floral display in the centre.

To the left is the main lounge and to the right another lounge with an adjoining bar. Opposite the entrance is the reception desk and a corridor with, on the left, a lift and conference rooms while on the right is the dining room where breakfast is served.

The walls of the main lounge are lined with fabric in glowing colours and hung with fine portraits, reproduced from works in the Orsay museum. The Empire-style furniture is further adorned by Chinese vases. This room, with its two comfortable settees in front of the fireplace is an open invitation to curl up with a good book.

The second lounge pays homage to the English style with a bar, plush velvet settees, deep red fabric-lined walls, matching heavy curtains, green lampshades, patterned rugs and hunting scenes. In these remarkable surroundings it is very easy to relax and enjoy yourself.

On signing in, guests are given a map of Paris and several leaflets that have been specially compiled by the management. These list all the attractions of the area: restaurants, fashion houses, jewellers etc, not always found in guide books and with a difference: each place has its own commentary. These have been written as the result of personal experience by staff of the hotel. 

The rooms
Approached by wide corridors, each room is different although all are elegant, bright and airy.

Against a background of colour the keynote is white. Chairs, doors, skirting, ceilings and mouldings are all painted white. The bedspread is topstitched in white to echo the threads in the wall fabric and highlight the bright and soft colours of the material; blues, raspberry pink and caramel. 

The main colour is carried through in the carpets, armchairs, settees and bed heads which complement rather than match the design of the wall fabric giving a tonal emphasis to the room. The overall look is one of harmony and contrived simplicity.

Spacious and functional, without clutter, the rooms are all furnished with Louis XV1-style pieces from the writing desk to the bedside tables, not forgetting the marble- topped chest of drawers. Sketches in pencil and chalk complete the décor.

A great deal of thought and years of experience in the hotel trade is reflected in the use of only the best materials which are meticulously looked-after and destined for the long term.

The large, carefully-designed marble ensuites all have baths and, wherever possible, separate toilets. 

In the evening when the maids turn down the beds they leave chocolates and a weather forecast. There is room service available from 11 am till midnight and the hotel provides secretarial facilities for business guests.

Room types
The hotel has two main categories of room:  Double and Junior Suites. 

More spacious than the Double, the Junior Suites have an integral sitting room. The Doubles are arranged to suit a multiple of guests, some with twin beds, some with double beds and some interconnecting.

There are also four Double Suites with a separate sitting room.

Rooms face either the street or onto a large courtyard and, given the hotel’s location, are quiet.

Breakfast
Buffet-style service is available in a room with salmon pink walls and white table cloths. Guests can choose continental pastries, fruit salads, fresh fruit, omelettes, bacon and sausages, home made jam in large pots, various fruit juices, dairy products, cooked meats, cheeses, different sorts of bread, dried fruit and cereals. Hot drinks are served at the table.

A continental breakfast can be delivered to guests’ rooms.