World-class athletes won’t be the only ones feeling like champions during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
With effortless elegance being at the heart of the French capital no matter the season, this summer the City of Love has taken its renowned taste in luxury to a whole new level.
Revered by A-listers, influencers and athletes worldwide, a select few of the city’s top hotels have proved time and time again why they boast the go-to haute stays.
Here now, a look at two of Paris’ must-stay spots during the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
This may be one of Paris’ top hotels, but its luxury status is one of the city’s worst-kept secrets — and proud to be.
The Hôtel Plaza Athénée has long been a staple in luxury travel — Paris aside — with each seasoned traveler having this spot at the top of their bucket list.
And for good reason — this hotel books up in the blink of an eye during Paris Fashion Week, and this year’s summer Olympic Games were no exception.
Founded in 1913, the hotel has earned its stripes as one of the most storied accommodations in Paris.
The hotel has also secured famous cameos in recent years.
In the hit 2006 film “The Devil Wears Prada,” the property can be spotted in the scene in which Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) finds a crying Miranda Priestly in her hotel room.
It also played a starring role in the two-part finale of “Sex and the City,” in which Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) stays with Aleksandr Petrovsky (Mikhail Baryshnikov). That series finale celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.
Most recently, the hotel can be spotted in the hit Netflix series “Emily in Paris” when season 3 drops next month.
Inside, the hotel’s interiors remind even the most skeptical of travelers why this place has remained at the forefront of the city’s best offerings.
Recognizable for its famously bright-red awnings, alongside some of the most expensive stores in the world, the hotel boasts 154 equally stunning rooms on Avenue Montaigne.
Each room is elegantly furnished in either French Regency or Art Deco style, and the hotel’s long-standing adoration with haute couture is apparent in its in-house Dior Institute spa — perfect for the ultimate pampering session.
But it wouldn’t be a luxe hotel without having a culinary experience to match.
The hotel’s Michelin-starred Jean Imbert au Plaza Athénée restaurant pays homage to fine French dining, and is guaranteed to awake all taste buds with his modern take on 250-year-old recipes.
After dinner, the hotel offers the perfect bar — aptly named Le Bar — to sit back, sip, relax and repeat.
The hotel, which also features a stunning 10,000-crystal chandelier in its dining room, is also a stone’s throw away from some of Paris’ most iconic tourist attractions.
Nestled right by the river Seine, the hotel boasts unmatched views of the iconic Eiffel Tower — which is adorned with the Olympic rings this July and August.
The hotel is also located couple of minutes from the Musée d’Art Moderne, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe — c’est bon!
What’s more, the hotel has embraced all the sporting action by partnering with acclaimed photographer Mathieu Forget, also known as Forgetmat, who has combined the worlds of art and sports through his lens.
Forget, who hails from Paris, has created a series of action-packed snapshots featuring athletes mid-action pose in the hotel’s iconic spaces.
“I had an idea of bringing an athlete inside my creativity, so I reached out to fencers, swimmers, all the national champions and the ball kept rolling,” Forget, 34, exclusively told The Post, adding that the luxury hotel reached out to him a year before the Olympics.
“In this entire project, the idea was not only to highlight sports or where the athletes are going to compete, but to also bring my artistic side to the sports world and in a way pay tribute to the French heritage and its architecture.”
Forget, who lived in the US for 10 years before returning to home soil, said he worked with a total of five athletes for his Plaza Athénée series — a project that he kickstarted over three years ago.
Over the years, Plaza Athénée has hosted many celebrities, including Sophia Loren in 1956.
Hollywood favorites like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire have been spotted staying at the hotel in previous years, and sporting royalty LeBron James has also enjoyed a stay or two at the luxe address.
Tennis legend Serena Williams and her husband Alexis Ohanian also enjoyed a night of fine dining at the hotel during the Games, The Post can exclusively reveal.
What’s more, French-Canadian superstar Celine Dion, who performed at the Olympic Opening ceremony on Friday, has enjoyed several stays at the hotspot in years past, as well as Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez.
A night at the revered Hôtel Plaza Athénée, during this year’s Olympics, starts at $2,900 — and you’re likely to spot a celeb or two circling the lobby during your stay.
Le Meurice
While Olympic athletes rest their heads on cardboard beds, guests at Le Meurice are guaranteed to experience the polar opposite.
Located on Rue de Rivoli and boasting sights of the Tuileries Garden and the Louvre, the hotel — which opened in 1835 — has long been a celebrated staple in Paris travel.
In celebration of the Games, Le Meurice, which was originally called the original Parisian Palace hotel, is offering guests bespoke experiences for a limited time only.
The hotel’s luxurious La Maison Valmont spa is offering a “vitality and serenity” treatment — a body and facial experience combining massages throughout the Olympic Games period.
And in case the spa experience leaves guests feeling peckish, the hotel’s Restaurant Le Dalí offers a new wellness menu created exclusively by chef Clémentine Bouchon.
The restaurant is aptly named after the late artist, Salvador Dalí, who over 30 years spent a month at the hotel each year.
Another famous name that adored the hotel was renowned artist Pablo Picasso, who hosted his wedding banquet at the favored haunt.
The Spanish painter, who died in 1973, often visited the hotel whenever he found himself in Paris.
Le Meurice also boasts the famous Michelin-starred Alain Ducasse restaurant, which has been a bucket list staple for food lovers for years.
Not to mention, the restaurant is adorned with decor inspired by Versailles.
Since 2013, head chef Ducasse has overseen all dining at the hotel, making him an expert on all things luxury.
His expertise has served as inspiration for pastry chef Cédric Grolet, who was named the world’s best pastry chef at The World’s 50 Best Awards 2018.
Grolet’s flagship store sits comfortably in Le Meurice, and offers guests elaborate sugary creations that are admired similarly to haute couture.
Grolet, 32, has long been revered as one of the top patissiers in Paris, and was named World’s Best Restaurant Pastry Chef by Les Grandes Tables du Monde in 2017.
He’s also catapulted to global stardom through social media, sharing the process of creating his pastries with the world through videos as a culinary art form in its own right.
The hotel also offers a stunning cocktail haven at Bar 228 — which rustles up an evening of nightly live jazz while guests sip and enjoy.
And for visitors traveling to Paris during the Games, there is plenty sporting action happening within reach of the hotel.
C’est parti, les amis!
