The City of Light. George V.

I was chatting with clients of mine who had recently returned from a trip, just across the pond, to The City of Light. The conversation centered around the main attraction of their trip. While their visit to Paris received high marks, what stood out most for them was not The Eiffel Tower, but instead their hotel... George V. With a terrace off their room that directly looked out at the Eiffel tower, I can understand why it was not too difficult making a stay in this 1928 landmark hotel an experience worth talking about.


After years of sad decline, the George V had a massive, three year $125 million renovation by new owner Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (who paid $167 million for the property). The hotel lobby fills with soft light, the guest rooms are amongst the largest in the city - many with private terraces overlooking Paris. The restaurant at George V is amongst the finest in the city as is the state-of-the-art indoor pool and spa.


I believe it is the smallest details that make the largest and greatest impressions. Such is the case with the flowers at George V.

While walking around the lobby of The Four Seasons George V Paris, you may or may not see a famous guest, but you’ll most certainly see the work of a celebrity… a celebrity florist that is. This design detail is Most Excellent and worth mentioning.

The George V, has set the standard in the trend in blooms, where flowers aren't simply accoutrement – they're front and center. A former runway model, Jeff Leatham is the hotel's resident florist who's also done private orders for the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Moss and George Clooney. Leatham is no shrinking violet: Taught by his father, a landscape artist, Leatham has no formal training, but he definitely has an eye for the fabulous. To enter the George V is to be greeted by up to 17,000 blooms (all imported from Holland). More than just flower arrangement, it’s an orchestration of shape and color that marks a new kind of interior design.

And we're not talking baby's breath either. With an entourage of seven assistants, Leatham designs over 23 major arrangements for the lobby alone. Past displays have included otherworldly calla lilies toppling out of gargantuan vases, "drowned" orchids, roses in fizzy water and hundreds of bright orange tulips standing sentinel. You never know what you're going to get. The designs (all bold and beautiful) are created anew each week and refreshed daily… if not hourly!

A room with a view



George V Paris