Hyatt Regency Paris-Madeleine 24, Boulevard Malesherbes 75008 Paris, France (33) 1 48 17 1615 www.paris.madeleine.hyatt.com

Remembrance of
Things Past
Business Friendly Lodgings on the Right Bank

Parisian façade on the Right Bank

Hotels catering to business travelers have a delicate balance to maintain. The task is to provide an environment that's pleasurable without being frivolous, attractive without being distracting. The people at Hyatt Regency seem to have struck the right chord with this Paris property in the Madeleine area at the heart of the Right Bank. The Hyatt Regency Paris-Madeleine inhabits an early 20th-century building that sat vacant for decades. Today, beyond the ornate facade on one of the district's quieter thoroughfares, lies a harmonious combination of sleek, thoroughly contemporary design and the comforts and amenities that have made Hyatt a top choice for many business travelers.

There are 88 rooms plus a junior suite, three executive suites and the super-luxurious Presidential Suite that has become a Hyatt trademark, this one providing a terrace with a 360-degree view of the Paris skyline. Italian designer Aldo Riva has decked out each bath and guestroom with its own individual appointments—oversized basins, relaxing chaise longues, drapery fabrics cascading onto the wheat-colored carpets. Forming the backdrop are lustrous wood surfaces and muted, earthy colors. From the streetside rooms on the upper floors, one can gaze on Paris monuments, including the Eiffel Tower. And when the time comes for getting down to business, you will find a practical desk, Internet access, three telephones and two telephone lines. The full-service Business Center operates around the clock.

The reception	The rooms

An Asian sense of proportion and line inform the rich but spare decor, especially in the lobby level's grand, glass-canopied room, La Chinoiserie. Here, a modest-sized but very diverse menu is served at low tables surrounded by soft, body-hugging sofas and armchairs. The menu hops from Spain to Japan, Italy to America (as in cheeseburgers). Our dinner was mostly French, beginning with a terrine with ribbons of silky foie gras and gingerbread, followed by a luscious roasted Bresse chicken with potatoes tinged with goose fat, and crackly millefeuilles with bourbon-spiked vanilla sauce. You might also dine at Cafe M, which opens onto the main boulevard.