I'm sitting in the lobby of what many consider the 'coolest' of the super luxury hotels in Paris, the Plaza Athenee. I'm also pretty pissed off. I booked a beautiful EE lady, a known runway model for several well known European brands. Just before she arrived, I receive an email about whether I might be able to do them a big favour and fit in a shoot with her as the agency was unhappy with the ones on their website. I say ok and she brings an assortment of evening dresses, business wear and lingerie.

Well the booking went south and I've refused to do a shoot with her. In fact I've cut a two day booking short and I'm sending her back on an earlier flight.

It's a good example of why I have a policy of not sleeping with girls who I photograph. You just never know how one is going to affect the other. Is it something I strictly adhere to? No. I photographed Estelle with whom I have had two great overnights with. If she had approached me to do a solo shoot I would have probably said no, but as part of a duo photographic session with Chloe, I thought it would work out fine. I also knew Estelle to be a particularly easy-going girl and would follow my instructions well. Part of our deal was that there would be no expectations of providing any solo pics which took some of the pressure off as well.

I also think it's a better environment to work when you take sex out of the equation. I'm more comfortable and the girl too knowing that she's not going to have some lecherous tog ogling her wares. Often the girl is telling you sensitive information, insecurities about herself and what I can do to best present her. That's why it's a difficult line to tread. On the one hand as an escort, she wishes to hide all her less desirable physical and personality traits. On the other, the girl will bare to you all her flaws as a photographer so that they are minimized.

Special thanks to Ramona for providing the ass for the pic.

Travelogue

Today I'll finish off with a vignette about the luxury hotels in Paris. It's quite entertaining watching the guests around me : many women with serious bling, people with faces which would crack if they smiled courtesy of too many visits to their plastic surgeons, some seem to have forgotten how to tie their shoe laces and of course the new money with more $$$ than taste. I hope this may be of use to those thinking about a splurge. These palace hotels have some eye-watering prices so choose wisely.

The Plaza Athenee, is off the Champs-Elysee (which I consider a monstrosity and the main negative about this hotel), on a quiet street lined with designer shops. Rooms are furnished in either Art Deco or Louis XVI style. Even the smallest rooms are quite spacious and have nice marble bathrooms with separate bath and shower. You can pick up a special for 550 Euros for the single rooms every now and then. Service as you would expect is impeccable. They have can have someone pack and unpack your bags but I can't see why you would want anyone going through your stuff. The bar is one of the hardest to get into. And the 3 Michelin Star Alain Ducasse restaurant is a star attraction. The hotel is conveniently situated between two metro lines but hey so many people who stay there seem to get around in limos. Breakfast at Ducasse is great but costs more than many hotel rooms in town.

http://www.plaza-athenee-paris.fr/hotel-paris

Le Meurice is, like the Plaza Athenee, owned by the Dorchester group. It's more conveniently located on Rue de Rivoli if you want to be surrounded by the main sights. The Phillipe Starck designed public area is the highlight of the hotel. Rooms are on par with their sister hotel. Service seems a little more stiff. Their 3 star restaurant is also one of the great big nights out in Paris headed by chef Yannick Alléno.

Another strong recommendation from me. Plaza Athenee edges Le Meurice out on the hotel alone but when you consider location, it's a dead heat.

http://www.lemeurice.com/paris-hotel

The Ritz Paris is the most famous hotel in Europe. The Hemingway Bar is also a classic but doesn't really compare to that at the Athenee and other places. My advice is to forget it. It's in need of a redo. This it will get very soon and will be closed for two years. I've heard good reports about their restaurant l'Espadon which has one star.

http://www.ritzparis.com/

Hotel de Crillon is located in the centre of Paris, Place de la Concorde. I haven't stayed there but one of our party got kicked out last year for using their toilets

http://www.crillon.com/

Park Hyatt Vendome is the only modern hotel in this class I would recommend. It's actually a palace inside but you can't tell from it's unassuming facade, basically a doorway. Breakfast is great and usually part of the (Romance) packages which I recommend - try the Eggs Benedict with truffles. The eggs look like tits with the black truffles nipple-like on top. If you're lucky or book ahead, you can score a king room for around 550 Euros. The lounge with natural light streaming from the top is wonderful. The entire hotel has a clean, spacious, lightness to it.

http://paris.vendome.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-paris-vendome/index.jsp?language=fr

Le Bristol I can't comment on since I've never been but you can see the rooms in the movie "Midnight in Paris".

http://www.lebristolparis.com/#/hotel-de-luxe-5-etoiles-paris

P.S. If all this makes me sound like a pompous twat, truth is that I can swing between 5 star and 2 star accommodation as well as a German escort. I recently went from Le Meurice to much more modest accommodation and enjoyed myself just as much. In fact, I prefer the boutique hotels, (which are generally given a 3-4 star rating) to the grand super luxury ones. I'm happy to make suggestions or answer any questions.