Living: Hotel for the Rich

Suites rent for some $5,000 a night, with croissants extra

Parisians, who think of their city as a paradigm of enlightened hedonism, do not quite know what to make of a gaudy new encampment in their midst. It is called the Hotel Nova-Park Elysées. Its Second Empire façade is festooned with flamingo-pink awnings. Inside, which is mostly mauve, the action is known to be exotic and costly. It is said to be the most expensive hotel in the world. Located between the Champs-Elysées and the Plaza Atheéneée, the seven-story, 73-room Nova-Park has mostly Swiss owners, and is conspicuously patronized by Arabs. Le...