We were a stone’s throw away from Paris’s greatest treasures—but what I remember most is the hotel itself. For starters, the staff gave me my own room … which was a VERY big deal to seven-year-old me. Our visit was around Easter time; when I swung open the door to my room I was greeted with a life-size chocolate bunny sitting next to my fluffy bed. Down in the lobby, there was a plush chair as big as a throne; it sat right beside a suit of armor, which was polished until it gleamed. Every afternoon, I would bound up into this chair and pretend I was a queen ruling over my beloved people.

From the gorgeously landscaped gardens to the whimsically chic decor, there was something new to surprise and delight me around every corner. My imagination ran wild down the posh corridors of the hotel!

While some things have changed about how I travel today (for starters, I definitely venture outside my hotels now!), that Paris trip forever shaped how I approach my vacations—and how I design my client’s as well.